RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 6-4

FINAL: Cape Breton 4, Saint John 6

SAINT JOHN – Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino said during Thursday’s Top Prospects Game broadcast that the Saint John Sea Dogs have asked Nathan Noel to shoot the puck more.

Noel appears to be using the advice. 

On Friday, the speedy forward scored four goals on 10 shots to lead the Sea Dogs to a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Harbour Station.

Saint John trailed 3-0 in the second period before getting things rolling. Cape Breton netminder Alexandre Belanger was terrific in the first half of the game but was eventually broken by the Sea Dogs.

Adam Marsh and Thomas Chabot also scored for Saint John with Noel scoring the remaining markers. Three of his four goals came in the third.

Goaltender Alex Bishop was pulled after allowing three goals on 17 shots. In relief, Blade Mann-Dixon made 20 saves.

Former Sea Dog Stephen Anderson scored twice for Cape Breton while singles came from Loik Leveille and Clark Bishop. Belanger made 29 saves in the loss.

Cape Breton’s Bishop opened the scoring just 1:57 in as he beat Saint John’s Bishop five-hole. Then on a power play at 6:30, Anderson scored to double the Eagles’ lead. Shots were 15-8 in favour of the Eagles in the first period.

At 1:27 of the second, Leveille scored to give Cape Breton a 3-0 lead and end Bishop’s night in the Saint John net. He was replaced by Mann-Dixon who was recalled from the MHL's Valley Wildcats for this weekend’s games.

Finally, at 7:39, Marsh scored to give Saint John some life and make it a 3-1 game. 16 seconds later, Chabot patiently waited with the puck and let traffic settle before firing a wrist shot past Belanger to make it 3-2.

Late in second at 18:10, Noel riffled his first of the game top corner to tie things at 3-3. The Eagles would go to the intermission with the lead though as Anderson kept the puck on a two-on-one and beat Mann-Dixon low glove side to give the visitors a 4-3 advantage. Shots were 19-11 Saint John in the second stanza.

Noel’s second of the game on a power play at 1:45 of the third tied things at 4-4. Then at 8:09, Noel’s hat trick goal put Saint John in the lead. On a power play, Smallman was in the high slot and fed the puck ahead to the Newfoundlander who beat Belanger upstairs to make it 5-4 Dogs.

Noel added an insurance marker at 10:02 to make it 6-4. Shots in the third were 12-8 Cape Breton.

TURNING POINT/BIG MOMENT

Nathan Noel’s goals. All of them.

SN PLAYER OF THE GAME

Noel, Nathan.

NOTES

• The Sea Dogs were without goaltender Sebastien Auger; forwards Julien Tessier and Mark Tremaine; and defensemen Jakub Zboril and Braydon Blight.
• Nathan Noel’s four goals tied the team record for most goals in a single game.
• Mathieu Joseph was stopped on a penalty shot in the third period.
• Former Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc did not play due to injury.
• Screaming Eagles play-by-play man Patrick McNeil could be heard quite well in the background of the Rogers TV broadcast.
• Matthew Highmore left the game very early in the first period after taking an open ice hit and going down awkwardly. He had to be helped to the dressing room.

Highmore injury in first https://t.co/tvbfcuof5B
— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) January 24, 2015

NEXT GAME

The Sea Dogs host these very same Screaming Eagles on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation