RECAP: Mateiko leads Oceanic to win in return to Saint John
SAINT JOHN – After a pre-game tribute marking his return, former Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko led the Rimouski Oceanic to a 7-3 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night. The Sea Dogs struck first but were unable to hold onto their early lead against the Memorial Cup hosts.
Maël St-Denis led the charge for Rimouski with a hat-trick, while Mateiko added two goals of his own. Jonathan Fauchon and Jacob Mathieu rounded out the scoring for the Océanic.
Tyler Peddle, Dylan Rozzi, and William Yared scored for Saint John, with Ben Cross recording two assists.
GAME SUMMARY
Saint John got on the board four minutes into the game when Elliot Dubé found Tyler Peddle out front, who buried a backhand shot under Mathis Langevin. Rimouski answered at 6:17 as Jacob Mathieu lifted a shot over Justin Robinson’s blocker.
At the 12:51 mark, on the power play, Nicolas Bilodeau’s initial shot created a scramble in front, which Dylan Rozzi finished to restore the Sea Dogs lead. However, Rimouski tied the game 2-2 three minutes later when Maël St-Denis tipped in Maxime Coursol’s shot. Just 44 seconds later, Eriks Mateiko banked a shot in off the far post to give Rimouski the lead.
St-Denis opened the second period scoring at 2:34, capitalizing on Spencer Gill’s rebound during a power play. Eight minutes later, Rimouski’s Jonathan Fauchon picked the top right corner, extending their advantage to 5-2.
In the third period, St-Denis completed his hat-trick at the 13-minute mark on the power play after a slick passing play between Alexandre Blais and Mathieu. With the man advantage, William Yared got one back for the Sea Dogs, beating Langevin upstairs. Mateiko sealed Rimouski’s win with an empty-net goal to cement the 7-3 final.
STATISTICS
SOG: SNB – 32 | RIM – 37
PP: SNB – 2/5 | RIM – 2/3
Faceoffs: SNB – 29 | RIM – 31
GOALTENDING BATTLE
Saint John: Justin Robinson (30 saves / 36 shots)
Rimouski: Mathis Langevin (29 saves / 32 shots)
3 STARS
1st: RIM – Mael St-Denis – 3G
2nd: RIM – Alexandre Blais – 4A
3rd: RIM – Eriks Mateiko – 2G
UP NEXT
The Sea Dogs now hit the road for four-straight road games starting Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Centre against the Halifax Mooseheads at 3:00 pm.
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