FINAL: Titan 3, Sea Dogs 6
SAINT JOHN – The Sea Dogs love Saint John.
The Port City junior club improved to 12-0-0-1 on home ice this season with a 6-3 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.
Zach Phillips had a pair while Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier, and Stephen MacAulay added solo markers to help propel Saint John to victory. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 20 saves for the win.
Daniel Tanel, Christophe Losier, and Vincent Arseneau all scored for Bathurst. Star netminder Olivier Roy played well, making 20 saves in the loss.
The Sea Dogs got off to a bit of a sluggish start but slowly built momentum as the game progressed. One of the big moments in the game saw Saint John continue to roll after Nathan Beaulieu was thrown out and given a five minute penalty. Although the Titan scored, the Sea Dogs managed to get things going back their way as the game moved on.
FIRST PERIOD
After Simon Despres dumped Jeremie Malouin at the blue line, Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Arseneau headed off for matching roughing penalties.
The Titan made it a 1-0 game at 1:48 when Daniel Tanel entered the zone and ripped a shot past Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres for his first ever QMJHL goal.
At 6:01, Saint John was given a chance to tie the game when they were awarded a power play. The best chance came when Gabriel Bourret sent a great pass from the point down low to Tomas Jurco at the side of the net. Jurco got a piece of the pass and tipped the shot wide.
After that man advantage produced nothing, Saint John went back to the power play at 9:49 when Jordan Murray was called for checking from behind. But the Sea Dogs could not get anything going and the Titan remained in the lead.
Zack O’Brien had a decent chance moments later for Bathurst but was denied by the pad of DeSerres.
Saint John tied the match at 16:30 when Nathan Beaulieu came across the line and took a stick in the face. As the referees hand went up, Beaulieu ripped a shot high glove side on Olivier Roy that tied the game at 1-1.
Saint John went immediately to the power play after the goal however as one call stood. Zach Phillips had a great chance in front but was robbed by the pad of Roy. Then Stanislav Galiev was parked at the side of the net and fired a one timer on goal only to have Roy make a tremendous cross-crease save.
Shots in the opening frame were 5-3 Saint John.
SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs jumped out to a 2-1 lead at 2:03 of the second period. Huberdeau centered the puck to a streaking Jurco and was being hauled down on his way to the net. He managed to get a shot off and beat Roy in the crease area to give Saint John their first lead of the game.
On the next rush, Bathurst rang a shot off the crossbar but stayed out.
At 3:10, Stephen MacAulay was taken down on his way to the net and was awarded a penalty shot. MacAulay skated in slow and got a wrist shot off but was easily stopped by the all-star netminder that plays for le Titan.
Saint John was given a power play at 4:50 when Olivier Hotte headed to the box. The best and only good chance came when Jurco centered for Huberdeau in the crease but was stopped in close by Roy.
At 7:51 of the frame, Beaulieu elbowed Vincent Arseneau inside the blue line and was given a five minute major and a game misconduct. Arseneau was on the ice for a few minutes before being helped to the dressing room. But the Titan tough guy would pull a Hugo Laporte and return just a few minutes later.
On the long man advantage, Bathurst tied the game at 9:49 when Christophe Losier registered a goal on a rebound to make it a 2-2 game.
DeSerres did his job on the penalty kill, making an unreal save on Sebastien Trudeau at the side of the goal to keep the game tied. The Sea Dogs would kill the penalty – but they never put anybody in the box to come out, giving Bathurst another couple of minutes of power play time. Finally, at 15:34, play was stopped only to have Huberdeau given a penalty. But the Sea Dogs would kill that one as well, and when Huberdeau came out, Saint John would take the lead once again. Phillips picked the puck off a Titan defender and had a short break, going high on Roy to give the Dogs a 3-2 lead.
Three straight penalties by Bathurst gave Saint John a long five-on-three power play. The Sea Dogs would make the team pay as Phillips scored his second of the period on a bullet from the faceoff dot at 19:57 to give Saint John a 4-2 lead going into intermission.
Shots in the middle stanza were 11-10 for the visitors.
THIRD PERIOD
Bourret was called for hooking at 3:29, giving the Titan a power play. Bathurst would score as Arseneau beat DeSerres high glove side to make it a one goal game again.
The Sea Dogs had a power play of their own at 5:04. After David Gilbert had a decent shorthanded chance in the crease for the Titan, Mike Thomas was denied by the leg of Roy at the other end.
With the man advantage just over, a point shot was stopped by Roy but he produced a short rebound. Danick Gauthier was in front and backhanded the puck past Roy at 7:07 to give the Sea Dogs their two goal lead back.
Saint John’s offense continued to roll after that. Phillips was at the side of the net and got a good backhand shot off but Roy was there to make the stop. Then Steven Anthony let a shot go from a sharp angle but was stopped.
The Titan went to the power play at 14:32 when Jurco took a roughing penalty. Shortly after Bathurst called a time-out, the club pulled Roy from his crease in order to create a five-on-three power play. But it wouldn’t help as the Dogs killed it off.
Mario Kurali almost made it a one goal game late when he hit the outside of the post.
After Huberdeau pulled off a couple of insane moves, MacAulay iced the game with a empty net goal at 18:52 to give Saint John a 6-3 victory.
Shots in the final stanza were 11-9 in favour of the home team.
Bathurst went 2/5 on the power play while Saint John went 1/8.
NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.
NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads at 4:00 pm Sunday at Harbour Station.
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