CHURCHILL WINS ALLAN CUP

Former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender Jason Churchill won the Allan Cup last night with Clarenville Caribous, beating the Bentley Generals 5-3 to win Canada’s senior hockey championship.

Churchill made 39 saves to help his Newfoundland and Labrador club win the national crown in a game that was aired nationally on TSN. The St. John’s Telegram reports that Churchill stopped 23-of-25 shots in the second period alone.

From TSN.ca:

Dale Sullivan, Travis Champman and Brandon Roach all scored with the man advantage in a 4:56 span to give Clarenville, from Newfoundland and Labrador, a commanding early lead. It was the Caribou's first appearance in the senior amateur men's hockey championship.

The Generals, who made the final for the fourth straight year, lost for the second time in a row. Bentley won the Allan Cup in 2009 and was a finalist in 2008 and 2010.

Churchill played with the Sea Dogs during their inaugural season in 2005-06. The St. John’s native was forced to play behind a young and inexperienced defense core and faced a ton of shots each night. He had a record of 14-44 to go along with a 4.16 goals against average and a 0.894 save percentage.

Despite his bad numbers, he did collect 14 of the Sea Dogs’ 15 wins that season. He also had one shutout.

The netminder started his junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads and was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

- Thanks to Randy Corey from FreddyPuck.com for the tip.