FINAL: Olympiques 3, Sea Dogs 2
SAINT JOHN – The Gatineau Olympiques are heading home with a split.
The Olympiques defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 3-2 in Game Two of the President’s Cup final, tying the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship series at 1-1. The series shifts to Gatineau for Games Three and Four on Monday and Wednesday.
Hubert Labrie, Tommy Tremblay, and Nicolas Deslauriers all scored for the winners. Goaltender Maxime Clermont was excellent in net for the second straight contest, making 38 saves in the win.
Saint John’s only goals came from Simon Despres who scored in the first and third period. Jacob DeSerres made 21 stops in goal in the loss.
Gatineau played like they wanted it more. They took a quick 2-0 lead and then shutdown the Sea Dogs offense for most of the night. Saint John had a difficult time creating many dangerous opportunities, and even when they did, Clermont was their make the stop.
"I thought they played real well," Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said of the Olympiques to the Canadian Press. "We had all kinds of chances to win the game. We played OK, but we didn't work hard enough.”
The Sea Dogs offense, missing two key elements in Michael Kirkpatrick and Steven Anthony, just couldn't get rolling. Although the Dogs outshot the ‘Piques 40-24, many of them weren’t all that dangerous.
Saint John made it interesting in the final couple of minutes but couldn’t get a tying goal. In the end, the better team won Game Two.
FIRST PERIOD
Christian Ouellet kicked things off with a slick wraparound move that was padded away by Saint John netminder Jacob DeSerres. Then the Sea Dogs had an opportunity as Jonathan Huberdeau sent a cross ice pass to a streaking Stanislav Galiev. Using Zack Phillips as a screen, Galiev wristed the puck on net but was denied by Maxime Clermont. Soon after, Philip-Michael Devos fed Ouellet down low but DeSerres was there to make the arm stop and cover the rebound.
Gatineau opened the scoring up 4:26. A point shot by Hubert Labrie through some traffic appeared to change direction and beat DeSerres up high to give the Olympiques the early 1-0 edge.
A few moments after the marker, Saint John had a great chance to tie the affair. Phillips sent the puck from the corner to the front of the cage where Huberdeau stood. But Clermont made the stretching glove stop to keep the ‘Piques ahead.
Some rough stuff at 5:58 created some four-on-four play but nothing would come out of the action.
Gatineau made it a 2-0 game at 9:42. A pass from the corner found Jean-Gabriel Pageau in front who was denied by DeSerres. But Tommy Tremblay was parked at the side of the goal and slid it in to double the visitors’ lead.
Saint John finally found the scoreboard at 12:50 during a four-minute power play. A pass from the opposite side of the ice from Galiev found Simon Despres at the other side who blasted the disc into an open net to make it a 2-1 game.
With the man advantage over, Aidan Kelly just wired a shot high and wide of the net. Then , Nathan Beaulieu fired a shot from along the boards that was gloved nicely by Clermont.
Shots after one were 12-11 Saint John.
SECOND PERIOD
Labrie had another dangerous looking chance as he out waited the Saint John defense and got around them, forcing DeSerres to make a poke check move.
The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 3:38. Phillips had the best chance during the span as he slid the puck just wide. That would be just about it for the man advantage as Gatineau produced a good kill.
Play started to pick up again as Mitchell Porowski sent a shot through some traffic that just missed. Then, Scott Oke had a partial breakaway but Clermont made the pad stop.
Gatineau went to the power play at 7:30 as Mike Thomas was called for tripping. The best chance for the Olympiques on the power play came when Ouellet had a one-time chance in front but DeSerres stuck his leg over in time to make the huge stop.
When the man advantage ended, Jason Cameron nailed Igor Levitsky with an open ice hit.
Ouellet and Alexnadre Beauregard headed off for roughing at 11:50 but nothing would happen.
Ouellet had another great opportunity late in the frame as he wired a shot off both posts and out. Play then headed up ice where Galiev was in the slot but sent the disc just wide.
At 18:36, Pageau tripped up Galiev and headed off. Ryan Tesink would have the best chance of a lifeless power play as he tipped one into the pads of Clermont.
Shots in the middle frame were 13-7 Sea Dogs.
THIRD PERIOD
Gatineau got their two-goal lead back at 5:01 of the third. An innocent looking shot from the side boards by Nicolas Deslauriers found its way through the legs of DeSerres to make it a 3-1 contest.
Thomas tried to wake his team up soon after the goal by laying a huge hit on Mathieu Gagnon into the end boards. Later on, the puck made its way into the blue paint of the Olympiques crease but Clermont made the paddle save.
Gatineau then had a good chance as Felix Bergeron was fed via a cross crease pass but couldn’t get a shot off.
Saint John pulled DeSerres with 2:50 left in the game in favour of the extra attacker. During that span, Galiev was in the slot but Clermont came out and made a big chest stop. Phillips had an unreal opportunity moments later as Clermont was down with the puck on his stick. Phillips sent it on goal but hit the back of the Gatineau ‘tender and somehow stayed out.
Finally, at 18:51, Huberdeau fed a streaking Despres who beat Clermont with a wrist shot that gave the Sea Dogs fans left in attendance some hope.
With the score 3-2, the Dogs had a great chance in the dying seconds as a Beaulieu point shot went almost to the goal line before Clermont dove to keep it out.
Shots in the final frame were 16-5 Saint John.
NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.
NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Gatineau for Game Three of the President’s Cup final on Monday at 8:30 pm.
Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation
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