Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Bathurst 2, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are entering the pre-season break with a victory.

The Sea Dogs edged the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 5-2 on Friday night at TD Station, improving their pre-season record to 2-1. Saint John doesn't play again until Sept. 8.

Egan Beveridge and Chad Bellemare each scored twice for Saint John while Danny Akkouche added a single. Olivier Brideau allowed a goal on 22 shots in the first half of the game. Sebastian Monaco allowed a goal on 13 shots in the second half.

The Sea Dogs' power play once again had an eventful night, going 2/8.

Saint John controlled much of the play in the first period with shots ending 17-11 in favour of the Sea Dogs. Saint John had three power plays in the period — including a lengthy five-on-three — but could not score.

Akkouche got Saint John on the board at 1:36 of the second period, beating Titan goaltender George Gallant on a shorthanded breakaway. 

Bathurst tied the game at 6:05 when Ty Peddigrew finished off a nice tic-tac-toe passing play, tapping the puck past Brideau from the slot. 

Saint John retook the lead at 11:21 with a power play goal. Matthew MacLean made a lovely backhand pass to Beveridge who made it 2-1 Saint John. Then at 13:52, Dawson Sharkey scored to tie things back up.

The Sea Dogs took a 3-2 lead into the dressing room thanks to a second goal from Beveridge at 17:02.

Bellemare showed off his speed once again at 6:45 of the third period, flying through the Titan defense and then beating Titan goaltender Mathis Lacroix-Goulet glove side to make it 4-2 Sea Dogs. Bellemare then scored again at 17:06, this time on a power play, to give the Dogs a 5-2 advantage.

LINEUP

Simek - Mateiko - Elie

Akkouche - Beveridge - Reinhart

Calder - Pierre-Noel - Beaulieu

Bellemare - Benoit

Bilodeau - Gauthier

Dassylva - Cosman

Tivey - Duhamel

MacLean - Amyot

Brideau

Monaco

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without forwards Nico Laforge (injury), Peter Reynolds and Sam-Luca Thifault (injury); defensemen Joseph Ianniello, Matteo Mann and Jeremie Richard (injury); and goaltender Justin Robinson.

NOTES: Mark Lee acted as Saint John's head coach once again and was joined by Jeff Hansen and Mike Eagles... former Sea Dogs head coach Gordie Dwyer ran the Titan bench... Harry Clements was given a four-minute penalty for a spear on Danny Akkouche in the first period... Bathurst nearly scored twice on a wide open net in the first period but was stopped both times by Olivier Duhamel... Ty Peddigrew had to go for a walk down the Titan tunnel after taking a big open ice hit from Mathis Gauthier. The overage d-man had another big hit in the third period, this time on Samuel Frechette... Sea Dogs goaltender Sebastian Monaco picked up a delay of game penalty for playing the puck outside the trapezoid area in the third... attendance wasn't announced but there was a decent crowd for a pre-season game.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs face the Titan in Saint-Quentin, NB on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.