POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 3, Wildcats 2 (OT)

SEA DOGS – WILDCATS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score/OT: Saint John 3, Moncton 2
Saint John Goals: Yann Sauve (4), Michael Kirkpatrick (13), and Nicholas Petersen (7)
Moncton Goals: Marek Hrivik (3) and Cole MacMillan (2)
Winning Goaltender: SJ – Marco Cousineau (14-5)
Losing Goaltender: MON – Nicola Riopel (14-4)

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Wildcats: 1/6, Sea Dogs: 0/3
Shots on Goal: Wildcats: 4+14+18+8=44, Sea Dogs: 11+7+8+8=34
Attendance: 6,802

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES

WHAT A GAME
It was one for the ages last night in Moncton.

Tied at 2-2 in the first overtime session, Nicholas Petersen one timed a loose puck that beat Nicola Riopel to end the game. Petersen’s goal, already being dubbed the greatest in franchise history, ties the President’s Cup Final between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats at 2-2.

With the series now tied, the Wildcats have lost all their momentum that was created after blowing the Sea Dogs out in the first two games.

"It's down to a best-of-three series now," said Moncton head coach Danny Flynn told the Times & Transcript. "We had 40-plus shots and I thought we played well enough to win this game. We just have to regroup and go down to Saint John and find a way to win (tonight).

"We split our eight regular season games against Saint John with four wins each and now we're tied 2-2 in this series. It's two pretty even teams going head to head."

Saint John dominated the Wildcats in the first half of the game, leading 1-0 after one period and then taking a 2-0 lead at 16:12 of the second. But shortly after the Dogs scored their second goal, Marek Hrivik found the back of the cage to give the ‘Cats some life.

Moncton would tie it in the third, but could not take the lead because of a sensational goaltending performance by Marco Cousineau.

"We weren't going to quit and Moncton is not going to quit either," said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant. "These are two strong teams and tonight was the best game of the series so far. It was the first real close game in the series.

"We've shown a lot of character to battle back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the series. We've obviously faced adversity and I'm really proud of the way the guys have handled it."

ALL TIED UP
This marks only the second time that the Sea Dogs and an opposing team have been tied in a series. The other time was in round one of this year’s playoffs against the PEI Rocket.

WATCH YOURSELF
Following all the shenanigans that happened in the late stages of game two in Moncton on Sunday, the RCMP could be seen standing in the tunnel behind the Saint John bench.

COUZY WAS UNREAL
Marco Cousineau showed why he was brought to Saint John during the holiday trading period. During a five-on-three power play for the ‘Cats in the third, Cousineau was simply unbelievable. Moncton was obviously off offensively last night, but they had their chances.

"(Goaltender Marco) Cousineau was outstanding and made some key saves to hold us in during the third period,'' said Gerard Gallant. "These are two very strong teams and neither one is going to quit. It's down to a best-of-three series now.”

"We had a number of great scoring chances to take the lead in the third period, but we just couldn't bury the puck,” said Danny Flynn. “We had a two-man advantage in the third period and another power play in overtime and just couldn't cash in. We had 40-plus shots and I thought we played well enough to win this game.''

GREAT REPORTING
Some funny stuff from CHSJ News:

Wildcats Head Coach and GM Danny Flynn says this is now a best of three series.

You probably shouldn’t be covering sports if you need a coach to tell you this.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Michael Kirkpatrick’s second period shorthanded goal proved to be a very important one. Kirkpatrick picked up the loose puck after a Moncton turnover and jammed it by Riopel to give the Dogs a two goal lead.

The goal went under review although it looked legit to most people in the building. A report on Twitter said that Riopel poke checked the puck and bounced in off Kirkpatrick’s leg, causing a review to see if it was kicked in.

DOGS FANS IN THE HOUSE
Although the game was Moncton, the “goal” chants began when Kirkpatrick’s goal went under review.

There were a ton of Sea Dogs fans in the building last night, including two bus loads. Although the two buses do not equal Moncton’s four, it is an impressive feat for a five year old franchise compared to Moncton's 15 years.

OT MAGIC
Saint John improved to 3-1 all-time in playoff overtime with the win last night. They defeated Bathurst in 2008 and PEI this year. They fell in Cape Breton in 2009.

The Sea Dogs have never had a playoff OT game at Harbour Station.

WILDCATS POST-GAME


MOVING ON
With a 4-1 win on home ice last night, the Calgary Hitmen won the Ed Chynoweth trophy as Western Hockey League champions. The Hitmen win the series 4-1 over the Tri-City Americans.

The Calgary Herald has a decent photo gallery of the celebrations.

Calgary, the Brandon Wheat Kings, and Windsor Spitfires have all advanced to the MasterCard Memorial Cup which begins next Friday in Brandon. The Sea Dogs – Wildcats series is the only remaining playoff yet to be determined.

Whichever QMJHL representative advances, their first game is Saturday, May 15 against Calgary.

QUICK HITS
Christian Morin (hit in face) and Pierre Durepos (blocked shot) were both injured but stayed in the game… this is the first game in the series that Danick Gauthier has not scored the opening goal for Saint John… this is the first game of the series that Gabriel Bourque has not scored… the Moncton intermission dude said that the ‘Cats were trying to get a bigger 50/50 jackpot then in Saint John… the game was broadcast on Rogers TV across New Brunswick. The broadcast awarded Andrew Langan an assist on the first Saint John goal… it was once again hot inside the Coliseum.