GDT: Sea Dogs at Cataractes - February 9, 2008

[Superdog]

I hope the dogs can get the win against the last place team in the Q.

[tostitos]

That was painful to watch.

[elementz]

superdog said:

I hope the dogs can get the win against the last place team in the Q.

On National TV across Canada.

[tostitos]

elementz said:

superdog said:

I hope the dogs can get the win against the last place team in the Q.

On National TV across Canada.

And select US markets.

[ontariohockeyfan]

Fans of the Seadogs do not get down on this team as all teams go through this losing games.as for tomorrows game in Drummondville I am sure JB will have his team ready for this one telling them do not take anything for granted last place team or not anything can happen.I am confident they will come out and play a good game.National tv is big and they will do your city well.

[tostitos]

Lets hope you are right OHF. They have a 24 hour layoff between games, so a long rest tonight should be in store.

[elementz]

It could be worse, the Moose allowed double digits against the Tits tonight. What the heck is going on with them as well.

[Superdog]

the moose lost big to the titan .10-6

[canucklehead]

Outside of killing penalties I think the team is doing fine that's the thing it the PK is so bad right now it's costing the teams games. How ya gonna fix it I have no idea.

[elementz]

All goes back to basics I think and right now the boys know the pressure is on when they are in the box. Once we have a few sucessfull pk's in a row, then it will start to gel. Hopefully tomorrow.

[mrlittlewolf]

The fix is not easy but it is easy.......lol you just keep reviewing films and see what breakdowns are common on the pp goals lately. eliminate that and right there you improve your pk. Have the other teams adjusted to the way we PK? Better to have the prob now than in march!!

[dogcatcher]

SEA DOGS FALL TO CATARACTES 6-4
Saint John is Now 34-16-1-3 on the Season Following Road Loss in Shawinigan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, February 9, 2008

SHAWINIGAN, QC --- In what proved to be an incredibly intense battle between two talented hockey teams, the Shawinigan Cataractes defended their home turf in dynamic fashion on Saturday afternoon, besting the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs by a score of 6-4 on the strength of a 5-for-7 showing on the power play.

After a penalty-filled first period produced a 1-1 deadlock, the home team took a 4-3 lead during the middle frame and added an insurance marker 7:15 into the third. The Sea Dogs pulled to within one a moment later but were unable to further add to their goal total, as a late empty net tally by the Cataractes produced a two-goal win for the Telus Division’s seventh-place squad.

Ryan Spalring and Scott Howes scored two goals apiece for Saint John on Saturday, while Pierre-Alexandre Vandall (2), Sean Smyth, Olivier Donais, and Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll (2) all registered tallies for Shawinigan.

Travis Fullerton (26 saves) suffered the loss in net for the Sea Dogs, falling to 19-12 on the season as a result. Meanwhile, Kevin Maletto earned the victory between the pipes for the Cataractes, making 30 saves on 34 shots to improve his 2007-08 record to 20-20.

The bad blood which exists between the Sea Dogs and Cataractes was made abundantly obvious in the early going. Right off the opening draw, resident Sea Dogs tough guy Brett Gallant and Cataractes winger Ashton Bernard dropped the gloves at centre ice and partook in a rematch of their January 11 Harbour Station fight, with the rugged Saint John forward again proving victorious by way of unanimous decision. Gallant punished Bernard with a vicious series of right hands while keeping the 17-year old Nova Scotian from mounting an effective counter-attack by way of his impeccable balance and incredible strength.

Immediately following the second face-off of the match, Mike Thomas and Martin Baca then squared off, with Thomas landing a huge haymaker early in the bout that earned him an immediate victory by knockout.

Four seconds into the game, twenty penalty minutes had been handed out by officials. Eighteen more PIMs would be registered on the score sheet over the course of the next 19:56 of action, as an exhibition of gritty combativeness took centre stage at the Jacques Plante Arena throughout the entirety of the first period.

After a fifth infraction was called, a two-minute minor assessed to Shawinigan Captain Patrick Bernier, the Sea Dogs power play went to work and capitalized on their first man-up opportunity of the afternoon, as Scott Howes banged home his 33rd goal of the season from just outside the Cataractes goal crease. Ryan Sparling and Alexandre Picard-Hooper both picked up assists on the successful scoring play, which gave Saint John a 1-0 lead at the 1:01 mark of the opening frame.

