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QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Islanders' Late Push Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to Sea Dogs

October 5, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The Charlottetown Islanders fought valiantly but were unable to overcome the Saint John Sea Dogs, falling 3-2 in a closely contested match at TD Station Saturday night. Despite a strong finish in the 3rd period, it was yet another game where the Islanders' late-game heroics weren't enough to erase an early deficit.

The Islanders came out looking to avoid another slow start, a problem that has plagued them in recent games. With 16-year-old D #76 Alexandro Lemieux-Goupil and F #82 Egor Goriunov making their debuts, there was plenty of excitement in the lineup. Despite outshooting the Sea Dogs 5-3 in the first 7-minutes, it was Saint John who struck first. D Nate Tivey walked in from the blue line and sniped a shot past Islanders' G Donald Hickey to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead with 11:21 remaining in the 1st period.

Just two minutes later, Saint John's D Eriks Mateiko found the back of the net. Squeaking one through Hickey to make it 2-0. The Islanders' defence looked shaky early and Saint John capitalized. Putting Charlottetown in yet another early hole. Despite the deficit, the Islanders showed some physicality with F #15 Ross Campbell laying big hits and F #55 Simon Hughes recording three of his own.

The 2nd period started with a close call for Charlottetown, as Saint John's F William Yared scored just 30 seconds in. Luckily for the Isles, the goal was waved off after a review determined it was scored with a high stick.

Yared made up for his disallowed goal by scoring Saint John's third of the night with 14:13 remaining in the 2nd. The Sea Dogs' crisp passing and easy zone entries were causing the Isles trouble, and Charlottetown needed a spark.

That spark came in the form of a powerplay after Mateiko took an interference penalty at 11:27. F #24 Nathan Leek continued his hot streak, scoring his third goal in two games to cut the deficit to 3-1 at 16:09. Assisted by F #11 Kyle Powers and D #7 Marcus Kearsey, the power-play goal gave Charlottetown much-needed momentum heading into the final frame.

With 11:42 left in the game, F #13 Matt Butler scored a brilliant solo effort goal, showcasing his soft hands to pull the Isles within one. The momentum had clearly shifted and Charlottetown pressed hard for the equalizer. They outshot Saint John 29-26 with five minutes remaining.

In the final minute of play, Butler found himself on a breakaway but was denied by Saint John G Justin Robinson, who was stellar throughout the game. Campbell had a chance with just 10 seconds left, but his shot went wide sealing the Islanders' fate. Charlottetown finished with a 30-27 shot advantage and 18-13 in hits, but their strong 3rd period wasn't enough to overcome another slow start.

With the loss, the Islanders drop to 2-4-0-1 on the season, while the Sea Dogs extend their winning streak to four games. Charlottetown will need to regroup quickly as they face another tough road test tomorrow afternoon against the Moncton Wildcats, coming off a big 5-1 win over Acadie-Bathurst. Another slow start could prove costly, so the Isles will need a full 60-minute effort to avoid back-to-back defeats on this road trip.

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