Sea Dogs Come out Flying Against Eagles
March 25, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
SAINT JOHN, N.B. - A second-period explosion and the first individual four-goal game in team history lifted the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 10-0 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday in Game One of their best-of-seven President's Cup playoff series.
Zack Phillips had the first four-goal game in team history and added an assist, Stanislav Galiev notched two goals and Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu had four assists each. Tomas Jurco, Ryan Tesink, Mike Thomas and Eric Gelinas notched singles to round out the summary. Jacob DeSerres stopped 19 shots for the shutout.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner Gilles Courteau presented the Jean Rougeau Trophy to the Sea Dogs in a pre-game ceremony in recognition of their regular-season championship. Saint John clinched this title for the second straight year, this time tying the QMJHL record with 58 wins. Saint John also received its second straight Luc Robitaille Trophy for most goals scored, and first ever Robert LeBel Trophy for best goals-against average. It's the first time in the 10-year history of the Luc Robitaille Trophy that a team has won both the Robitaille and LeBel.
Galiev had a great chance to open the scoring midway through the first period. The speedy Russian exploded from the neutral zone to create a breakaway but Hayes stopped his low shot. After a faceoff in the Saint John end, Galiev beat Hayes on his next chance, taking a pass from Huberdeau in the high slot and beating Hayes with a high wrist shot to the glove side to make it 1-0.
DeSerres kept the score that way with an incredible save later in the first, reaching back to come up with a huge glove save on a Logan Shaw rebound attempt.
The floodgates opened in the second period, as the Sea Dogs scored seven times, one short of the league playoff record for goals in a frame. Phillips scored two power-play markers 33 seconds apart, the first at 6:15 after Beaulieu and Huberdeau hit the post on successive shots, the second at 6:48 on a great cross-ice pass from Beaulieu.
Jurco made it 4-0 at 10:07, taking a cross-ice pass from Michael Kirkpatrick. Tesink then extended the lead to 5-0 at 14:22, jumping out of the penalty box, taking a breakaway feed from Phillips and beating Andrew Hayes with a wrist shot high to the glove side.
Phillips completed the hat trick at 18:26 of the second, and Galiev and Thomas added markers before the frame was out.
The Eagles switched to Alexandre Veronneau between the pipes in the third, but Phillips and Gelinas were able to get pucks behind him to run the score to double digits.
Game Two is set for 7 p.m. Saturday back at Harbour Station. Plenty of good seats are still available. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Harbour Station box office at (506) 657-1234, or by visiting www.tickets.harbourstation.ca.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2011
- Wildcats Take Game One, 4-1 - Lewiston MAINEiacs
- Juniors Take a Two Game Lead - Montreal Juniors
- Sea Dogs Come out Flying Against Eagles - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Gauthier-Leduc, Devos and Mosher named TELUS three stars of the month - QMJHL
- Playoff Game 1 Is Tonight - Lewiston MAINEiacs
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