Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Val-d'Or 3, Saint John 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It wasn't easy, but the Saint John Sea Dogs came away with a 4-3 overtime win over the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Sunday at TD Station.

Eriks Mateiko scored the overtime winner after the Sea Dogs tied the game late in the third period. Saint John led 2-0 in the second only to have the Foreurs storm back, taking a 3-2 lead into the third.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins for Saint John, especially against a Val-d'Or team that was playing its third game in three nights. Saint John simply didn't look their best for most of this game. It's been a bit of an odd stretch for the Sea Dogs with the team's last three victories all coming in overtime.

Mateiko scored twice for Saint John while Ben Cross and Nicolas Bilodeau added singles. Justin Robinson made 21 saves in the win.

Noah Reinhart, Samuel Fiala and Philippe Veilleux scored for Val-d'Or. Cedric Masse made 38 saves in the loss.

After a scoreless first period, Saint John opened things up at 6:59 of the second when Cross, from behind the goal line, banked a shot off Masse's pad and in. Then at 8:20, Mateiko was at the top of the crease and slid home his eighth of the season to make it 2-0.

The goals kept coming when Reinhart scored against his old club to make it a one-goal game at 9:57. Then at 14:28, Fiala converted to make it 2-2.

The Foreurs took their first lead of the game when a Veilleux wrist shot from the circle beat Robinson blocker side, making it 3-2.

The Sea Dogs had their chances in the first half of the third, hitting a couple posts. Finally, at 14:47, Bilodeau redirected an Olivier Duhamel point shot past Masse to make it a 3-3 game.

Val-d'Or went to a power play late in the third but couldn't score. Saint John had a couple chances late, including a Zachary Morin breakaway that was denied. 

It was a back-and-forth session of overtime. At 4:04, and after the Sea Dogs circled the puck around for a bit, Mateiko ripped a wrist shot past Masse and just inside the post to give Saint John the win.

LINEUP

Mateiko - Dubé - Morin

Peddle - Yared - Beveridge

Miller - Groulx - Cross

Calder - Schenk - Beaulieu

Tivey - Duhamel

Bilodeau - Mann

Caputo - MacLean

Robinson

Gravel

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without forwards Darien Reynolds (healthy) and Dylan Rozzi (healthy) along with defensemen Benjamin Amyot (sick or injury) and Cruz Scanzano (healthy).

NOTES: Forwards Florian Schenk and Ben Cross were inserted back into Saint John's lineup while Darien Reynolds and Dylan Rozzi were healthy scratches... former Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Drapeau was listed as a healthy scratch for Val-d'Or. He hasn't played since Oct. 20... the Foreurs were without defenseman Benjamin Cossette Ayotte while the Sea Dogs were without head coach Travis Crickard due to their participation in the U17 World Challenge in Sarnia... the Sea Dogs honoured former Sea Dogs Drapeau and Noah Reinhart during a stoppage in the first period... Reinhart took part in the ceremonial faceoff... the ice crew had to come out three times to fix the net in the Sea Dogs shoot twice end... Elliot Dubé and Matteo Mann each had two assists... Mateiko had seven shots... faceoffs were 35-27 in favour of Val-d'Or... not sure if Foreurs head coach Maxime Desruisseaux has some history with this officiating crew or not, but he was heated on the bench a number of times... the Foreurs lost all three games of their Maritime road trip... Saint John has now won three games in overtime and two games in a shootout... attendance was 2,354.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs begin a three-in-three Quebec road trip on Thursday, visiting the Victoriaville Tigres at 8 p.m.