League-Leading Sea Dogs Double Up Huskies 6-3 To Win 11th Straight
Published on November 8, 2009 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
SAINT JOHN, NB --- The #1 team in the QMJHL continued to roll on Sunday afternoon, as the Saint John Sea Dogs bested the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies by a score of 6-3 at Harbour Station to pick up their franchise-record eleventh consecutive victory.
After battling to a 3-3 deadlock over the course of the opening forty minutes of play, the Sea Dogs dominated the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to take the match by a 6-3 final.
Danick Gauthier (2), Michael Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Gagné, and Nathan Beaulieu all scored for Saint John in the home win while Gabriel Lévesque, Jeff Desjardins, and Christophe Losier tallied markers for Rouyn-Noranda in a losing effort.
Between the pipes, overage goaltender Marc-Antoine Gélinas (27 saves) picked up his league-best 13th win of the season for the Sea Dogs while the Huskies' Jessy Lecours fell to 2-3 on the year after allowing five goals on 41 shots faced.
Saint John received an excellent opportunity to strike first on Sunday when officials awarded wily playmaker Olivier Ouellet a penalty shot in the opening minute of the first period. Lecours stymied Ouellet on his shooting attempt however; the Rouyn-Noranda net minder stoned the 19-year old forward with a lightning-fast pad save to keep the game scoreless.
Fifteen minutes later, rookie speedster Jonathan Huberdeau put the Sea Dogs up 1-0, taking a pass from Nicholas Pard on the fly in Huskies territory and wiring a wrist shot to the back of the visitors' net from the top of the left faceoff circle to tally the fifth marker of his freshman campaign.
Marc-Antoine Gélinas played exceptionally well throughout the opening frame, making ten saves on as many shots faced to send Sunday's contest into intermission number one with the home team in possession of a one-goal lead.
The Sea Dogs went on their second power play of the day early in the second period, with Sean Girard receiving a sentence of two minutes in the sin bin for holding the stick. Saint John was unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage however, as Lecours kept the puck out of the net during the 120-second 5-on-4 session to keep his team within immediate striking distance of their opponents.
Rouyn-Noranda took full advantage of their first man-up opportunity of the afternoon when, at the 8:03 mark of the middle frame, a crease-hovering Jeff Desjardins knocked a loose puck past Gélinas on his backhand to tie the match up 1-1.
The Sea Dogs retook the lead one-and-a-half minutes later, with sophomore defenseman Nathan Beaulieu ripping a long-range wrist shot past Lecours to improve his 2009-10 goals total to five. Michael Kirkpatrick and Steven Anthony both picked up assists on the successful play, keeping pace with one another for the team scoring lead in the process.
During a 5-on-3 power play for the visitors, star Huskies centre Gabriel Lévesque beat Gélinas with a booming slap shot from the slot to tie things up at two apiece in the 37th minute of play. Christophe Losier then gave Rouyn-Noranda their first lead of the day 40 seconds later, converting on a close-range snap shot to pick up his third of the year.
A minute-and-change later, Kevin Gagné brought an abrupt end to the Huskies' short-lived lead in spectacular fashion. The second-year rearguard wired a high wrist across the Rouyn-Noranda goal line after accepting a pass in the neutral zone and bursting into enemy territory at a speed approaching warp nine.
Yann Sauvé and Mike Hoffman then dished out a pair of bone-crunching body checks in the dying seconds of the stanza, significantly adding to the Sea Dogs' momentum as Sunday's match reached the forty minute mark.
The second penalty shot of the day was awarded to Saint John 1:37 into the third period. Vancouver Canucks prospect Steven Anthony struck iron on his attempt however, ringing a wrist shot off of the post as the game remained tied at threes.
Danick Gauthier then put the Sea Dogs up 4-3 at the 2:53 mark of regulation's final frame, beating Lecours on a well-placed shot from a dozen feet out for his seventh goal of the 09-10 campaign. Gauthier added an insurance marker eleven minutes later, redirecting a Benjamin Lecomte point shot past Lecours to give the hosts some breathing room in the late-going.
After a pair of late penalty kills, the Sea Dogs registered their sixth goal of the game courtesy of Michael Kirkpatrick, who fired the puck into an empty net with 28 seconds remaining on the clock to hammer the proverbial nail into Rouyn-Noranda's coffin.
Up next for Saint John (19-4-1-0) is a Thursday night tilt with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at Harbour Station. The puck drops at 7pm as the Sea Dogs look to extend their winning streak to twelve games. Tickets to this contest are available by calling the arena box office at 657-1234.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 8, 2009
- Oceanic Sails Past Lewiston - Lewiston MAINEiacs
- Game Postponed In Halifax - QMJHL
- Juniors Take Second Straight - Montreal Juniors
- League-Leading Sea Dogs Double Up Huskies 6-3 To Win 11th Straight - Saint John Sea Dogs
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