QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs

Sea Dogs defeat Mooseheads 4-2

Published on December 14, 2007 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release


SAINT JOHN, NB --- The Saint John Sea Dogs claimed sole possession of second place in the QMJHL East on Friday night, leapfrogging the visiting Halifax Mooseheads after earning a hard-fought 4-2 victory in front of 4,168 fans at Harbour Station.

After a penalty-filled first period produced a 0-0 deadlock, Saint John tallied three of the five goals scored in the middle frame prior to adding an empty net marker late in the game in producing the final score.

The Sea Dogs now have 47 points on the season, one more than Halifax and one less than (momentarily) top-ranked Cape Breton, who defeated St. John's by a score of 4-3 on Friday at their home arena in Sydney, NS.

Francois Gauthier, Mike Thomas, Matthew Stoddard, and Alexandre Leduc all scored for Saint John on Friday, while Halifax received their offensive production from Peter-James Corsi and Nicholas Goyens.

Veteran goaltender Travis Fullerton earned the win in net for the Sea Dogs, stopping 28 of the 30 shots sent his way to improve his individual record to 13-7 on the season. Meanwhile, Pier-Olivier Pelletier (18 saves) suffered the loss between the pipes for Halifax, falling to 11-11 on the year as a result.

In a first period that would see no fewer than 34 penalty minutes being handed out by officials over the course of twenty minutes of gritty, physical, hard-hitting hockey, neither team was able to capitalize on their respective chances, with both net minders solidly standing their ground in goal.

The first big scoring opportunity of the game came with 7:04 remaining in the opening frame when Mooseheads left wing Daniel Smith was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a semi-breakaway by Simon Despres. The 18-year old was unable to convert on his attempt however, as he lost control of the puck before he was able to challenge Fullerton with a shot and/or deke.

The overt mutual aggressiveness of the first period then reached its zenith at the 16:48 mark of the first when Brett Gallant squared off with Mooseheads forward Shawn O'Donnell in the home team's zone, earning a late-round victory after administering a series of lethal blows to the 19-year winger's cranial region.

Neither team managed to capitalize on their respective power play opportunities which materialized as a result of the multiple penalty calls in the first, and the opening frame thusly came to an end with the score tied 0-0.

A second penalty shot was called 1:59 into the second, with both the team and the result proving different than the first, as Sea Dogs forward Francois Gauthier made no mistake on his attempt, firing a wrist shot between the pads of Pelletier to earn his eighth tally of the season as Saint John subsequently took a 1-0 lead.

The home team doubled their lead 3:40 later when rugged winger Mike Thomas (fresh off a 2G-1A-3P performance versus Cape Breton on Sunday) stole the puck from a Halifax defenseman deep in the visitors' zone and unleashed a rocket of a wrist shot that beat Pelletier on his blocker side.

The Mooseheads cut into the Sea Dogs' lead at the 16:36 mark of the middle frame when Peter-James Corsi beat Fullerton with a high wrist shot. Just 29 seconds later Nicholas Goyens earned his third goal of the 2007-08 campaign to tie things up 2-2.

Saint John then reclaimed the lead with 2:11 remaining in the second period when a cross-ice pass by Matthew Stoddard ricocheted off of the skate of a Mooseheads defenseman, the puck finding its way to the back of the Halifax net as Mike Thomas earned his second point of the night in the form of an assist.

Halifax was awarded a power play near the end of the second, but some stellar work by Fullerton ensured that Friday's match reached the forty minute mark with the home team leading 3-2.

Payton Liske nearly gave the Sea Dogs an insurance marker eight minutes into the third period, ringing a snap shot off of the post of the Mooseheads' net on an odd-man rush from just outside the slot.

After some more impressive work from Fullerton, Saint John sealed the proverbial deal on Friday when Alexandre Leduc scored an empty net goal to earn his tenth tally of the season.

The 22-9-1-2 Sea Dogs will next face the Moncton Wildcats in a Sunday afternoon road contest.

Check out the Saint John Sea Dogs Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 14, 2007


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