Eagles Push Win Streak To Three With Win Over Saint John
NOTES FROM THE GAME
– Three goals in the first five minutes of the third period blew the game open as the Cape Breton Eagles topped the Saint John Sea Dogs 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Eagles finish their five game home stand on a three game winning streak. The Eagles have also moved ahead of Baie-Comeau and are now in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
– Cam Squires led the Eagles attack with a goal and three assists, while Xavier Daigle scored and added an assist as well. Cole Burbidge, Luke Patterson, Romain Litalien, and Brayden Schmitt also scored in the win.
– Alexis Cournoyer stopped 30 of 32 shots in the win, while Eric Young stopped 38 of 43 shots in addition to Squires’ empty net goal.
– During the second period, Eagle forwards Patterson & Jacob Newcombe each were given game misconducts, while Saint John defenseman Benjamin Amyot was given a ten minute misconduct.
– Saint John forward Egan Beveridge left the game due to a lower body injury in the second period and did not return.
Much like Friday night’s game, the first period featured plenty of shots early but once again didn’t produce an early goal. But the home side did strike twice in the final four minutes. First, Alexis Toussaint won the puck after battling two Saint John players and dished it to Burbidge in front of the net for the game opening goal. Then, a Patterson backhand with Young out of position doubled the Eagle lead with ten seconds left in the first period.
There were also no goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period, but there was penalty of scoresheet activity in the final minutes- mainly due to penalties. Saint John did get on the board though, as after a Zachary Morin scoring chance hit iron, Ben Cross converted the rebound in front to make it 2-1.
Saint John went to a late power play when Angelo Fullerton was whistled for roughing, and then got an added opportunity when at the same whistle, a video review gave Patterson a five minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking. The Eagles were able to kill off the five on three- not without controversy, as during the power play Saint John’s Tyler Peddle, who was bleeding, disputed to the referees that he had been the victim of a high stick.
After the Fullerton penalty elapsed, the Eagles had an opportunity to skate four on four after Olivier Groulx was dinged with a hooking minor. It appeared the Eagles were then going to the power play after Morin was issued a cross-checking minor, but an ensuing fracas saw Cape Breton captain Newcombe take a roughing minor- and a game misconduct- for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The remainder of the four of the four, and the rest of the Sea Dogs power play which spilled into the third period, saw no further scoring. But the Eagles would open the game up once things got back to five on five.
First, it was Daigle, just 26 seconds into the final stanza, beating Young blocker side. Then the Eagles converted on their own power play opportunity after Litalien scored from the top of the blue paint. Schmitt score the Eagles’ third goal in less than five minutes, deking to the front of the net, and putting a backhand by Young to make it 5-1. Saint John would show some pushback, as Mitchell Wagner scored his first as a Sea Dog to make it 5-2 in a goalmouth scramble.
After all the goals and penalties, the teams played a stretch of 7:28 in the third period without a single stoppage in play, a whistle coming with 3:49 to play. Less than a minute later ,the Dogs pulled Young in favour of an extra attacker. It ultimately would not pay off as Squires was able to fire the puck from his own goal line into an empty Sea Dog net.
The Eagles will now head out for their final Quebec road trip of the season, beginning Thursday night in Quebec against the Remparts! Puck drop is at 8 PM AST.
The game is available for purchase on https://shorturl.at/SYLcW and you can also hear all the action on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Cam Squires (Cape Breton) 1 goal, 3 assists, +3
2. Xavier Daigle (Cape Breton) 1 goal, 1 assist, +3
3. Brayden Schmitt (Cape Breton) 1 goal, +2, 6 shots
Scratches For Cape Breton: Will Murphy (injury), Nathan Plouffe (injury),Carson Griffin
Scratches For Saint John: Dylan Krayer (injury), Darien Reynolds (injury), Justin Robinson (injury), Julien Bonnet, John Lumsden
Final Shots On Goal: 45-32 in favour of Cape Breton
Cape Breton Power Play: 1/3
Saint John Power Play: 0/3