The visitors were then awarded a five-on-three power play after Bernier and Brad Yetman were sent to the penalty box within 0:24 of one another. Despite some high-quality chances, the Sea Dogs were unable to convert on their two-man advantage, as Shawinigan’s PK unit was able to keep the puck out of the net and keep their deficit at one.

The Cataractes then received a double-PP of their own following another flurry of penalty calls, and the game was soon thereafter tied 1-1 as Pierre-Alexandre Vandall pounced on a rebound and slid a backhand shot past a sprawling Fullerton to earn his 20th tally of 2007-08.

Shawinigan continued to apply heavy pressure in Saint John’s zone, but some impressive work by Fullerton kept the home team from pulling ahead as Saturday’s contest reached the twenty minute mark with the score knotted at one apiece.

On the power play, the home team took a 2-1 lead 0:53 into the second period, with Olivier Donais one-timing a hard slap shot from the slot that Fullerton was unable to block. A two-goal lead was then established by Shawinigan, as Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll registered his 29th marker of the year to make the score 3-1 in favour of the hosts.

The Sea Dogs responded quickly however, with Scott Howes netting his second goal of the afternoon to pull his team to within one of the Cataractes at the 6:24 mark of the second period. Just 1:16 later, Ryan Sparling tied things up 3-3 after carrying the puck into Shawinigan territory and ripping a high wrist shot that beat Maletto to the glove side to give the 19-year old forward 22 goals on the season.

With 22:27 remaining in regulation, another man-up tally by the Cataractes produced a 4-3 lead, as Pierre-Alexandre Vandall knocked in a loose puck to bring and end to a lengthy scramble in front of the Saint John goal crease and earn the left winger his second marker of the contest.

A flurry of action at the start of the third period nearly produced the tying goal for Saint John; a huge stick save by Maletto off of a Scott Howes shot early in regulation’s final frame prevented the Sea Dogs from producing the equalizer, as Shawinigan clung to their precarious one-goal lead as the visiting squad from Port City vehemently pursued their fourth goal of the match.

With Francois Gauthier in the penalty box, the Cataractes power play unit then struck yet again, with Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll netting his second of the contest 7:15 into the third period.

Shortly after Lalonde-McNicoll’s goal, Ryan Sparling scored his second goal of the game, jamming in a rebound after Payton Liske’s wraparound attempt was denied by Maletto to pull Saint John back to within immediate striking distance of the Cataractes.

The Sea Dogs then earned several excellent scoring chances during a mid-frame power play opportunity, but some highlight-reel saves by Maletto kept the Cataractes up by one as Saturday’s contest entered the home stretch.

Maletto continued his stellar play throughout the duration of regulation, confounding the Sea Dogs’ best efforts on several occasions as the visitors out-shot Shawinigan badly (14-8) during the third period but were ultimately unable to net the tying goal.

An empty net tally by Sean Smyth sealed the deal for the Cataractes, who now possess 53 points on the year following their 6-4 win over the Sea Dogs, who remain stuck at 72 points following back-to-back road losses.

Saint John wraps up their three-game road trip on Sunday night in Drummondville versus the last-place Voltigeurs in a match that will be televised nationally by Rogers Sportsnet beginning at 8:00pmEST/9:00pmAST.

[springer]

Littleone you don't they are not reviewing taps to no end and they are not spending hours in practice trying to correct this. I think it was Thomas and Liske that killed almost 1:20 of a power play and they came off and there was a PP goal. Then later Liske and Thomas came on with a few seconds left and they got scored on. There is no rhythm nor reason to what is happening. Perhaps it is the defensive parings down low. I don't know what it is but it will be a short playoff run if we don't right the ship.

[Judas In My Mind]

I wonder if JB and the organization would consider bringing in a new coach just for this? A special teams specialist. Special teams have always been important in hockey but are made even more so now that most hooking/holding/etc type penalties are called more strictly.

The current staff have had the chance all year to work with these guys on the PP and PK, and to me it seems like both are getting worse (especially the PK obviousy). Maybe it's time for someone to step in with a new point of view to get this fixed?

[killer]

Gallant and Thomas fights from yesterdays game

Gallant vs Bernard



Thomas vs Baca