Wildcats blast Bathurst
Published Wednesday October 28th, 2009
Hockey: Moncton explodes for three quick goals in second period to down provincial rivals
MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats did all the damage they needed in a short time.
The Wildcats scored three goals in a 2:51 span of the second period en route to a 6-2 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Tuesday night in front of 3,988 fans at the Moncton Coliseum.
Moncton, 12-5-1-1, is second in the Atlantic Division and one point behind the Saint John Sea Dogs, 13-4-1-0.
The Wildcats opened a five-game homestand in impressive fashion and improved to 6-2-0-0 in their own building. They will look to extend a two-game winning streak when they face the Quebec Remparts Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.
Simon Jodoin, Mark Barberio, Pierre-Marc Lessard, Ted Stephens, Brandon Gormley and Marek Hrivik scored for Moncton, which held a 44-31 shots edge. Jodoin and Barberio added one assist, David Savard had two assists and they led the club with two points.
Jonathan Lessard and Jeremie Malouin countered for Acadie-Bathurst, which is fifth in the Atlantic Division at 7-9-2-1. The club is currently struggling with just two wins in the past eight games.
On the power play, Moncton was 1-for-7 and Acadie-Bathurst was 0-for-3. The Wildcats are 2-1-0-0 in the season series between these clubs.
Moncton dominated the first period from start to finish and held a 17-6 shots edge.
But the club wasn't rewarded for its efforts and entered the intermission in a 1-1 tie.
The Wildcats opened the summary on Jodoin's slapshot from the blue-line at 7:59. Taylor Lambke centered a pass from behind the net and Lessard converted with a close-range shot to allow the Titan to pull even at 17:32.
The Wildcats generated several good scoring chances, hit the goalpost once and were 0-for-3 on the power play in the opening 20 minutes. Titan goaltender Nicholas Champion made several key saves to keep his club in the game.
Moncton owned a 16-14 shots edge in a second period that was evenly played. It quickly broke open a tight game with a three-goal flurry and it all began with some good luck.
The Wildcats were leading 24-10 in shots when they jumped ahead 2-1 at 6:34. Alex Saulnier's wrist shot from the blue-line deflected off an opponent, hit the goalpost and Barberio was at the edge of the goalmouth to deposit the puck into the net.
The Wildcats made it 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 8:45. Lessard scored on a wrist shot from just inside the faceoff circle dot.
That prompted the Titan to make a goaltending change. Champion, who allowed three goals on 25 shots, was pulled in favour of Guillaume Nadeau.
The Wildcats upped the count to 4-1 with their first shot on Nadeau at 9:25. It was a highlight reel goal as Stephens streaked down the right wing, breezed around a defender, cut to the front of the net and scored on a nifty deke.
Acadie-Bathurst cut its deficit to 4-2 at 11:06 of the third period, a frame that featured an 11-11 shots total.
Moncton quickly ended any comeback hopes for the visitors. Gormley scored a lucky goal to make it 5-2 at 12:31 as his shot from the blue-line deflected off the backboards, then bounced off the goaltender and into the net.
The Wildcats rounded out the summary on Hrivik's power-play marker at 16:13. They improved to 6-2-1-0 in their past nine outings, allowing only 19 goals against during that span.
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