QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs

Sea Dogs Throttle Rocket, Win 6-2 at Harbour Station

Published on November 5, 2008 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release


SAINT JOHN, NB --- The Saint John Sea Dogs' dominance of the P.E.I. Rocket continued unabated on Wednesday night, as the Port City's major junior squad produced a 6-2 win at the expense of their divisional rivals to pull to within striking distance of Cape Breton for second place in the QMJHL Atlantic.

Team Captain Alex Grant and former OHL forward Alexei Dostoinov scored two goals apiece on Wednesday, while Steven Anthony and Mike Thomas chipped in with single markers for Saint John in what proved to be a decisive four-goal victory.

Saint John's power play unit performed exceptionally well during the team's mid-week summit with P.E.I., converting on three of six opportunities to propel the Sea Dogs to victory. Meanwhile, between the pipes, import goalie Robert Mayer made 17 saves in picking up his tenth win of the season.

At the other end of the ice, Mathieu Tousignant and Matthew Lachaine each scored for the Rocket during their road defeat, while Evan Mosher suffered the loss in net for P.E.I. after surrendering six goals on 28 shots faced.

With Wednesday's win, Saint John now owns 24 points on the season - three fewer than the total possessed by the Screaming Eagles, who currently occupy the second position on the Atlantic Division's standings board.

After some acrobatic goaltending by Mosher kept the Sea Dogs from capitalizing on some early scoring chances in the opening period, the home team was able to convert on a mid-frame power play to take a 1-0 lead. Team Captain Alex Grant pounced on a loose puck in close proximity to the P.E.I. net, shovelling a backhand across the goal line to register his fifth goal of the year.

Grant came up with a big defensive play a moment later, diving through his own slot to block a Mathieu Tousignant wrist shot and keep the visitors from gaining any discernable momentum.

Robert Mayer stopped all seven shots sent his way over the course of the opening twenty minutes of play, sending Wednesday's contest in the first intermission with Saint John leading 1-0.

The Rocket scored two quick goals to open period number two, with Matthew Lachaine and Mathuieu Tousignant both tallying markers in the opening 3:01 of the frame to give the visiting squad from the Garden Province a 2-1 lead.

Saint John responded on the power play, with second-year forward Steven Anthony taking a feed from Chris DiDomenico and burying his fourth goal of the season on a high, close-range backhand shot 4:43 into the second period.

After twenty-four minutes of near-misses and almost-goals, the Sea Dogs were able to produce the go-ahead marker during another man-up session, with an absolute howitzer of a one-timer off the stick of Alex Grant beating Mosher high 8:14 into the third period to make the score 3-2 in favour of the home team.

Recently-acquired forward Alexei Dostoinov then added an insurance marker for the hosts, winning a faceoff in P.E.I. territory and wiring a wrist shot over Mosher's shoulder in a single, fluid motion to tally his first goal as a Sea Dog.

Dostoinov's line mate Mike Thomas then gave Saint John a three-goal lead at the 18:35 mark of regulation's final frame, jamming a rebound past a sprawling Mosher to pick up his first tally of 2008-09.

With the outcome of Wednesday's no longer in question, Alexei Dostoinov capped off his breakout QMJHL performance by scoring another highlight-reel goal in the final minute of play. The 19-year old danced through the Rocket's zone - around a pair of would-be P.E.I. defenders - and ripped a wrist shot to the back of the visitors' net to record his fourth point of the night in dynamic fashion.

Up next for Saint John is a Saturday night showdown with Rouyn-Noranda at Harbour Station. The puck drops at 7:00pm as the Sea Dogs look to exact revenge upon the team that ended their first-ever playoff run this past April. Tickets to this highly-anticipated rematch of a 2008 QMJHL Final Four series can be obtained by calling (506) 657-1234.

Check out the Saint John Sea Dogs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 5, 2008


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.

OurSports Central