Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-2

FINAL: Halifax 5, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are coming out of opening weekend with a pair of losses.

After falling 3-0 to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday, the Sea Dogs returned to home ice on Saturday but had similar issues, falling 5-2 to the Halifax Mooseheads.

Like Friday, defensive lapses proved costly while the team struggled to generate quality scoring chances. Saint John recorded single digit shot totals in all three periods. 

Saint John remains without three of their top players due to NHL training camps.

Penalties also proved to be a problem for Saint John. The Sea Dogs gave the Mooseheads seven power play opportunities, including a four-minute man advantage in the second period. The Moose went 1/7 on the power play.

Antoine Fournier, Cade Moser, Braeden MacPhee, Daniel Walters and Caylen Blake all scored for Halifax. Mathis Rousseau made 19 saves in the win.

Olivier Groulx and Ben Cross scored Saint John's first and second goals of the season, respectively. Justin Robinson made 32 saves in the loss.

The teams traded goals in the first period. In the second, Moser scored on a power play to put Halifax back in front. Saint John responded though with Cross scoring his first as a Sea Dog, evening things up at 2-2.

Saint John went back to the power play at 11:29 – but it would be Halifax converting. MacPhee made a nice move to cut through the crease and slide the puck past Robinson while shorthanded, giving the visitors a 3-2 advantage after 40 minutes.

In the third, Walters and Blake both scored to add some insurance to Halifax's lead, making it a 5-2 final.

LINEUP

Miller - Schenk - Lominac

Rozzi - Yared - Reynolds

Dubé - Groulx - Cross

Calder - Beaulieu

Tivey - Duhamel

MacLean - Amyot

Bilodeau - Scanzano

Bonnet

Robinson

Gravel

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without defensemen Matteo Mann (Philadelphia Flyers training camp) and Giuliano Caputo (serving the second game of a two-game suspension) along with forwards Tyler Peddle (Columbus Blue Jackets training camp), Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals training camp) and Egan Beveridge (healthy).

FIRST GOAL: Here's Olivier Groulx's first period marker – which came while shorthanded – which was Saint John's first goal of the 2024-25 season.

I am Groulx 😤#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/jjs8abDUq6

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 21, 2024

NOTES: Ben Cross' goal was his first as Sea Dog... Elliot Dubé and Dylan Rozzi both picked up assists in this game. It was their first QMJHL points... Mooseheads forward Daniel Walters, the team's top pick in June's draft, registered his first QMJHL points, posting a goal and an assist. He also had two minor penalties... Dennis Lominac had five shots... Lominac and Olivier Duhamel had five hits... Saint John had a much better night in the faceoff circle, winning 24 of 49... hits were 26-13 in favour of Saint John... attendance was 3,110.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs hit the road and take on the Islanders in Charlottetown on Friday at 7 p.m.