The Cape Breton Eagles struck the final blow in an entertaining back and forth 5-4 overtime win in Saint John.
The action got started early as Cam MacDonald wired a shot over Nicolas Ruccia and just under the crossbar on the right side of the net to give the home side a 1-0 advantage. It was- and wasn't- a sign of what was to come in the first period.
The teams traded high end chances, but neither could find the back of the net again. Ruccia turned aside Liam Léonard on a breakaway, while Noah Patenaude denied Félix Lafrance on a cross-ice pass from Jérémy Langlois. Late in the period, Saint John's Dawson Stairs hit the post while on the period's only power play, and it was a 1-0 score at the first buzzer.
There would be goals in the second period, with Saint John starting the action when Charles Savoie converted an Alex Drover pass from behind the net to double the lead. The Eagles halved the lead when Liam Kidney converted a pass from Lafrance in front of the net and put it over Patenaude. Cape Breton had to dodge a bullet when Logan Kelly-Murphy took a penalty after a goal, but killed off the Saint John man advantage.
Then it was time for Ryan Francis to tie the game with a sensational individual effort- dangling through the legs around Jérémie Poirier and then over the shoulder of Patenaude. Just 23 seconds later, Saint John reclaimed the lead on a goal by Joshua Roy. But there was one final twist in the middle frame- Francis floated a shot from the blueline on the power play to tie the game at 3 before the third period.
For the third straight time there was a goal in the first five minutes, but this time it was the Eagles getting the goal as FJ Buteau fired a heavy shot from the top of the left circle. Saint John would get their own goal from a defenseman by period's end when a William Villeneuve shot hit an Eagle stick in front to the tie game and regulation would finish tied at 4.
The Eagles would only need one shot in overtime, after a highlight reel save from Ruccia. At the 1:18 mark Shawn Element hammered a one timer from Nathan Larose and it was 5-4 victory for the visitors.
Ruccia picked up the win, stopping 24 of 28 shots. Patenaude turned aside 32 of 37 in the loss.
The same two teams will do battle tomorrow at TD Station in Saint John. Puck drop on Friday is at 3 PM. The game will be streamed online, available for purchase at qmjhl.neulion.com/qmjhl. You can also hear all the action beginning with the pre-game show with Patrick McNeil at 2:30 PM on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Ryan Francis (Cape Breton) 2 goals
2. Cam MacDonald (Saint John) 1 goal, 4 hits
3. Brady Burns (Saint John) 2 assists
Scratches For Cape Breton: Ivan Ivan (border), Mikhail Nizovkin (border), Zach Welsh
Scratches For Saint John: Hunter Gartley, Benjamin Roode, Julian Vander Voet, Jan Hampl (border), Vladislav Kotkov (border)
Final Shots On Goal: 37-28 in favour of Cape Breton
Cape Breton Power Play: 1/2
Saint John Power Play: 0/2
