FULL RECAP
DOGS CLOSE OUT SEASON IN STYLE
SAINT JOHN – On the final day of the Quebec Major Junior hockey League season, the Saint John Sea Dogs delivered just like they have all year long.
The Sea Dogs thumped Evan Mosher and the Prince Edward Island Rocket 7-2 at Harbour Station. The Rocket opened the year up in Saint John back in September and closed it down yesterday afternoon.
It was a solid victory for Saint John.
"The guys played pretty well today,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said to the Telegraph-Journal. "We haven't played great lately, but that's a good way to finish. The guys were jumping today and they felt good about their game.''
Michael Kirkpatrick opened the scoring at 7:45 on the power play, ripping a wrist shot five-hole and past PEI goaltender Evan Mosher. Stanislav Galiev gave Saint John a 2-0 lead at 14:14 when he came out from the backboards and sent a low wide range shot that got past the Rocket netminder. The Dogs led 2-0 after one frame.
PEI made it a one-goal affair at 1:06 of the second period with Gabriel Bourret in the box. A cross crease pass found Adam Polsek in front who banged one home to make it a 2-1 game. But at 5:16 on yet another man advantage, Jonathan Huberdeau restored the Sea Dogs’ two-goal lead after a great pass from Zack Phillips found him open in front.
The Rocket would not go away though. Samuel Morneau scored at 10:51 to make it 3-2. After the goal, PEI had some good pressure on and was buzzing a bit in an effort to tie the game. But their efforts would be for nothing as the Ryan Tesink show started up at 18:34. Tesink roofed the puck up and over Mosher to make it 4-2 Saint John and then scored again 37 seconds later to give the Dogs a commanding 5-2 advantage after two periods.
Kirkpatrick scored his second of the game at 16:10 of the third period and then Simon Despres connected 21 seconds later to make it a 7-2 final.
THE NUMBERS
PEI, Rocket 2 at Saint John, Sea Dogs 7 - Status FinalSAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Sunday, March 20, 2011 - Harbour Station
PEI 0 2 0 - 2
Saint John 2 3 2 - 7
1st Game Period-1, Saint John, Kirkpatrick 30 (Huberdeau), 7:45 (pp). 2, Saint John, Galiev 37 (Gagné, Huberdeau), 14:14. Penalties-Durepos Snb (high-sticking), 1:30; McIsaac Pei (hooking), 6:46; served by Snb (too many men on the ice), 9:46; Bourret Snb (roughing), 19:26.
2nd Game Period-3, PEI, Polasek 7 (Nestrasil, Morneau), 1:06 (pp). 4, Saint John, Huberdeau 43 (Phillips, Kirkpatrick), 5:16 (pp). 5, PEI, Morneau 30 (Noël, Croteau), 10:51. 6, Saint John, Tesink 7 (Després), 18:34. 7, Saint John, Tesink 8 (Gauthier, Després), 19:11. Penalties-MacIntyre Pei (high-sticking), 4:04.
3rd Game Period-8, Saint John, Kirkpatrick 31 (Galiev, Després), 16:10 (pp). 9, Saint John, Després 13 (Beauregard, Anthony), 16:31. Penalties-Bourret Snb (interference of a player or a goaltender), 0:43; MacIntyre Pei (slashing), 3:58; Anthony Snb (slashing), 7:53; Noël Pei (kneeing), 14:31.
Shots on Goal-PEI 29. Saint John 44.
Power Play Opportunities-PEI 1 of 5; Saint John 3 of 4.
Goalies-PEI, Mosher 25-22-3-6 (44 shots-37 saves). Saint John, Corbeil-Thériault 20-16-1-1 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-6,488
Referees-André Dupuis (16), Tom Clarkson (11).
Linesmen-Andrew Connors (66), Justin Burchell (49).
Captain Mike Thomas missed his second straight game with a lower body injury. He stood watching warm-up from the Sea Dogs’ bench and then gave a speech after the game over the PA system, thanking fans for their support this season.
Forward Jason Cameron and defenseman Jason Seed were healthy scratches while forward Marshall Worden, who made his Saint John debut Friday against Cape Breton, is not currently with the club according to News 88.9.
