It looked as though the Saint John Sea Dogs were well on their way to ending their six-game slide - but then the third period happened. The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles erased a 5-2 deficit and the league's leading goal scorer took the game over, guiding his club to a come-from-behind 6-5 overtime win on Sunday at Harbour Station.
Drake Batherson - who now has 15 goals in 13 games - netted a hat trick while singles came from Brooklyn Kalmikov, Ryan Francis and Adam McCormick. Kevin Mandolese was pulled after allowing two goals on eight shots in the first period. Kyle Jessiman made 19 stops in relief.
Daniel Hardie, Ostap Safin, Samuel Leblanc, Matt Green and Alexandre Lafreniere scored for Saint John. Alex D'Orio made 33 stops in the loss.
While the game itself was entertaining, this was perhaps the Sea Dogs' most painful loss during this skid. It looked like the team was going to win for much of this game, but the Screaming Eagles dominated the third period. The Dogs were no doubt fighting some fatigue, having played Saturday night.
Saint John has now lost seven straight overall with the last six of those loses being decided by a single goal. The good news is that the Dogs were able pick up a couple points this weekend, at least.
Cape Breton went to the power play at 2:01. On the man advantage, Kalmikov fired a shot through some traffic that beat D'Orio, giving the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
Saint John tied things up at 10:39. Mandolese came out of his net to knife the puck away but Hardie leaped forward and poked the disc into an empty net for a highlight reel goal.
The Sea Dogs scored again just six seconds later, setting a new franchise record. Safin fired an innocent looking shot on net that skimmed over the glove of Mandolese, which gave the Dogs a 2-1 lead. That would end Mandolese's day.
The Sea Dogs went to a power play at 13:49, but it was Cape Breton generating the scoring chances. D'Orio made a couple of great saves, including one in close on Batherson.
Sacha Roy was given a five minute major for a check to the head on Radim Salda at 2:32 of the second. On the man advantage at 3:20, LeBlanc grabbed the puck out of scramble along the boards and fired a low shot five hole past Mandolese, making it 3-1 Saint John.
Cape Breton got back within one with a power play goal at 10:09. Batherson, the league's leading goal scorer, one timed a slap shot past D'Orio, who couldn't slide over in time to make the stop.
The Sea Dogs got their two-goal advantage back at 10:39. The puck came to Green who skated to Jessiman's side and roofed a shot over the netminder's pads, making it 4-2.
Lafreniere then scored at 17:03 to give the Dogs a 5-2 lead. The puck made its way in front from behind the net and found Lafreniere in the slot, beating Jessiman with a low wrister.
The Screaming Eagles got back within two at 1:51 of the third period. Batherson made some nice moves at the line and then made a sweet feed to Tyler Hylland. Hylland sent a pass through the crease to Francis who scored to make it 5-3.
Cape Breton got within one at 7:33 when Batherson scored during some four-on-four play. It was a dominating third period by the Eagles, who outshot the Sea Dogs 16-3 in the frame.
Then, at 11:56, Batherson was behind the goal line and threw it on net, somehow beating D'Orio to tie things at 5-5. Gasp. The Eagles poured the pressure on for the rest of the third, but D'Orio kept things even.
At 4:18 of overtime, Saint John turned the puck over in the Cape Breton zone. Batherson broke in on a long breakaway and beat D'Orio with a nice deke, giving Cape Breton the extra point.
LINEUP
SCRATCHESHere is this afternoon's lineup for your #SJSeaDogs vs. @CBSEHockey brought to you by @CantrburyDental #AlwaysWearYourMouthGuard pic.twitter.com/4iuxLZQ4HU— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) October 22, 2017
The Sea Dogs dressed the same lineup they had on Saturday. The team did not dress defenceman Marcus Tesink (healthy); and forwards Nick Deakin-Poot (healthy), Robbie Burt (healthy), Landon Quinney (healthy) and Ben Reid (healthy).
NOTES
Samuel Leblanc, Matt Green and Alexandre Lafreniere all scored their first goals of the season... Cape Breton's Brooklyn Kalmikov scored his first career QMJHL goal... Drake Batherson now has 13 goals in 13 games this season... Radim Salda returned soon after the hit he received from Sacha Roy... the Sea Dogs have yet to win in overtime or shootout this season... nice to see some of Saint John's secondary scorers get on the board... the Dogs are just 1-4-2-1 on home ice this year... Cape Breton has allowed a league high 56 goals... eventful, but weird game. A few strange goals in this one.
NEXT GAMERoy hit on Salda pic.twitter.com/NJVDabhDzY— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) October 22, 2017
The Sea Dogs take on the Titan in Bathurst on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
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