DRAKKAR POWER PAST SEA DOGS
SAINT JOHN – The Baie-Comeau Drakkar scored three times in a 6:09 span late in a delayed second period and went on to defeat the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-1 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at Saturday at Harbour Station.
The goals came after a power outage in the arena halted play for approximately one hour and 28 minutes.
Bokondji Imama, Charles Hudon, Valtentin Zykov and Charles Poulin scored for the Drakkar (32-12-1-3), which won their seventh straight game.
Nathan Noel had the lone goal for Saint John (14-29-1-3), which have lost two games in a row. Goalie Sebastien Auger was named second star in the loss, making an impressive 49 stops.
A complete game summary can be found HERE.
Saint John got a power play chance in the game’s opening minute and narrowly missed taking advantage of it.
Forward Marcus Cuomo was left alone in front of the net, but lost the puck as he tried to switch from his backhand to his forehand.
Instead, Baie-Comeau scored first, just shy of the five-minute mark.
A shot from the left wing boards by defenceman Gabriel Verpaelst deflected off the glass behind Auger, and then bounced out to the left of the goalie. Imama batted in the loose puck to give the Drakkar a 1-0 lead.
The Sea Dogs tied the game on the power play with under five minutes left in the first.
Alexander McQuaid corralled a loose puck near the right point and whipped a pass cross-ice to Noel in the left circle. The St. John’s-native rifled a wrister through the legs of Drakkar goalie Philippe Cadorette to even the score.
The game remained tied 1-1 through twenty minutes. Baie-Comeau outshot Saint John 16-10 in the period.
The Drakkar carried play early in the second.
Poulin was denied by Auger’s right leg from point-blank range just a minute into the middle frame.
Two minutes later, with the teams playing 4-on-4, Alexandre Ranger burst in on the left wing side and cut to the net, chipping a shot on goal that Auger took in the chest.
Saint John killed off a Baie-Comeau 5-on-3 power play chance near the six-minute mark of the period.
The Drakkar were on a rush into the Sea Dogs’ zone when a power outage occurred in the city at around 8:15 p.m. Atlantic Time that turned off the lights at Harbour Station 6:15 into the second period. The game was delayed for nearly ninety minutes.
Following a short warm-up, play resumed around 9:45 p.m.
The Drakkar took over offensively late in the period.
With fewer than eight minutes to go, Hudon beat a screened Auger over his blocking arm with a hard wrister from the middle of the point during a Baie-Comeau power play.
Zykov made it a two-goal game five minutes later.
The 2013 second round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings poked his own rebound just inside the right post after Auger had quashed a close-in chance.
Poulin wrapped up the scoring 61 seconds later.
Ranger stole the puck in the Sea Dogs’ zone and fed a hard pass from the left wing corner in front of the net to Poulin, who one-timed it through Auger’s legs to make it a 4-1 game.
The Sea Dogs were outshot 25-7 in the second period and trailed by three goals through forty minutes.
Neither team could score in the third period, despite exchanging a total of five power play chances.
Baie-Comeau outshot Saint John 12-6 in the third and 53-23 in the game.
Hudon, the ex-Team Canada junior forward, took first star honours with a goal and an assist while Zykov snared third star honours in front of 3,691 fans in attendance.
On a side note: the game’s 50/50 draw was claimed by Victor Comeau with ticket number 106794. Victor took home $2,954.
The Sea Dogs return to action Sunday at 3 p.m. when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Minor Hockey Day at Harbour Station. Tickets are available at the Harbour Station box office, online at tickets.harbourstation.ca, or by calling 657-1234.
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