Eagles Rout Sea Dogs To Open Weekend Back To Back
NOTES FROM THE GAME
– Romain Litalien’s first career hat trick and a career high five point night helped lead the Cape Breton Eagles to a 7-3 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs.
– Noah Jettelson, Reece Peitzsche, and Aiden McCullough all scored and added an assist while Lewis Gendron collected four assists for the Eagles. It was the first regular season goal of McCullough’s career. Adam Klaus finished the scoring in the third period for the Eagles.
– Félix Hamel stopped 21 of 24 shots in the win, while Justin Robinson allowed six goals on 32 shots in addition to an empty net goal.
– Eagles defenseman Will Murphy & Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu were each given game misconducts after a spirited fight at the 15:14 mark of the first period.
– It was also a milestone game for Eagles defenseman Tomas Lavoie, who played in his 200th QMJHL game on Saturday.
The Eagles started fast, with Jettelson striking from off the left wing just 72 seconds into the game. Saint John had an opportunity to counter when Lavoie was given an early penalty. The Eagle captain had just stepped out of the box when Alex Donovan tipped a point shot from Max Vilen to tie the game at 1.
It was a sense of deja vu to start the second period as the Eagles once again scored early- this time 75 seconds in when Litalien cashed in on a rebound from the top of the crease. But this time the Eagles kept the momentum going, capitalizing on a Vincent Croteau penalty. Litalien tipped a point shot from Lavoie to give the Eagles a two goal edge.
McCullough joined the play, jumping into the rush to put a shot over the shoulder of Robinson to make it 4-1, and Peitzsche also went top shelf after speeding up the left wing to add to the Eagle cushion. Saint John would get one back before period’s end, when Zachary Morin dropped the puck to Elliot Dubé who zapped it by Hamel.
Chances were hard to come by in the early part of the third period, and stoppages were as well. Beginning at the 6:05 mark, the teams played a total of 8:20 without a whistle. Not long after the break, Sea Dogs coach Travis Crickard elected to lift his netminder for an extra attacker, but instead Litalien would hit the open net to complete his hat trick.
The final three minutes saw the two sides scoring 18 seconds apart- first Klaus putting the puck over Robinson, and then Oskar Drabczynski counting with a spin move for his first QMJHL goal in front of the net to finish the scoring for the night.
Both teams will hit the road for the rematch tomorrow as the Eagles & Sea Dogs do battle in the New Brunswick capital of Fredericton. Puck drop is 3 PM . The game is available for purchase on https://www.flohockey.tv/live/166853 and you can also hear all the action on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Romain Litalien (Cape Breton) 3 goals, 2 assists, +5
2. Lewis Gendron (Cape Breton) 4 assists, +4
3. Reece Peitzsche (Cape Breton) 1 goal, 1 assist, +4
Scratches For Cape Breton: Eliot Litalien (injury), Samuel Boyer (injury), Derek Andrews
Scratches For Saint John: Cameron Chartrand (injury), Julien Wasmer (injury), Matthew Krayer, Julien Wasmer, Alexis Gauthier
Final Shots On Goal: 33-24 in favour of Cape Breton
Cape Breton Power Play: 1/3
Saint John Power Play: 0/1
