Sea Dogs Hand Defending Champion Huskies First Regulation Loss
Published on October 14, 2016 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
ROUYN-NORANDA - Luke Green and Cedric Pare each had a goal and an assist as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 4-2, Friday at Iamgold Arena.
Samuel Leblanc and Mathieu Joseph also found the net for Saint John (6-2-1-0) which won for the sixth time in seven games.
Gabriel Fontaine potted both goals for the defending President Cup champions from Rouyn-Noranda (6-1-0-1), which suffered its first loss in regulation time this season.
A scoring summary is available HERE [http://theqmjhl.ca/gamecentre/25281/boxscore].
The Sea Dogs dealt with penalty trouble early in the game, and the Huskies appeared to open the scoring on their third power play of the first period.
Fontaine, playing his first game since returning from training camp with the New York Rangers, cut in from the right wing side and slid the puck through a crowd and past goalie Alex Bishop. But the goal was waived off immediately, as Rouyn-Noranda were ruled to have made incidental contact with the goaltender.
Instead, Saint John got on the board first with under four minutes to go in the period.
The Sea Dogs won a faceoff to the left of Huskies' goalie Samuel Harvey. Luke Green fired a shot from the right point that was blocked. Leblanc snared the rebound and beat Harvey on the blocker side for the only goal of the frame. Newcomer Landon Quinney, who made his Saint John debut, earned an assist on the play thanks to his faceoff win.
Green doubled the lead two minutes into the second.
The blueliner took a pass in the high slot and fired a slap shot that deflected off of a Rouyn-Noranda defender and past Harvey's glove.
Saint John expanded its lead to 3-0 with under five minutes to go in the frame.
Standing to the left of the net, Pare deflected a shot that Harvey blocked. But the Sea Dog rookie corralled the puck, went behind the goal and chipped it into some traffic in the crease-area. It bounced off of a Huskies' player and into the open cage.
Joseph made it a 4-0 game with a shorthanded goal 19 seconds into the third.
The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect intercepted a pass at the Sea Dog blueline and raced in on a breakaway, beating Harvey with a quick wrist shot between the goalie's legs.
Fontaine got the home side on the board two minutes later, muscling his own rebound across the goal line after Bishop lost sight of it near his left foot.
The goal gave the Huskies momentum, and they scored again near the nine-minute mark.
Fontaine grabbed the puck behind the net and fed it into the crease on the right wing side of the goal. It bounced off of two Sea Dogs and past Bishop's right leg to cut Saint John's lead to 4-2.
Rouyn-Noranda pulled Harvey with under ninety seconds remaining, but could not get any closer on the scoreboard.
Bishop earned the win with 18 saves. Harvey suffered the loss with 17 stops.
Green's two points gave him first star while Joseph's shorthanded marker made him second star. Fontaine nabbed third star with two goals in front of 2,143 fans in attendance.
Saint John's next game is Saturday, October 15th, at 8 p.m. against the Val-d'Or Foreurs at Centre Air Creebec. Listen LIVE on 96.1 NewSong FM or newsongfm.ca [http://www.christiannetcast.com/listen/player.asp'stationcinb-fm]. Watch LIVE on Neulion [http://qmjhl.neulion.com/qmjhl/].
The Sea Dogs' next home game is Wednesday, October 19th, at 7 p.m. against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at Harbour Station. Tickets are available at the Harbour Station Box Office and online [https://www.tickets.harbourstation.ca/Online/default.asp].
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2016
- Sea Dogs Hand Defending Champion Huskies First Regulation Loss - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Wildcats Fall 10-6 to Rimouski in Opening Game of Quebec Trip - Moncton Wildcats
- Around the Q this Week: October 14, 2016 - QMJHL
- Sea Dogs Sign F Landon Quinney - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Lavoie Chooses to Return to Midget AAA - Halifax Mooseheads
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