Eagles Rally But Fall Short in Overtime Loss to Saint John
December 13, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Cape Breton Eagles News Release
NOTES FROM THE GAME
- Egan Beveridge's goal at the four-minute mark of overtime gave the Saint John Sea Dogs a 5-4 overtime victory over the Cape Breton Eagles. It was a game that saw both teams rally from two goal deficits.
- Cole Burbidge helped paced the Eagles attack with a goal and an assist, while Émile Ricard, Tomas Lavoie, and Cam Squires also scored for the Eagles. Olivier Groulx scored twice for Saint John.
- Eagles forward Luke Patterson won all 15 of his faceoffs on the night.
- Charles-Édward Gravel stopped 33 of 37 shots in the win, while Brandon Lavoie stopped 30 of 35 shots in the loss.
- Cape Breton's Will Murphy & Saint John's Reid Calder were given misconducts following a fight at the 5:16 mark of the third period.
- The loss marked the first time during Louis Robitaille's two years as Eagles head coach that the team lost when leading after the second period.
A pedestrian opening period showed no signs of a high scoring game, as it was scoreless after 20 minutes with a combined 15 shots, and a first period that was played entirely at five on five.
Things opened up for both teams in the second stanza. First, it was the home side starting the scoring in the opening two minutes. Zachary Morin jabbed a loose puck over the goal line to send teddy bears flying. The lead doubled when Groulx jumped into the play to score from the left faceoff circle.
The Eagles pushed back though, and actually took the lead before period's end. Ricard put the Eagles on the board with a power play one timer (the first power play for either team), and Lavoie tied the game with a heavy shot through traffic from the left point. The visitors took their first lead when Squires batted a Joey Henneberry pass out of the air on a two on one to beat Gravel.
The Eagles made good on their second power play of the night as well in the third period, as Burbidge's goal came before the seven-minute mark- the power play coming when Calder was given a minor penalty in addition to his fighting major.
The second half of the third period went the way of the home side. Florian Schenk cut the deficit to one with a shot from the front of the goal, and the tying goal came on a late power play as Groulx put his second of the night over Lavoie with less than three minutes to play.
It was a fairly cautious overtime, although the Eagles were able to register three shots on goal. The first Saint John shot was Beveridge's, a rising shot over Lavoie to give Saint John a come from behind win.
The Eagles play their final game of the first half of the season tomorrow night as they visit the Moncton Wildcats! Puck drop is 7 PM. The game is available for purchase on https://shorturl.at/8E7hZ and you can also hear all the action on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Olivier Groulx (Saint John) 2 goals, +2
2. Zachary Morin (Saint John) 1 goal, +2
3. Émile Ricard (Cape Breton) 1 goal, 3 shots
Scratches For Cape Breton: Jakub Milota (World Juniors), Logan Quinn, Aiden McCullough, Noah Larochelle, Carson Griffin
Scratches For Saint John: Justin Robinson (injury), Olivier Duhamel (injury), Matthew MacLean (injury)
Tyler Peddle (injury), Matteo Mann (injury), Eriks Mateiko
Final Shots On Goal: 37-35 in favour of Cape Breton
Cape Breton Power Play: 2/3
Saint John Power Play: 1/3
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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2024
- Eagles Finish First Half Tonight In Moncton Against Wildcats - Cape Breton Eagles
- Wildcats Cut Down Titan in Exciting OT Thriller - Moncton Wildcats
- Islanders Outpace Mooseheads in 4-1 Win - Halifax Mooseheads
- Eagles Rally But Fall Short in Overtime Loss to Saint John - Cape Breton Eagles
- Eagles Begin Final Weekend of First Half with Visit to Port City - Cape Breton Eagles
- Follow Along as the Islanders Host Mooseheads for Teddy Bear Toss in Back-To-Back Matchup - Charlottetown Islanders
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