GAME RECAP: Bélanger nets shootout winner, Titan win fifth in a row
On a night honouring the late Léo-Guy Morrisette, the first owner of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the home side made sure to leave everything out on the ice. Bathurst won their first shootout game of the season 3-2 over the Chicoutimi Saguenéens at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in front of roaring crowd.
Chicoutimi dominated the first period, outshooting the Titan 12-4 in the opening frame. However, it would be Acadie-Bathurst who struck first. Dawson Sharkey had a burst of speed on the left side, deked around, and slipped the puck five-hole past Raphaël Précourt to put the home side up by one. Just under seven minutes later, Chicoutimi would respond as Thomas Desruisseux potted the rebound past Josh Fleming. For the rest of the period, Fleming made plenty of timely saves to keep the game knotted at one. After one period of play, the game was tied 1-1.
The second period saw the complete opposite. Bathurst outshot the Saguenéens 16-5 in the middle frame and provided a fury of offensive chances. On the powerplay, the home side would break through. Sharkey, waiting patiently out front, roofed the puck past Précourt to put his team up one. It was the forward’s first career two goal game. Things got chippy in the second period. Almost every whistle resulted in a scrum between the two teams. Bathurst would take the 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Just over five and a half minutes into the third period, the Saguenéens would knot the game up. Desruisseux made a gorgeous behind the back pass to Emmanuel Vermette, last week’s Player of the Week in the league, to tie the game up once again. Late in the frame, Bathurst would get a five on three powerplay but were unable to convert. The game would stay tied at two.
Overtime solved nothing, so the game would head to a shootout, the Titan’s first of the season.
In the shootout, Louis-François Bélanger, the second shooter, snuck a five-hole shot on Précourt to give the Titan the edge. With the game on the line, a Fleming save would win the game for Bathurst. Vermette tried to beat Fleming high blocker, but the 20-year-old goaltender read it perfectly to seal the game. Bathurst won in the shootout, 3-2 in front of the hometown fans to keep their five-game winning streak alive.
Colby Huggan took home the second star. Sharkey, after his two-goal performance, earned the first star.
The next home game is Friday, Oct. 18 when the Titan host the Saint John Sea Dogs.
Puck drop is 7 p.m. at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.
Tickets can be purchased at the Titan Box Office, ticketboutik.ca or over the phone.
Don’t forget the Two Grand in Hand Contest! When 2,000 or more fans attend any 2024-25 Acadie-Bathurst Titan regular season home game, one lucky fan will win $2,000!
Do you have the golden ticket?
GO TITAN GO!
