RECAP: Sea Dogs defeat Eagles

FINAL: Cape Breton 2, Saint John 7

SAINT JOHN – Two goals each from Spencer Smallman and John Warren led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 7-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in QMJHL pre-season action on Friday.

Mathieu Joseph, Kyle Ward and Zach Grzelewski also scored in Saint John’s first win of the pre-season. Alex Bishop and Alex D’Orio split the victory in net.

Marcus Tesink and Olivier Bourret-Vinette scored for Cape Breton. Kyle Jessiman and Colten Ellis spilt net duties for the Screaming Eagles.

Saint Jon opened the scoring at 10:42 of the first period when Luke Green found Mathieu Joseph in the slot. Joseph made no mistake, firing a hard wrist shot past Jessiman.

The Eagles would quickly tie it up though as Tesink, the brother of former Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink, beat Bishop at 11:17.

Early in the second, Dillon Boucher was given five-minute major for checking to the head. On the ensuing power play, Warren scored at 2:28, taking a pass from the boards and beating Jessiman from the slot. Then at 3:48, Warren scored his second of the game on a scramble, making it 3-1 Saint John.

Bourret-Vinette would get the Eagles back within one at 10:00. Then at 12:34, Smallman got Saint John’s two-goal lead back, beating Jessiman with a snipe job, top corner.

With 50 seconds left in the period and Saint John shorthanded, Smallman scored blocker side to give the Sea Dogs a 5-2 advantage through two periods.

In the third, Ward cut through the crease and the puck crept in under Ellis, making it a 6-2 game. Then at 11:46, Joe Veleno danced around a couple of Eagles defenders and then found an open Grzelewski in front, making it 7-2.

NOTES: Zach Grzeleswki made his Sea Dogs debut… what an assist by Joe Veleno… the QMJHL website, which was a bit funky on this night, lists the Sea Dogs as having 25 shots on goal in the second period.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday at 3 p.m.