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Thursday, June 30, 2022

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-3

FINAL: Hamilton 3, Saint John 6
Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs
SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are Memorial Cup champions again.

The Sea Dogs won their second Memorial Cup championship on Wednesday night at TD Station, posting a convincing 6-3 win over the Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton Bulldogs.

Vincent Sevigny, Cam MacDonald, Riley Bezeau, William Dufour, Josh Lawrence and Peter Reynolds scored for Saint John. Nikolas Hurtubise earned the win in net, making 25 saves. 

Mason McTavish scored twice for Hamilton while Jan Mysak added a solo marker. Marco Costantini took the loss in goal, making 21 saves.

Saint John got off to a strong start, scoring twice in the first six minutes, and never really looked back. Hamilton stayed in the game and had momentum go in their favour at times, but Saint John stayed composed and responded well.

It's been a wild few years for this core group of players. It was a wild season of ups and downs. The Sea Dogs certainly took an unusual route to becoming Memorial Cup champions, but they got there - and looked very worthy of a championship on Wednesday.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring just 2:35 into the first when a Sevigny point shot went off two Hamilton sticks and over the glove of Costantni. Then at 5:47, MacDonald spun and fired from the slot, beating the Bulldogs netminder blocker side to give Saint John a quick 2-0 lead.

The Bulldogs got the board at 7:45. A low point shot from Nathan Staios was redirected in front by McTavish, beating Hurtubise low to make it a 2-1 game.

Hamilton had some chances late in the period, including one opportunity that hit the crossbar but stayed out.

Bezeau gave the Sea Dogs a 3-1 lead at 4:41 of the second. Bezeau came down the wing and used MacDonald as a screen, beating Costantni to regain Saint John's two-goal lead.

The Sea Dogs made it 4-1 at 5:15. Ryan Francis sped around the net and fed an open Dufour in front who scored his seventh of the tournament to give Saint John a three-goal advantage.

Hamilton gained some momentum heading into the third when a Gavin White point shot was deflected by Mysak at 19:51, making it a 4-2 lead through 40 minutes.

Saint John got a huge power play goal from Lawrence at 6:32. Dufour was behind the net and fed a wide open Lawrence in front who beat the Hamilton netminder upstairs, making it 5-2.

Hamilton got one back at 15:03 as McTavish netted his second of the game. The Bulldogs started to press with Costantini pulled, but Reynolds secured the victory with an empty net goal at 18:43.

LINEUP
Burns - Lawrence - Dufour
Ansons - Daoust - Francis
Reynolds - MacDonald - Bezeau
Picard - Trenholm - Lessard

Sevigny - Villeneuve
Kuznetsov - Poirier
Drapeau - DesRoches

Hurtubise
Couture

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without goaltender Noah Patenaude; forwards Nico Laforge, Jacob Chantler and Nicholas Blagden; and defensemen Hunter Gartley, Vincent Despont and Zach Welsh.

PRE-GAME: Alex Grant, the original Sea Dog, performed the ceremonial puck drop. Also, Premier Blaine Higgs.
PICKS: TSN posted this before the game.
EARLY GOAL: In the 2011 final, defensive defenseman Simon Despres opened the scoring 2:24 into the game. In this final, defensive defenseman Vincent Sevigny opened the scoring 2:35 in. The goal had to feel good for Sevigny, who was a -4 in Saint John's Game 5 loss to Rimouski.
MVP: William Dufour had a goal and an assist in this game, earning first star honours. With seven goals and an assist in four tournament games, the New York Islanders prospect was named Memorial Cup MVP. Jonathan Huberdeau won the award in 2011.
FIRST AT HOME: For the first time in franchise history, the Sea Dogs won a championship on home ice. All three President Cup titles and their 2011 Memorial Cup championship were clinched on the road. This was only the second time the Sea Dogs even had the opportunity to clinch a title at home (Game 5 of the 2011 President Cup final was the other).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Saint John's power play came through when it was needed most. Saint John entered the game having gone a combined 1/11 on the man advantage in their first three games. In the third, with the Bulldogs only trailing by two and pressing, Josh Lawrence connected on a power play to give the Sea Dogs some insurance, making it 5-2.
CELEBRATION: The party started quickly after the final horn went.
Q DOES IT AGAIN: This was the third straight Memorial Cup won by a QMJHL team. Since Saint John's first title in 2011, the QMJHL has won six Memorial Cup titles.

ALL-TIME VS OHL: The Sea Dogs are now 5-4 all-time against teams from the OHL at the Memorial Cup.

2011 vs Mississauga: 4-3 win
2011 vs Owen Sound: 3-2 win (OT)
2011 vs Mississauga: 3-1 win
2012 vs London: 5-3 loss
2017 vs Windsor: 3-2 loss
2017 vs Erie: 12-5 loss
2017 vs Erie: 6-3 loss
2022 vs Hamilton: 5-3 win
2022 vs Hamilton: 6-3 win

OHL VS QMJHL
WATCH PARTY

BIG CROWD: The announced attendance was 5,849, a sold out building (including standing room). It was the biggest crowd of the tournament. Tremendous atmosphere.
50/50: The total 50/50 jackpot reached $40,000 as warm up started. The winner took home a huge total of $71,775.

NOTES: Saint John dressed the same lineup as the previous three games... Vincent Sevigny's goal came on Saint John's first shot of the game... the Sea Dogs wore their blue jerseys in a Memorial Cup game for the first time since (I think) 2012... Hamilton's Logan Morrison extended his point streak to 28 games... Cam MacDonald tied a career high for points in a single game with three (a goal and two assists)... William Villeneuve and Ryan Francis each had three assists... William Dufour had five shots... Acadie-Bathurst Titan PA announcer Luc Foulem handled French PA announcing for this game... the "we want the cup" chants got going in the second period and picked up in the third... CHL president Dan MacKenzie presented the Memorial Cup for the first time since taking the position... it was a long season, and a new one essentially starts on Friday with the CHL Import Draft.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Thursday, Aug. 18 at the Aitken Centre against the Moncton Wildcats.
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