RECAP: Sea Dogs season concludes with game four loss
SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs hosted the Drummondville Voltigeurs in a must-win game four at TD Station on Wednesday night. Despite a valiant effort by the squad, they lost 8-1, putting an end to their 2023-2024 season.
The first period was a tight affair, featuring two powerplay chances per team and a total of 35 shots fired between the teams. Patrick Leaver and Riley Mercer were both rock-solid, turning away every attempt, and the period ended scoreless.
The Voltigeurs got on the board early in the second period with quick goals by Peter Repcik and former Sea Dog, Noah Reinhart. The Sea Dogs answered at 4:29 with a powerplay goal from Matteo Mann, set up by Egan Beveridge and Pavel Simek, closing the gap to 2-1. However, Drummondville’s Ethan Gauthier would score two successive goals, at 8:47 and 13:51, bringing the score to 4-1 to close the second period.
The Voltigeurs extended their lead in the third starting with Maxime Lafond’s goal at 6:49 to go up 5-1. This was followed with a sequence of Voltigeurs goals, including a powerplay marker and an empty-net goal, ending in an 8-1 victory. Final shots on net were 55-31, in favour of Drummondville.
With another season in the books, the Sea Dogs shift their focus to the future with a big offseason coming up. Along with a number of promising young players already in the organization, the team owns two picks in the top eight and another early in the second round of the 2024 QMJHL Draft, which will be held in June at the Avenir Centre in Moncton.
For the latest Sea Dogs news, visit SJSeaDogs.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/sjseadogs), Twitter (@SJSeaDogs), and Instagram (@SJSeaDogs).