EP.95.0 SEA DOGS VS CAPE BRETON SCREAMING EAGLES - SEASON 6 - GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

AUDIO PROVIDED BY TIM ROSZELL NEWS 88.9

The Saint John Sea Dogs turned in a thoroughly dominating performance at Harbour Station on Saturday night, defeating the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles by a score of 7-2 in improving to 2-0 on the young season. Import winger Tomas Jurco paced Saint John's offence by scoring a career-high three goals on the night, with Guillaume Cloutier, Kevin Gagné, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Jonathan Huberdeau chipping in with single markers for the home side. Brad Cuzner and Taylor MacDougal replied for Cape Breton in a losing effort.

In his first regular season action with the Sea Dogs, Frédéric Piché picked up the victory in net by turning aside 28 of the 30 shots sent his way by Cape Breton skaters. The goaltending tandem of Alexandre Veronneau and François Lacerte, meanwhile, combined to make 18 saves on what proved to be a long night for the Screaming Eagles.

Piché came up big for Saint John in the second minute of play, stoning Cory MacIntosh with a blocker save after the sophomore winger found himself on a clear-cut breakaway during a Screaming Eagles penalty kill. Saint John then capitalized on a man-down scoring chance of their own, as overage centre Michael Kirkpatrick stole the puck from a Cape Breton defender in the visitors' zone and proceeded to rip a wrist shot over Veronneau's right shoulder to pick up his first goal of the season 5:21 into the first period.

The Screaming Eagles responded quickly however, as a crease-hovering Brad Cuzner one-timed a Pier-Antoine Dion pass to the back of the Sea Dogs' net just 11 seconds after Kirkpatrick's short-handed tally. Kevin Gagné restored Saint John's one-goal advantage 6:53 later, beating Veronneau on a long-range wrist shot to record his second goal in as many nights.

Slovakian sniper Tomas Jurco put the hosts up by a pair at the 12:47 mark of the opening stanza, banging home his third goal of the year after being set up nicely by second-year winger Zack Phillips. Jurco's even-strength marker chased Veronneau from the game, as François Lacerte took over goaltending duties immediately after his team's deficit reached two.

A great individual effort by Jonathan Huberdeau put the Sea Dogs up by three 5:10 into period number two, as the sophomore forward battled hard for a loose puck behind the visitors' net and proceeded to tuck a wraparound across the Cape Breton goal line. Saint John's offensive onslaught continued 3:46 later when rookie defenseman Guillaume Cloutier hammered a slap shot by Lacerte to register his first career QMJHL goal.

Saint John then took a five-goal lead midway through the second when a perfectly-executed tic-tac-toe passing play by Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, and Tomas Jurco left Cape Breton's defenders and goaltender wholly dumfounded. Jurco finished off the highlight-reel-caliber play to improve his nightly goals total to two. The super-skilled European then put the finishing touches on his first career hat trick a moment later, rifling home a wrist shot from close range to make the score 7-1 in Saint John's favour as Saturday's intradivisional showdown reached the 40 minute mark.

Alexandre Veronneau re-entered the game at the beginning of regulation's final frame, improving his nightly save percentage exponentially by stopping all four shots fired upon him over the course of the stanza. The lone goal of the third period came off the stick of Screaming Eagle Taylor MacDougal, who netted a power play marker in the 56th minute of play to reduce his team's margin of defeat to five.

Category:

Sports

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• Saint
• John
• Sea
• Dogs
• Cape
• Breaton
• Screaming
• Eagles
• Guillaume
• Cloutier
• Kevin
• Gagne
• MIcheal
• Kirkpatrick
• Jonathan
• Huberdeau
• Tomas
• Jurco
• QMJHL
• highlights
• year

[HHSbackflipper101]

i played against kevin gagne in highschool, hell of a player

[cbeyea]

I was at the game last night and got a great view of the wrap around goal and that was one sick goal