Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Quebec 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

QUEBEC, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs let a 3-1 third period lead slip away in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Quebec Remparts on Friday at Videotron Centre.

Alexandre Desmarais netted the winner at 1:25 of the overtime period, wiring a perfectly placed shot top corner on Patrick Leaver. The win pushed the Remparts into a tie with the Sea Dogs for the QMJHL's 16th and final playoff spot with 42 points each — but Saint John has still played one less game.

The victory ended an eight-game losing streak for the Remparts.

Leaver, as he has done a lot in the second half, kept the Sea Dogs in the game early in the first period when the Remparts were heavily outshooting Saint John. Things took a turn when the Sea Dogs went to the power play with Nicolas Bilodeau and Matteo Mann scoring back-to-back man advantage goals.

The Remparts scored a power play marker of their own late in the first but Egan Beveridge's lovely backhand goal at 2:13 of the second ensured the Sea Dogs maintained momentum. Beveridge finished the night with a goal and two assists.

Quebec got within one early in the third when Pierre-Etienne Cloutier scored just 3:57 in. Then at 13:31, Julien Beland netted his second of the game to send the match to overtime.

Leaver made 26 stops in the loss for Saint John. For Quebec, Louis-Antoine Denault was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on seven shots. Vincent Filion stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief.

LINEUP

Mateiko - Elliott - Fournier

Simek - Groulx - Beaulieu

Reynolds - Miller - Beveridge

Calder - Laforge - Benoit

Tivey - Ianniello

Bilodeau - Mann

MacLean - Amyot

Leaver

Girard

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without goaltender Justin Robinson (injury); defensemen Olivier Duhamel (healthy) and Jeremie Richard (healthy); and forwards Tyler Peddle (serving the second game of a two-game suspension) and Benjamin Beaudry (healthy).

NOTES: Nicolas Bilodeau's power play goal came on Saint John's second shot of the game while Matteo Mann's came on the third... Quebec's Julien Beland now has goals in three straight games and in four of his past five... Coen Miller had two assists... Saint John went 2/3 on the power play while Quebec went 1/6... Matthew MacLean oddly led the Sea Dogs in shots with three... Saint John has now lost six straight road games... big crowd of 11,756 at Videotron Centre. The game featured a post-game concert with Les Trois Accords.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Drummondville to take on the Voltigeurs tomorrow at 5 p.m.