EP.58.0 SEA DOGS VS ROCKET

SEA DOGS TAKE DIVISION LEAD WITH 5-2 WIN OVER ROCKET The Saint John Sea Dogs laid claim to First Place in the QMJHL Atlantic on Sunday afternoon, defeating the P.E.I. Rocket by a score of 5-2 at Harbour Station to overtake the Moncton Wildcats for the #1 spot in the ultra-competitive division. Mike Hoffman netted two goals for the hosts on the day, with Stanislav Galiev, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Steven Anthony chipping in with single markers. Benjamin Casavant and Brandon Street both scored for P.E.I. in a losing effort, while Marco Cousineau (41 saves) suffered his sixth defeat of the year. Sea Dogs goalie Marc-Antoine Gélinas, meanwhile, turned in yet another impressive performance on Sunday, stopping 25 of the 27 shots sent his way by Rocket skaters to capture his seventh victory of 2009-10. For video highlights from Sunday, click HERE. Saint John opened the match exceptionally-well, peppering Cousineau with high-quality shots in the opening minutes of play as the ice surface appeared to be tilted towards Prince Edward Islands net for a while. Despite being badly outplayed in the early-going, the Rocket managed to draw first blood on Sunday, converting on their first shot on goal as Brandon Street shoveled in a loose puck at the end of a lengthy scramble to make his fourth goal of the season of the power play variety. Gélinas and Cousineau then took turns making sensational saves throughout the duration of the opening frame, with the twenty minute mark being reached with the visitors in possession of a one-goal lead. The Sea Dogs finally got the puck past Cousineau at the 7:52 mark of period number two when overage forward Mike Hoffman beat the Anaheim Ducks prospect with a well-placed wrist shot from the slot during a 5-on-3 power play to tie the match up at one apiece. Prince Edward Island responded 8:37 later, however, when a crease-hovering Benjamin Casavant banged home a rebound during a Rocket power play to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. A great individual effort by Mike Hoffman then re-tied the match late in the middle frame. The Ottawa Senators prospect took a pass from line-mate Stanislav Galiev in the neutral zone and proceeded to blow past a P.E.I. defenseman with a tremendous burst of speed upon crossing the visitors blue line. Hoffman finished the play off by tucking a nifty backhand shot past Cousineau to register his third goal of the season in highlight-reel fashion. Saint John took their first lead of the day early in the third period when Stanislav Galiev banked a shot in off of a Rocket defender on the power play to tally his fourth goal of the year. Michael Kirkpatrick then doubled the home teams advantage midway through the stanza, finishing off an impressive rush with Steven Anthony by burying his 50th career goal. Anthony put the Sea Dogs up 5-2 on an unassisted short-handed goal, wiring a bullet of a wrist shot to the back of the Rockets net with 4:05 remaining in regulation to put an exclamatio