RECAP: Leaver makes 51 saves in shootout loss to Acadie-Bathurst
SAINT JOHN – Patrick Leaver put on a goaltending clinic turning aside 51 shots but the Saint John Sea Dogs fell 4-3 in a shootout against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in their home opener on Saturday night.
Acadie-Bathurst controlled most of the opening frame peppering Sea Dogs goaltender Patrick Leaver with 18 shots. Milo Roelens opens the scoring at the 14:53 mark to give the Titan a 1-0 lead.
Nate Tivey got the Sea Dogs on the board 4:49 into the second period with his first of the season firing a quick wrist shot into the top corner to tie the score 1-1. Shortly after Donovan Arsenault found the back of the net to put Acadie-Bathurst back in front 2-1. Late in the period Luka Benoit hit Pavel Simek with a long stretch pass and he beat Titan goaltender Joshua Fleming to make it 2-2 through 40 minutes of play.
The Titan notched a powerplay goal at 12:19 of the third period to retake the lead 3-2 as Louis-Francois Belanger netted his first QMJHL goal. Vince Elie buried his second of the season just 59 seconds later to knot it up at three. With the score deadlocked at the end of regulation, the two teams headed to overtime and then to a shootout. Robert Orr was the lone goal scorer in the shootout as the Titan skated away with a 4-3 victory.
Saint John returns to action next Friday night for the first of back-to-back home games against the Cape Breton Eagles.
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