Sea Dogs Blast Rocket 5-2
Published on December 29, 2009 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
SAINT JOHN, NB --- The Saint John Sea Dogs turned in an impressive performance in their final home game of the calendar year on Tuesday night, earning a 5-2 victory over the P.E.I. Rocket in front of 4,742 fans at Harbour Station.
Saint John's league-best record now stands at 33-6-1-0, while P.E.I. falls to 20-15-1-3 with the three-goal road loss.
Nick Petersen (2), Mike Hoffman, Nathan Beaulieu, and Steven Anthony all scored for the Sea Dogs on Tuesday while Louis-Phillipe Lacroix and Josh Currie replied for the Rocket. Petersen and Hoffman also dished out a pair of assists on the night, as did rookie winger Stanislav Galiev.
Sophomore goaltender Karel St-Laurent, meanwhile, improved to 12-2 on the season after stopping 20 of the 22 shots fired upon him, with Evan Mosher (36 saves) suffering his fifth defeat of the year between the pipes for Prince Edward Island.
The Sea Dogs outshot the Rocket 10-2 over the course of the opening twenty minutes of play, with Mosher standing on his head throughout the stanza in sending Tuesday's contest into the first intermission with the score deadlocked at zeroes.
Saint John finally got the puck past Mosher 7:12 into the second period when superstar line-mates Mike Hoffman and Nick Petersen worked a give-and-go passing play to perfection deep in P.E.I. territory. Petersen finished off the play nicely, casually sliding his 23rd goal into an open Rocket net. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect struck again 3:20 later, blasting a one-timer past Mosher to put the hosts up 2-0.
A blistering snap shot off the stick of Mike Hoffman put the home team up by three at the 15:35 mark of the middle frame as the veteran sniper picked up his team-high 26th goal of the year.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Steven Anthony then beat Mosher on a booming point shot 2:37 later, with Nathan Beaulieu further adding to his team's lead on a spectacular highlight-reel-marker shortly thereafter. The second-year rearguard grabbed a loose puck in Prince Edward Island's zone and maneuvered around a Rocket defender by way of a nifty spin-o-rama move prior to roofing a wrist shot over Mosher's left shoulder to improve his 2009-10 goals total to seven.
The Garden Province's major junior squad ended St-Laurent's shutout bid 14:18 into period number three when 19-year old defenseman Louis-Phillipe Lacroix netted his second career goal during a P.E.I. power play. Josh Currie added a late marker for the Rocket to make the score respectable, with the Sea Dogs ultimately taking the decision by a 5-2 final.
Up next for Saint John is a home-and-home series with the Moncton Wildcats. Following Thursday night's road game, the Sea Dogs return to Harbour Station on Saturday night to face their archenemies in Game 5 of the 2009-10 Rivalry Cup Challenge (puck drop: 7pm). Tickets to this exciting intraprovincial showdown are available by calling the arena box office at (506) 657-1234.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2009
- Cats edge Titan 4-3 - Moncton Wildcats
- Sea Dogs Blast Rocket 5-2 - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Recap: Tuesday December 29 Trades - QMJHL
- Rocket Make Major Moves - P.E.I. Rocket
- Shawn MacKenzie To Drop Puck For Battle Of Nova Scotia - Halifax Mooseheads
- Tigres Acquire Doyle And Champagne - QMJHL
- Cats Coffee Talk - Moncton Wildcats
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