SYDNEY, NS – The Saint John Sea Dogs closed out their 2017-18 QMJHL season with a 8-3 loss at the hands of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Saturday afternoon at Sydney's Centre 200.
Overage centre Phelix Martineau led Cape Breton with a four point performance - including a hat trick - in his final regular season performance in Sydney. Former Sea Dog Isiah Campbell added a goal and two assists, while Ian Smallwood also gained a degree of revenge against his former team with a goal as well. Import Egor Sokolov, along with rookies Brooklyn Kalmikov and Ryan Francis added single goals for the hosts. Kevin Mandolese had seven saves on nine shots in the first two periods and rookie Ryan Miller added another seven saves on eight shots in the final frame.
Rookie defenceman Brendan Sibley led Saint John with a goal - his first in the QMJHL - and an assist, while Robbie Burt and Cole Reginato also scored for the Sea Dogs. Rookie netminder Tommy DaSilva - a former Screaming Eagle draft choice - had 32 saves in defeat.
NOTES
- Burt opened the scoring at 4:27 of the first when he fired a shot past Mandolese.
- While skating four-on-four at 8:44, Martineau scored his first of the night to tie the score 1-1. Less than a minute after Martineau's opening salvo, Sokolov beat DaSilva with a power play marker at 9:50, which staked the hosts to a 2-1 lead after one.
- On a power play at 1:57 of the second, Martineau took a cross ice pass from Campbell and fired a wrist shot past a sprawling DaSilva.
- Martineau capped his hat trick with another power play marker at 5:55 of the second when he unleashed a laser from the top of the right faceoff circle - which ricocheted off a Sea Dogs defender - and a heavy flurry of Eagles hats came raining down onto the ice.
- While skating shorthanded at 8:15 of the second, Campbell blocked a point shot, broke away all alone and beat DaSilva - the player he had been traded for during the mid-season trade period - with a deke to the forehand.
- Sibley scored his first QMJHL goal at 12:44 of the second when he pinched in from the point and snapped a shot past Mandolese to bring the Sea Dogs back to 5-2.
- However, at 18:20, Smallwood would score Cape Breton's first even strength goal of the game when his point shot got past a screened DaSilva. At 11:59 of the third, Martineau cleanly won a faceoff back to Kalmikov who fired a one-timer past DaSilva to make it 7-2.
- Francis capped Cape Breton's scoring with a power play goal at 18:42 when he capitalized on a scramble in the Sea Dogs crease.
- Reginato - a Cape Breton native and former Screaming Eagle - was determined to not let his junior career go without his best efforts. The hard working veteran wired a wrist shot past Miller at 19:19 of the final frame to cap his overage season with his 16th goal of the campaign.
- Ostap Safin was unable to play due to an injury and, as a result, finished the season tied with Tomas Jurco for most goals by a Sea Dogs rookie - 26.
- The Screaming Eagles - who wore special green St. Patrick's Day uniforms - will open their QMJHL playoffs on Friday against Joe Veleno and the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
- After a disappointing close to the 2017-18 season - the Sea Dogs ended on a 16-game road losing streak and had a 3-24-4-0 record after Dec. 31 - it will be interesting to see how many of the Sea Dogs on the bench for this final game will return to the team next season.
- Saint John finishes the regular season with just 14 wins - the fewest in franchise history.
- The Screaming Eagles had a ceremony to celebrate the final home games of their three overage players prior to the opening faceoff. Phelix Martineau - who's brother Vincent played for the Sea Dogs - Jordan Ty Fournier and St. Stephen, NB native Ross MacDougall were all recognized.
- Sea Dogs captain Bailey Webster, Cape Breton native Cole Reginato and Brendan O'Reilly played their final games in the QMJHL.
SCRATCHES
The Sea Dogs were without forwards Yohan Plamondon (upper body), Matt Green (upper body), Landon Quinney (upper body), Nicholas Deakin-Poot (upper body) and Ostap Safin (upper body); and goaltenders Alex D'Orio (lower body) and Matthew Williams (injured).
Saint John went with 10 forwards and eight defencemen once again.
TURNING POINT
A pair of goals - by Phelix Martineau and Egor Sokolov - less than a minute apart midway through the first period took much of the starch out of the Sea Dogs' sails.
SN STARS OF THE GAME
1. Phelix Martineau
2. Isiah Campbell
3. Brendan Sibley
NEXT GAME
Next Season. Farewell.
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