Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (SO)

FINAL: Charlottetown 3, Saint John 4 (SO)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs earned their biggest win of the season on Sunday afternoon, pushing them into a playoff spot with two games to go.

Noah Reinhart scored with 46.9 seconds remaining in regulation and then Eriks Mateiko scored the shootout winner, lifting Saint John to a 4-3 win over the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

The victory gives the Sea Dogs 53 points and pushes them into 15th overall, leaping over both the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (52 points) and Val-d'Or Foreurs (51 points). All three clubs have two games remaining in the regular season - but Saint John now controls their own destiny.

The Sea Dogs were trailing 2-0 in the second period on Sunday but fought back thanks to goals from Nicolas Bilodeau and Cole Burbidge just over two minutes apart. Ross Campbell then netted his second of the game late in the middle frame, putting the Islanders back in front.

Saint John pressed in the third and were finally rewarded when Reinhart netted the equalizer with goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov pulled. 

The Sea Dogs had a power play in overtime but could not score, sending the match into a shootout. Mateiko won it in the fourth round.

Shingarov made 24 saves in 65 minutes of play and stopped three of four shooters in the shootout.

Lucas Romeo also scored for Charlottetown. Dixon Grimes made 43 saves in the loss.

LINEUP

Burns - Reynolds - Reinhart

Simek - Burbidge - Benoit

Mateiko - Cournoyer - Drover

Calder - Elie

Tivey - DesRoches

Ianniello - Cosman

Bilodeau - Akkouche

Despont

Shingarov

Brideau

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without defenseman Jeremie Richard (injury) along with forwards Sam-Luca Thifault (injury), Harrison Ballard (injury), Nathan Casey (injury), Nico Laforge (injury) and Jacob Beaulieu (healthy).

BIG TILT: Vincent Despont and Sam Bowness had quite a tilt early in the first period, trading some big blows. Despont was given an instigator penalty. According to HockeyFights.com, this was just the fourth fight of the year for the Sea Dogs.

VS ISLES: Nicolas Bilodeau continued to do damage against the Islanders. The rookie defensemen scored in the second period, giving him two goals and 10 assists against Charlottetown this season. The goal also gives Bilodeau sole possession of the team record for points in a season by a rookie defenseman (42).

Congratulations to Sea Dogs defenseman Nicolas Bilodeau on setting a franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman with his 42nd point of the season this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/xaVAXrFx4q

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) March 19, 2023

POINTS RECORD: With an assist in the second period, Brady Burns tied Jonathan Huberdeau's franchise points record (257). Burns has two regular season games remaining to try and move into sole possession of the record.

NOTES: Saint John once again went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen... Ventsislav Shingarov has been the victim of some unfortunate bounces of late. Another one happened on Charlottetown's first goal when a dump in took a weird bounce and went straight out in front... the Sea Dogs allowed a league-leading 16th shorthanded goal against in the second period... Peter Reynolds had 10 of Saint John's 46 shots... Reynolds had two assists... Cole Burbidge had a goal and an assist... Saint John won 43/67 faceoffs... this was Saint John's second shootout victory of the season... attendance was just 2,864, a small crowd for a late season weekend game.

Entire Sea Dogs team on the ice listening to head coach Travis Crickard before the start of OT. pic.twitter.com/1dt0qYfBFP

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) March 19, 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs visit the Islanders on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.