Eagles Shutout Sags Again, Take 2-0 Series Lead
NOTES FROM THE GAME
– Nicolas Ruccia posted his second consecutive shutout, allowing Cam Squires first period goal to stand up as the winner as the Eagles shoutout the Chicoutimi Saguenéens 1-0. The Eagles now lead the series 2-0.
– Ruccia stopped 26 shots in the shutout, while Chicoutimi’s Rémi Delafontaine stopped 27 of 28 shots in the loss.
– With the shutout, Ruccia set a new Eagles record for longest amount of time without allowing a goal in the playoffs. His streak currently stands at 133:43. The previous record of 126:17 was set by Olivier Roy in the 2009 playoffs.
– Chicoutimi captain Jonathan Desrosiers was given a five minute boarding major and a game misconduct for a hit on Cape Breton’s Angelo Fullerton in the third period. Fullerton did not return following the hit.
– It was the second consecutive sellout at Centre 200, with 4922 fans tying the record set during game one of the series.
Despite the 1-0 final score, the early action indicated a potential high scoring game as the teams combined for 11 shots in the opening five minutes. The game play settled down after the opening flurry, but the night would still find its opening goal before the first siren.
Squires would be the only player to earn a point on the night, as his goal was unassisted, and it was a beautiful individual effort. After winning a puck battle in the neutral zone, he came up the right wing, outwaiting defenseman Jonathan Prud’homme, deking around the defensman and then beating Delafontaine to give the Eagles the edge.
Squires’ goal came during a four on four sequence, the only two minutes of the period not played five on five. Both teams had power play opportunities in the opening five minutes of the second period and couldn’t score, and the Sags were unable to score an man advantage that carried over into the third period.
Despite the shots being just 6-3 for Chicoutimi in the third period, there were no shortage of chances particularly in the final half of the period, beginning with the Desrosiers’ major which came at the 10:26 mark.
It was the Eagles with the power play but Chicoutimi may have had the best opportunity as Christophe Berthelot raced in on a shorthanded breakaway, only to be denied by Ruccia. The Sags comeback hopes were given a lift when Charles-Antoine Lavallée was given a minor for hooking. Chicoutimi was unable to score in the two minutes of four on four, but did kill off the balance of the Cape Breton power play after the Lavallée minor end.
With just over three minutes to play, Eagles forward Jacob Newcombe was whistled for tripping, and just 13 seconds into the power play, Chicoutimi coach Yanick Jean lifted Delafontaine for an extra attacker to create a six on four. The Sags thought they had tied the game on the man advantage but the goal was immediately called back due to goaltender interference.
After a successful Eagles penalty kill, Chicoutimi had just over a minute to find a tying goal playing six on five. The Eagles took multiple attempts at hitting the empty net, with Chicoutimi forward Thomas
Desruisseaux blocking two shots headed for the open net. Chicoutimi worked the puck back into the Eagles zone in the final 20 seconds but were unable to find the tying goal.
Game three of this series goes on Tuesday night in Chicoutimi. Puck drop is 8:30 PM AST. The game is available for purchase on https://shorturl.at/jwzK2 and you can also hear all the action on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Nicolas Ruccia (Cape Breton) 26 saves on 26 shots
2. Cam MacDonald (Cape Breton) 4 shots, 2 hits
3. Rémi Delafontaine (Chicoutimi) 27 saves on 28 shots
Scratches For Cape Breton: Jude Campbell (injury), Noah Larochelle (injury), Etienne Dejsardins
Scratches For Chicoutimi: Loïc Usereau (illness), Jérémy D’Astous, Samuel Vachon
Cape Breton Power Play: 0/2
Chicoutimi Power Play: 0/3