DEFENSE SLIPS AS OFFENSE CLICKS

STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL: Saint John 5, Acadie-Bathurst 4

BATHURST – The Saint John Sea Dogs opened the second half of their 2009-10 season the same way they started the first half – with a one goal win in Bathurst. The Sea Dogs defeated the new look Acadie-Bathurst Titan 5-4 Sunday afternoon at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

Despite some defensive miscues and lineup juggling, the Sea Dogs’ stellar offense came through to push the Dogs to victory. Tomas Jurco set a career high with two goals in a game. Mike Hoffman also had a pair while Simon Despres netted the game winner for Saint John.

Saint John fired 46 shots on the Titan’s new number one goalie Guillaume Nadeau. Bathurst replied with goals from Jeremie Malouin, Taylor Lambke, Jess Tanguy, and Jonathan Lessard.

It was a fairly uneventful first period. Stanislav Galiev started the second half like he ended the first one with a good chance in close but sent it off the side of the goal.

With call-up Andrew Langan in the box at 3:06, Saint John got their first chance to reverse their first half penalty killing woes. They did a good job as the only good chance came when Olivier Malka ringed a shot off the post.

Simon Despres set up fellow Pittsburgh prospect Nicholas Petersen in front but was stopped by the toe of Guillaume Nadeau. Then Nicholas Pard was stopped on a wraparound followed by Langan wristing a shot off the outside of the right post.

Jonathan Lessard had the best Titan chance earlier on when he streaked across down low but was stopped by Marc-Antoine Gelinas.

Pard set up Stephen MacAulay but was stopped. Then MacAulay stole a puck away from a Bathurst player but shot wide on Nadeau.

One of the best scoring chances for Saint John came when Kevin Gagne broke loose from defenseman Alexis Bernier but Nadeau stood tall in the Bathurst crease and made the save.

Tomas Jurco made it 1-0 at 15:08. Jurco and Michael Kirkpatrick went in on a two-on-one with Jurco shooting wide of the goal. Kirkpatrick found the puck behind the net and tried to bank it off Nadeau but went in front to Jurco. The import wired a shot, while the puck was in midair, to net his tenth goal of the season. The goal went under a lengthy review to see if the puck was knocked in with a high stick but was ruled a goal.

Newly acquired David Gilbert cut in front around Gagne but was stopped by Gelinas. The rebound went to Taylor Lambke but the Sea Dogs overage goaltender made the save.

Despite Saint John having the better scoring chances, shots were 12 a piece in the first period.

Eric Faille opened the second period with a good chance on a wide open net but was robbed by Gelinas. The puck went down the ice to Petersen who’s shot rebounded to Hoffman who scored to make it 2-0 Sea Dogs only 51 seconds into the period.

At 2:22 Julien Tremblay took a hooking penalty. After Kirkpatrick was stonned on a one timer by Nadeau, Hoffman blasted a shot from the point that rolled past the Titan goaltender to make it 3-0 for the visitors at 2:37.

Petersen had a good scoring chance that produced a juicy rebound to Zach Phillips but was stopped by Nadeau.

Playing in his first career QMJHL game, Jess Tanguy made it 3-1 as he skated around a fallen Gelinas in the crease. Gelinas was out of position after a bizarre shot from the point went off a broken stick and landed in the crease. Time of the goal was 4:16.

At 10:41 Jeremie Malouin picked up a puck that bounced off the back boards. He scored on a sharp angle shot that went under Gelinas to put the Titan within a goal.

Hoffman made a beautiful no look pass between his legs to Galiev but his shot was stopped not once, but twice by Nadeau.

The Sea Dogs got their two goal lead back at 14:02. Tomas Jurco scored an amazing one as he walked into the slot, made a backhand-to-forehand move, then scored to the right of Nadeau to make it 4-2 Saint John. The goal was Jurco’s second of the game.

Nicholas Pard was cut with a high stick at 16:27 and gave the Dogs a four minute power play. Saint John had several terrific chances, including a Petersen shot going off the post, but Nadeau kept his cool making some nice saves to keep Bathurst in the game.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Titan 25-7 in the second period, with most of those shots coming late in the period on the power play.

Gelinas denied Blackhawks prospect David Gilbert to open up the third frame. The overage net minder made a great left to right move to keep the puck out of the Sea Dogs' net.

Simon Despres got the Sea Dogs’ three goal lead back at 4:28. Despres walked across the goal and chipped a shot up and over a kneeling Nadeau to make it 5-2 Saint John.

Vincent Arseneau took a dumb four minute penalty at 6:56 as he banged his stick off the boards in displeasure over the original call. The penalty turned out to be good for the Titan as Lessard scored shorthanded from the slot at 7:09 to make it 5-3.

The Malouin brothers had some good chances as one blasted a shot wide on the penalty kill and the other was robbed by the stick of the Sea Dogs goalie. The K.C. Irving Regional Centre applauded their defenders as they kept Saint John to minimal chances on the power play.

Jurco went in alone near the half way point of the period but was hooked up by Jeremie Blain. Then Danick Gauthier, who has been quiet of late, nailed Gilbert into the goal post but no call was made.

With Langan in the box again, Lessard went in alone behind the defense but was robbed by the right leg of Gelinas. The Titan pulled Nadeau for the six-on-four advantage but could not register any good scoring chances.

With under a minute to go, Mike Hoffman tried for the hat trick but hit the post on the empty net and was called icing. That gave the Titan a faceoff in the offensive zone where Lambke tipped in a Malka shot to make 5-4. But that would be as close as the Titan could get as the Sea Dogs picked up the win.

Bathurst outshot the Sea Dogs 12-9 in the third period. Saint John won the shots on goal battle in the game by outshooting the Titan 46-31.

Marc-Antoine Gelinas picked up the win and improved to 21-5-0 on the season. Saint John went 1/7 on the power play.

Guillaume Nadeau fell to 4-10-0 on the season. Bathurst went 0/3 on the power play.

NOTES: Mike Thomas missed the game due to a three game suspension. He was suspended after taking his helmet off in a fight on December 18 in Halifax… Andrew Langan was called up from the Woodstock Slammers of the MJAHL to replace Thomas… Jonathan Huberdeau missed the game because he his playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s in Timmins, Ont… visit Station Nation tomorrow for Sea Dogs Post Game Notebook.

NEXT GAME: PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm.