Sea Dogs capture second straight President Cup
The Saint John Sea Dogs put on an offensive clinic in the first period, registering five goals to put the game quickly out of reach and help them become the seventh team in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League history to capture back-to-back President Cup championships. The final tally was 8-0 in favour of the defending MasterCard Memorial Cup title holders.
The Sea Dogs were the first to get on the board after capitalizing on a costly turnover deep into the Océanic’s zone. Stanislav Galiev jumped on a loose puck in the corner and fed Tomas Jurco in the slot who made no mistake and buried a shot past Jacob Gervais-Chouinard.
Zack Phillips gave the visitors a 2-0 lead just past the midway point of the first frame after receiving a beautiful saucer pass from 2011 Montreal Canadiens first round pick Nathan Beaulieu and slapping it behind Gervais-Chouinard. Less than one minute later, the floodgates opened in favour of the defending champions. Danick Gauthier registered his thirteenth goal of the playoffs with a precise backhand shot.
Following the Sea Dogs’ third goal, Rimouski head coach Serge Beausoleil called upon back-up goaltender Carl Hozjan to try to stop the tidal wave, but Saint John managed to score twice more before the end of the first twenty minutes courtesy of Tomas Jurco and Stanislav Galiev.
The second period was a bit more subdued in terms of scoring chances. Only Stanislav Galiev managed to register a marker, his fifteen of the playoffs.
In the final frame, Stanislav Galiev notched his third goal of the game and Jonathan Huberdeau added a marker to complete the scoring.
Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil was stellar in the win by pushing away all 24 shots he faced to collect the shutout.
Charles Coyle who left the American program to pursue his career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League received the Guy-Lafleur trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs after recording 34 points, including 15 goals, in 17 games.
Of note, Gerard Gallant sees his name inscribed on the President Cup for a fourth time; twice as a player and two times as a coach.