QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs

Oceanic Down Dogs to End Winning Streak

Published on November 2, 2011 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release


SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs started a four-game road swing on a losing note, falling 4-3 at the hands of the Rimouski Oceanic Wednesday.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored a pair of goals, and Danick Gauthier extended his team-leading goals total to 18 as Saint John saw its Quebec Major Junior Hockey League record fall to 14-6. Zack Phillips and Tomas Jurco chipped in a pair of assists each and Mathieu Corbeil made 20 saves in the loss.

Peter Trainor and Alexandre Mallet had a goal and an assist each for Rimouski in the win, which snapped Saint John's seven-game winning streak on the day the team moved up to No. 2 in the BMO Canadian Hockey League Top 10 rankings. Petr Straka and J-F Plante also scored for the Oceanic, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc had two assists and Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 35 saves for the win. Rimouski improved to 12-8.

Click HERE to view a complete scoresheet from Wednesday's game. For interviews and highlights, visit Sea Dogs TV, the team's official YouTube channel.

The Dogs got off to a good start when Huberdeau jammed in his own rebound 2:43 into the first period, with assists from Phillips and Jurco.

The Sea Dogs kept the pressure on offensively, but Rimouski showcased a quick counter-attack when the opportunity arose. The Oceanic equalized when Leduc's shot off the rush hit a body on the way through and bounced fortuitously to Straka, who took advantage of Corbeil's reaction to the initial shot and found the net at 5:49.

Huberdeau restored the lead at 8:51. The Sea Dogs captain forced a turnover at the defensive blueline and fought the puck into the offensive zone. Later in the shift, Phillips picked it up in the slot and ripped a shot on net that Huberdeau redirected. Jurco had the other assist on the goal, Huberdeau's ninth.

With less than four minutes left in the first, and Trainor on a clear breakaway, Jason Cameron made an outstanding diving effort to swat the puck away and avoid taking a penalty. Dogs defenceman Ian Saab, however, was dinged for a double-minor shortly thereafter and Saint John was forced to finish the frame on the penalty kill.

The Sea Dogs almost survived the first with the lead intact but with just nine seconds left, Plante finished off a nice passing play to make it 2-2.

Mallet put the Oceanic in the lead at 7:22 of the second period, but Gauthier got the Dogs back even at 9:05. The 20-year-old forward knocked the puck away from a Rimouski defender behind the net, then shortly thereafter took a centering pass from Oke and fired it home.

The deciding goal came on a controversial play midway through the third. Saab was called for holding at 10:26. With Saint John on the penalty kill, defenceman Kevin Gagne rushed the puck to centre ice, where he was hauled down by Trainor. The Oceanic came back the other way and Trainor deposited a Leduc rebound before the Sea Dogs could recover. It was Rimouski's second power-play goal in five opportunities. The Sea Dogs were awarded just two power plays and were unable to score on either.

Saint John pulled the goalie late but was unable to find the equalizer with Corbeil on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.

Saint John continues its four-game road swing with back-to-back dates in Baie-Comeau Friday and Saturday. The Drakkar (11-6) held the No. 2 spot in last week's CHL rankings, but fell all the way out of the Top 10 after a pair of losses. Friday's game is an 8:30 p.m. Atlantic Time start and Saturday's puck drop is at 5 p.m. Tim Roszell will have the call on News 88.9 FM . Fans can also catch all the action online via the official TELUS QMJHL webcast.

Check out the Saint John Sea Dogs Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 2, 2011


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