Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - All the celebrating was done before Saturday's Saint John Sea Dogs game.

After raising their Memorial Cup championship banner to the TD Station rafters before the game, the Sea Dogs' offense dried up, falling 4-1 to the Moncton Wildcats.

Rookie Cole Burbidge scored Saint John's lone goal in the loss. Saint John's veteran players came through for some key goals last Sunday in Bathurst, but things weren't quite clicking on Saturday.

Ventsislav Shingarov, making a second straight start with Nikolas Hurtubise still hurt, made 31 saves in the loss.

Yoan Loshing, Etienne Morin, Vincent Labelle and Maxim Barbashev scored for Moncton. Vincent Filion made 28 saves in the victory.

This was Moncton's first game of the season thanks to Hurricane Fiona postponing their games last weekend.

The Wildcats had a few great chances early in the game, forcing Shingarov to make some nice stops. Moncton opened the scoring at 12:27 not long after Sam-Luca Thifault took a huge hit at the Saint John offensive blue line. Play came back the other way and Loshing ripped the puck top corner on Shingarov to make it 1-0.

Burbidge tied the game at 2:23 of the second but the Wildcats scored twice more in the frame, taking a 3-1 lead into the third.

After a very disciplined game last Sunday, Saint John got into penalty trouble in the third. Barbashev's goal was scored on an odd-man rush at even strength at 7:18, but the penalties made it difficult for the Sea Dogs to get going offensively.

Saint John had a couple power plays of their own late in the third but could not connect. The Dogs went 0/6 on the man advantage.

LINEUP

Burns - Trenholm - Lessard

Reynolds - MacDonald - Elie

Thifault - Burbidge - Simek

Mateiko - Cournoyer - Beaulieu

Tivey - DesRoches

Bilodeau - Despont

Tracey - Cosman

Shingarov

Brideau

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise (injury); defenseman Jeremie Richard (healthy); and forwards Tomasz Szczerba (healthy), Danny Akkouche (healthy), Nico Laforge (injury) and Noah Reinhart (healthy).

PRE-GAME CEREMONY: Former Sea Dogs Jacob Chantler, Nicholas Blagden and Zach Welsh carried the Memorial Cup onto the ice before the game. Captain Charlie DesRoches took the trophy for one last spin around the ice before parking it at centre ice. Members of the Sea Dogs front office and other dignitaries were then honoured before a highlight video played. The championship banner was then hoisted into the rafters.

The newest captain of the @SJSeaDogs, Charlie DesRoches, takes the #MemorialCup for one more skate 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2RMMTDHzOY

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 1, 2022

The 2022 Memorial Cup championship banner has been hung. pic.twitter.com/uhoIGpiC4z

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) October 1, 2022

FIRST GOAL: Cole Burbidge scored his first career QMJHL goal in the second period. Jake Tracey picked up his first career point on the play as well.

His FIRST QMJHL goal!

COLE BURBIDGE 🚨#CityofChampions pic.twitter.com/zcdaH7QERA

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) October 1, 2022

NOTES: Marshall Lessard seemingly suffered an injury at some point in this game... Cam MacDonald made his season debut after missing last Sunday's game while attending Tampa Bay Lightning training camp... the game didn't start until 7:18 due to Sea Dogs player introductions and the banner raising ceremony... local Gabe Smith, a second-round pick of the Wildcats in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, made his QMJHL debut... defenseman Natan Grenier, who was dealt in the Philippe Daoust trade, was the final scratch for the Wildcats... both teams wore "Every Child Matters" stickers on their helmets... Brady Burns and Pavel Simek each had six shots... attendance was 4,954.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday night at 7 p.m. at TD Station.