MOOSEHEADS DOWN SEA DOGS
Saint John Falls to 4-3 on the Season With 5-2 Loss at Halifax Metro Centre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 6, 2007
HALIFAX, NS --- The Halifax Mooseheads put an end to the Saint John Sea Dogs’ three-game winning streak on Friday night, defeating their divisional rivals by a score of 5-2 at the Halifax Metro Centre.
In his first game of the season, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jacub Voracek registered 1G-2A-3P for the Mooseheads, while Ryan Hillier, a New York Rangers draft pick, contributed 2G-1A-3P to the Halifax cause. The entirety of the Sea Dogs’ offence came in the form of goals from Matthew Stoddard and Payton Liske, who has now tallied a point in all seven of Saint John’s regular season games.
Special teams proved to be a deciding factor on Friday night, as the Sea Dogs’ road penalty kill, previously ranked #1 in the East Division, surrendered three power play goals to the Mooseheads while Saint John’s PP was unable to score on four opportunities. The Sea Dogs were assessed ten minor penalties on the night.
“We need to play more disciplined than that if we want to win on the road against top-tier teams like Halifax,” said Assistant Coach Jim Midgley following the loss. “We were sloppy and inconsistent out there tonight, and that’s not going to cut it in this league. Hopefully we can rebound tomorrow night with a better effort against Quebec.”
After an uneventful opening few minutes, Saint John received the game’s first power play chance on Friday, as the Mooseheads were assessed a bench minor for too many men on the ice at the 3:49 mark of the first period. The Sea Dogs were unable to capitalize on this early man-up opportunity however, and the Mooseheads built upon the momentum created by their successful penalty kill in the form of netting the game’s opening goal, as Jacub Voracek finished off a pretty passing play 5:59 into the match to earn his first tally of the season.
The Sea Dogs killed off a huge two-man disadvantage midway through the opening frame, as starting Sea Dogs goaltender Travis Fullerton turned aside several quality Mooseheads shots to keep his team within one of the home team’s lead.
Newly acquired winger Scott Howes then nearly tied things up with 5:11 remaining in the first, cutting into prime scoring territory deep in Halifax’s zone and getting off a high shot, but starting Mooseheads net minder Olivier-Pier Pelletier made a solid save off of Howes, keeping the visiting squad from Port City off the scoreboard in the process.
The Mooseheads went up 2-0 at the 7:35 mark of the second period, as Ryan Hillier banged home a rebound past a sprawling Fullerton to earn his sixth goal of the season while also doubling his team’s lead. Halifax went up 3-0 courtesy of Bruce Swan, who jammed a loose puck into Saint John’s net 11:32 into the middle frame to give the Mooseheads their first PP tally of the night.
The Sea Dogs finally got on the scoreboard at the 12:58 mark of the middle frame, as Matthew Stoddard scored his second goal of the season on a play set up by a stellar cross-ice pass by Halifax-native Steven Anthony. Stoddard’s shot deflected off of a Halifax defender, but nonetheless found its way to the back of the net in circuitous fashion.
The Sea Dogs continued to press late in the second, registering some quality scoring chances, but they were unable to beat Pellitier, who made some impressive saves during the closing seconds of the frame to keep his team up by two.
The three-goal Mooseheads advantage was re-established 1:28 into the third period, as Andrew Bodnarchuk tapped the puck into an open Sea Dogs goal after being set-up perfectly at the side of the net on a crisp pass of the stick of Jacub Voracek. The Halifax assault continued shortly thereafter, as Ryan Hiller slid a backhand past Fullerton to make the score 5-1 in favour of the home team.
The Sea Dogs cut their deficit by one midway through regulation’s final frame, with Ryan Sparling setting up Payton Liske for his second goal of the year with a bullet-pass that was quickly redirected to the back of the Halifax net from close range.
That would be as close as Saint John would get however, as the Mooseheads earned a decisive 5-2 victory on their home ice, claiming sole possession of fourth place in the East Division in doing so.
Up next for the Sea Dogs are the Quebec Remparts, who skate into Saint John on Saturday night for a 7:00pm contest at Harbour Station. Tickets are available by calling the Harbour Station box office at (506) 657-1234.
