Recap: Sea Dogs win 7-3

FINAL: Saint John 7, Charlottetown 3

Mike Bernard/Charlottetown Islanders

CHARLOTTETOWN - That's why you play the games.

The Saint John Sea Dogs rolled into Eastlink Centre on Saturday and put an unexpected thumping on the Charlottetown Islanders, earning a 7-3 road win to end a four-game losing streak.

The Sea Dogs led 4-0 after the first period – a period that saw just about everything go wrong for Charlottetown and Saint John took advantage. Saint John's first goal came on a mistake by goaltender Donald Hickey; the next two came on a five-minute power play after Owen Conrad was given a major and game misconduct for a cross check on Julien Wasmer; and the fourth was a shorthanded breakaway goal that came courtesy of an Islanders turnover.

Shots were 15-5 in favour of the Sea Dogs in that opening period, a frame that saw Saint John go 2/6 on the man advantage.

Any chance of an Islanders comeback attempt was put to rest just 2:54 into the second period when Dylan Rozzi scored to make it 5-0.

The Islanders were able to net three – one in the second and two in the third – and heavily outshoot the Sea Dogs in the third period but were never able to get back into it.

Saint John finished the game 3/7 on the power play and scored two shorthanded goals. Charlottetown went 2/8 on the man advantage. 

Rozzi and Zachary Morin both had a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Olivers Murnieks, Alexander Donovan and Angelo Fullerton. Rafaël Courchesne made 31 saves in the win.

Nathan Leek, Matthew Butler and Ivan Ryabkin scored for Charlottetown. Hickey was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots in the first period. Jack Carter allowed three goals on 18 shots the rest of the way.

LINEUP

Héroux - Symour - Gauthier

Côté - Joseph - Morin

Fullerton - Groulx - Donovan

Rozzi - Murnieks - Yared

Magnusson - Baldwin

Damphousse - Chartrand

Wasmer - Duhamel

Courchesne

Radkov

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without forward Matthew Krayer (healthy) along with defensemen Vincent Croteau (healthy) and Oskar Drabczynski (healthy).

NOTES: The Sea Dogs went with 12 forwards and six defensemen. Defenseman Vincent Croteau was the final scratch... forward William Yared returned to the Saint John lineup after missing Thursday's game with an injury or sickness... goaltender Rafaël Courchense made his first start and just his second appearance since Jan. 9. He earned his first win since Jan. 4... former Islanders forward Jabez Seymour was in Saint John's starting lineup... Dylan Rozzi and Angelo Fullerton have goals in back-to-back games... the Islanders have now allowed 11 shorthanded goals, tying them for the most in the QMJHL... the Sea Dogs have now scored 11 shorthanded goals, tying them for the league lead... Dylan MacKinnon and Seymour dropped the gloves in the second period. MacKinnon was given an instigator... this was the second time this season the Sea Dogs scored seven goals, which is a season high... Dylan Rozzi finished the night with two goals and an assist... Yared and Everett Baldwin each had two assists... Nolann Héroux had a team high six shots... Alexis Jospeh extended his point streak to nine games with an assist... faceoffs were 38-25 in favour of Saint John... the Sea Dogs are now 1-0-2-0 at Eastlink Centre this season... this was Saint John's first win in regulation since Jan. 8... attendance was 3,390.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs head to Fredericton to host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow at 3 p.m.