The Saint-Jean Sea Dogs proved that their elimination in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs was just a mistake.
Riley Bezeau and William Dufour scored within 34 seconds in the second period and the Sea Dogs took full advantage of their second chance as the host team, claiming the second Memorial Cup title in their history with a victory of 6-3 against the Hamilton Bulldogs, Wednesday at TD Station.
The Sea Dogs ended the regular season on a 15-game winning streak. They then suffered a surprise elimination against the Rimouski Oceanic.
Gardiner MacDougall, head of the hockey program at the University of New Brunswick, has been called in to relieve Gordie Dwyer behind the bench.
With renewed energy, the Sea Dogs regained their former composure to help the QMJHL win a third straight Memorial Cup title, and the 14th in its history.
Cam MacDonald had a goal and two assists, while Vincent Sévigny, Josh Lawrence and Peter Reynolds, in an empty net, also hit the target for the Sea Dogs, also champions of the Canadian Hockey League in 2011. Nikolas Hurtubise made 25 saves.
Mason McTavish scored twice, while Jan Mysak also scored for the Bulldogs, who were chasing a first Memorial Cup title after triumphing in the OHL. Marco Costantini stopped 21 shots.
The wind in the sails
Sévigny opened the scoring on the first shot on goal of the game, 2:35 into the game. His slapshot deflected against the stick of Arber Xhekaj, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, before moving the strings.
MacDonald then doubled the Sea Dogs lead at 5:47 on the team’s third shot on goal. He surprised Costantini on the side of the shield.
McTavish restarted the Bulldogs at 7:45, deflecting a Nathan Staios shot into the goal.
The match then lost its intensity. Ryan Humphries got the only other good chance in the first period, but the Bulldogs forward’s shot hit the crossbar.
We had to wait after 4:41 of play in the second period for the next fireworks. Bezeau made it 3-1 in favor of the Sea Dogs with a perfect shot up the top.
Dufour returned to the charge 34 seconds later. The Sea Dogs star scored his seventh goal of the tournament after a perfect play from Ryan Francis.
The Bulldogs increased the pressure late in the second period and cut the deficit to 4-2 with nine seconds remaining. Mysak, the other hope of the Canadian to play for the Bulldogs, played luck when a long shot from Gavin White deflected against him before ending up in the goal.
Indiscipline, however, came to haunt the Bulldogs in the third period.
After some spectacular saves by Hurtubise at the expense of Xhekaj and Avery Hayes, Xhekaj and Humphries were punished for unsportsmanlike conduct. Lawrence scored on the power play at 6:32, making it 5-2.
McTavish gave the Bulldogs one last burst of life with 4:57 to go, when his long shot stunned Hurtubise. The goal was awarded after a video review.
Reynolds delivered the knockout blow by scoring in an empty net with 1:17 on the clock.