SETTING THE RECORD STRIAGHT
It was one for the record books at Harbour Station Sunday as the Sea Dogs tied the all-time QMJHL record for wins in a single season with their 58th victory of the year. The club tied the Sorel Eperviers who reached the mark in 70 games in 1973-74 and the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs who tied the record in 72 games in 1978-79.
The win also made Saint John 32-0-1-1 on home ice, making them the first Quebec League club to ever go an entire season without losing a regulation game at home.
The Sea Dogs set a boat load of franchise records as well, including most goals scored in a season and fewest goals against.
FEELING THE LOVE
It was Fan Appreciation Night and the fans were appreciated nicely. There was a massive 50/50 pot to go along with a bunch of stuff being thrown into the crowd. During intermission, several contestants had an opportunity to win a car by sliding a puck through a hole that may not have been as big as a puck. None could, though.
It was the Sea Dogs’ second straight sell-out crowd and the fourth straight home game that had over 5,000 fans in house.
After Mike Thomas gave his speech, an impromptu ‘we want the cup’ chant started up.
MOSHER THE GREAT
Evan Mosher made some great saves last night but could not wear his Superman cape enough to give the Rocket a chance to win this game. After stoning the Sea Dogs Wednesday in Charlottetown, Mosher looked a little human on Sunday and allowed seven goals on 44 shots.
Saint John finishes the season with a 7-1-0-0 record against PEI. The Rocket gave the Dogs a few tough games and would make for an an interesting playoff matchup if the two meet at sometime.
PEI will face the Shawinigan Cataractes in Round One.
TESINK’S BIG NIGHT
It was a huge night for Ryan Tesink who scored for the first time in 37 games.
"It felt good to get that monkey off my back,'' Tesink said about his drought to the Telegraph-Journal. "Scoring another felt great too and I think that kind of turned the game around. They were getting close and putting some pressure on.''
Tesink scored on a partial break at 18:34, going snipe job on Evan Mosher. 37 seconds later, Tesink had a yawning cage at the side of goal and slid home his eighth of the season. That made it 5-2 Saint John going into the third period.
Strangely enough, Tesink scored twice in the Sea Dogs’ first match of the season – against who other than the PEI Rocket. It has been a weird campaign for the Saint John native who had three two-goal games in the regular season and two one-goal affairs.
Tesink hadn’t scored since the ‘Wild One in Wildtown’ on November 21.
ALL DONE
Jonathan Huberdeau’s magical 2010-11 season came to an end Sunday. He finished it off in appropriate fashion, dishing out a goal and an assist. He finishes the season with 105 points and third in league scoring. He is one of only three players to crack 100 points this season.
Huberdeau’s line-mate Zack Phillips had a big assist in the game. He finishes the season with 95 points, tying Chris DiDomenico for second most points in a single season in franchise history. The Fredericton native finishes seventh in league scoring, just one-point back of superstar Sean Couturier.
There is a bunch of other stuff that was broken, tied, or just bizarre that probably requires its own post.
PEACE OUT
For three Sea Dogs, this was definitely their final regular season game in junior hockey. Although they aren’t league superstars like Mike Hoffman, Nick Petersen, and Marco Cousineau were last year, this year’s trio of 20-year olds was still one of, if not the best group the team has ever had.
Mike Thomas is the longest serving Sea Dog in franchise history and has been the captain of the club in their two best seasons. Michael Kirkpatrick is the all-team leading scorer in team history and goaltender Jacob DeSerres has some of the best of numbers.
It was likely also the final regular season game for defensemen Eric Gelinas and Simon Despres as well.
All will be missed, but their career isn't over yet. Their impact on the club will be needed even more over the next two months.
QUICK HITS
Saint John went 3-for-4 on the power play… Jonathan Huberdeau had a Sea Dogs high seven shots on goal… Samuel Morneau was an animal, firing a team high six shots on net for PEI… Alex Noel had two hits for the Rocket… Eric Gelinas had four hits for Saint John… three assists for Simon Despres… The ‘Big Horse’ was a team best plus-three… for pictures from the game, check out Marc Henwood’s album… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.
NEXT GAME
It’s Game One of the First Round as the Sea Dogs host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.
Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation
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