RECAP: Leaver’s 40 saves not enough as Sea Dogs blanked by Océanic

SAINT JOHN – Newly acquired 16-year-old forward Olivier Groulx made his debut as the Saint John Sea Dogs took on the Rimouski Océanic in what was their final matchup of this season on Thursday night at TD Station. Despite the presence of QMJHL Commissioner Mario Cecchini and a spirited crowd, the Sea Dogs were shut out 4-0, with goaltender Patrick Leaver’s 40-save effort standing out in a game that saw the Sea Dogs struggle offensively.

The Sea Dogs got their first powerplay of the game after a penalty against Rimouski’s Jakub Hujer at 10:29 into the first, but they were unable to capitalize. Joseph Ianniello almost sparked the Sea Dogs offense with a shot that rung off the post at the 17 minute mark. The period ended locked at 0-0 with the Sea Dogs falling behind in shots, managing only four to the Océanic’s 15.

Oceanic forward Maxime Coursol opened the scoring in the second period at 4:38. Jacob Beaulieu generated a good scoring chance at 11:02, but was stopped by the Océanic’s goaltender. The Océanic widened the gap with Spencer Gill’s goal at 8:17 and ended the period leading 2-0, with the Sea Dogs lagging behind in shots, 34-10.

Starting the third period on the powerplay, the Sea Dogs were unable to find the back of the net. After Pavel Simek served a two-minute interference penalty, Rimouski extended their lead as Maël St-Denis scored at 9:56 to make it 3-0. Jacob Mathieu solidified the 4-0 win with a goal at 17:37.

With this loss, the Sea Dogs record moves to 14-20-3-3. They will look to bounce back in their next game this Saturday at 7pm when they tangle with the Victoriaville Tigres for the first time this season. Tickets are available at the TD Station box office, by calling (506) 657-1234 or online at tickets.tdstation.com.

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