The Rock Report

March 18, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
St. John's IceCaps News Release


The luck of the Irish was with the IceCaps this past weekend. St. John's took both games against the Bulldogs in very different ways, first beating Hamilton handily with a 5-0 shutout and following that up with a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory on Josh Lunden's goal with 26 seconds left in regulation time. The IceCaps head out on the road this week for the start of a five-game road trip with back-to-back games Friday and Saturday in Portland and a Sunday matinee in Manchester.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Friday, March 15 - St. John's IceCaps 5 Hamilton Bulldogs 0 Mile One Centre - St. John's, NL St. John's Goals: Gagnon (6), Mouillierat (8), O'Dell (19), Lunden (1), Jaffray (14) Hamilton Goals: None Goaltending: STJ - Dekanich (W - 23 shots, 23 saves) / HAM - Mayer (L - 6 shots, 3 saves), Tokarski (26 shots, 24 saves) Power Play: STJ 2/6 | HAM 0/3 Three Stars: 1) STJ - Aaron Gagnon 2) STJ - Eric O'Dell 3) STJ - Mark Dekanich Mary Brown's HWP: Josh Lunden Attendance: 6,287

The IceCaps took it to the Hamilton Bulldogs from start to finish in a resounding 5-0 win at Mile One Centre Friday night.

St. John's scored three times in the opening 10 minutes of the game, chasing Bulldogs starter Robert Mayer and ending its eight-game home losing streak to pick up its 10th win of the season at Mile One.

Aaron Gagnon extended his point streak to six games with a goal and an assist while Eric O'Dell also had a goal and an assist. Mark Dekanich made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season as the IceCaps snapped a six-game losing streak overall.

Saturday, March 16 - St. John's IceCaps 4 Hamilton Bulldogs 3 Mile One Centre - St. John's, NL St. John's Goals: Sawada (11), O'Dell (20, 21), Lunden (2) Hamilton Goals: Holland (8), Lefebvre (2), Murovich (3) Goaltending: STJ - Dekanich (W - 19 shots, 16 saves) / HAM - Tokarski (L - 40 shots, 36 saves) Power Play: STJ 0/3 | HAM 0/2 Three Stars: 1) STJ - Eric O'Dell 2) HAM - Tyler Murovich 3) STJ - Josh Lunden Mary Brown's HWP: Will O'Neill Attendance: 6,287

It looked grim for two periods, but the IceCaps made up for it in the third, scoring three goals to erase a 3-1 deficit and win 4-3 over the Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday at Mile One Centre.

Eric O'Dell scored two goals in the final frame, including the tying marker with 2:07 to go, and Josh Lunden completed the comeback with 26 seconds left. O'Dell finished the game with three points while Mark Dekanich picked up his second straight win with a 16- save performance. Ray Sawada scored the other St. John's tally and Kael Mouillierat chipped in with a pair of assists.

ICE-CAPSules

Lunden Calling: It was a milestone weekend for F Josh Lunden. The gritty winger notched his first AHL goal in Friday's 5-0 drubbing and followed that up with the game-winning tally Saturday, scoring with 26 seconds left in the game to break a 3-3 tie. Lunden found himself on a line with two of the team's leading scorers in Eric O'Dell and Kael Mouillierat for much of the weekend. The trio combined for six of the club's nine goals in the two games.

Still Streaking: F Aaron Gagnon's point streak has now reached a team-high seven games after he got on the score sheet in both contests this weekend. Gagnon notched the opening goal and eventual game-winner Friday and picked up an assist in Saturday's win. Gagnon has nine points (5G, 4A) during his current streak.

Second and 20: F Eric O'Dell became the second IceCap to reach 20 goals in a season with his three goals this weekend. O'Dell notched his 19th on Friday and hit number 20 early in the third period on Saturday. Jason King is the only other IceCap to score 20 times in a season - he had 22 last season - in the club's brief two-year history.

Jets Update: The Jets surged into top spot in the Southeast Division with three wins in four games last week.

Winnipeg defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Tuesday night and bested the New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday before beating the Leafs again on Saturday 5-4 in a shootout. Despite a Sunday afternoon loss to the Ottawa Senators, the Jets find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points.

Injury Report: Injured: Jason King (head), Hunter Tremblay (head), Ivan Telegin (head), Ryan Schnell (lower body), John Albert (hand) and Josh Godfrey (undisclosed).

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

March 16 St. John's (AHL) signs F Vinny Saponari to an ATO

March 14 St. John's (AHL) signs G Scott Greenham to a PTO

March 13 Winnipeg (NHL) recalls G Eddie Pasquale from St. John's (AHL)

March 13 Winnipeg (NHL) recalls F Patrice Cormier from St. John's (AHL)

LISTEN TO EVERY ICECAPS GAME LIVE

Listen to every IceCaps game this season online at www.stjohnsicecaps.com by clicking the 'Listen Live' link on the homepage. Play-by-play broadcaster Brian Rogers brings you all the action on the ice, including a pregame show that starts 30 minutes before the drop of the puck. Fans can also listen on the radio at 930AM This Is Newfoundland Labrador. And, watch all the games streaming live online at www.ahllive.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2013


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