Sea Dogs Rout Oceanic 6-1, Capture Eighth Straight Win
Published on November 1, 2009 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
RIMOUSKI, QC --- The league-leading Saint John Sea Dogs made history on Sunday afternoon, setting a franchise record by capturing their eighth consecutive victory on the strength of a dominant offensive performance on the road versus the Rimouski Oceanic.
After falling behind 1-0 in the early-going, the Sea Dogs reeled off six unanswered goals to take the decision by a 6-1 final. Nick Petersen and Simon Després led the way for Saint John, scoring two goals each, while Mike Hoffman and Steven Anthon both tallied single markers on the day. Hoffman also registered a trio of helpers at Rimouski Coliseum, as did Michael Kirkpatrick.
The lone goal of the afternoon for the Oceanic came off the stick of second-year forward Patrick Delisle-Houde.
Between the pipes, Marc-Antoine Gélinas (22 saves) earned the 11th wind of his overage season while Philippe Tremblay (25 saves) suffered the fifth defeat of his rookie campaign.
The home team took what would be their only lead of the day 6:40 into the first period when Patrick Delisle-Houde deflected an Emmanuel Boudrreau shot past Gélinas during an Oceanic power play. Saint John then tied the game up at one apiece in the 14th minute of play, with Steven Anthony hammering home a one-timer after being set up perfectly in the slot by Tomas Jurco after the import winger successfully outdueled a pair of Oceanic skaters in the corner to gain possession of the puck.
The visiting team from south western New Brunswick took their first lead of the day 1:23 later courtesy of superstar defenseman Simon Després as the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect beat Tremblay on a well-placed point shot to improve his 2009-10 goals total to four. Mike Hoffman and Michael Kirkpatrick both picked up assists on Despres' man-up marker, the third such goal of his career.
A moment later, Russian forward Stanislav Galiev turned in a spectacular down-ice rush, carrying the puck the length of the rink prior to spotting line-mate Nick Petersen lurking in front of Rimouski's net and setting him of for a tap-in-tally. The overage winger made no mistake on his prime scoring chance, burying Galiev's feed to record his sixth goal of the season.
Saint John's offensive onslaught continued unabated in the second period, as Nick Petersen and Mike Hoffman both netted goals in the stanza's opening half to give their team a 5-1 lead as Sunday's contest reached the midway point.
Marc-Antoine Gélinas turned aside all six shots sent his way by Oceanic skaters in the middle frame, sending the game into intermission number two with the visitors fully in command with a four-goal advantage.
The Sea Dogs went up 6-1 at the 8:38 mark of the third period when Simon Després struck again on the power play, registering the first multi-goal game of his career on a hard shot that bounced off of Tremblay's glove before finding its way to the back of the net.
Despres' PPG proved to be the final offensive strike of the day, as the Port City's major junior squad cruised to victory from there on in to take the match by five.
Saint John's #1 line, comprised of Mike Hoffman (1), Nick Petersen (2), and Stanislav Galiev (3), ended up sweeping the game's Three Star Selections after combining for eight points on what was a highly-productive afternoon for the three-man unit.
Up next for the Sea Dogs is a Wednesday night home game versus the Halifax Mooseheads. The puck drops at 7pm as Saint John looks to extend their winning streak to nine games against their Atlantic Division rivals. Tickets to this mid-week match are available by calling the Harbour Station Box Office at 657-1234.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 1, 2009
- Sea Dogs Rout Oceanic 6-1, Capture Eighth Straight Win - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Juniors Game Cancelled - Montreal Juniors
- Game Cancelled In Moncton - QMJHL
- Moncton-Montreal Game Cancelled - Moncton Wildcats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
