Largely seen as the underdogs in the Memorial Cup, the Saint John Sea Dogs did not look that way Monday night.
The host team opened the national tournament with a 5-3 thrashing of the Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton Bulldogs.
Ryan Francis had two goals and an assist for the Sea Dogs, who did not trail once during the 60-minute game.
Philippe Daoust and Raivis Kristians Ansons each had three assists and were both named Stars of the Game.
“We kind of came into the game knowing that we were going to be fresher. [The Bulldogs] have had a long playoff run,” Daoust told reporters after the game.
“The support of all the fans, it really gave us a lot of energy and it was amazing out there.”
Yan Kuznetsov opened the scoring just over two minutes into the first period. Hamilton scored on the powerplay before Ryan Francis netted his first of the game late in the first
In the second period, Francis and William Dufour both scored late in the second to give the Sea Dogs a 4-1 lead.
The Bulldogs tried to come back in the third with two goals late in the period, but an empty-net goal by Peter Reynolds with just 1:12 to go sealed the victory for the Sea Dogs.
“I think any time you’re the host, you want to build momentum in this tournament,” interim head coach Gardiner MacDougall told reporters. “I think it was key to get off to a good start, and you can’t script it any better than to score the first goal.”
Bulldogs head coach Jay McKee said he thought his team looked tired and was not as mentally sharp to start as they have been in games past.
“The Sea Dogs did not see the best version of the Hamilton Bulldogs tonight,” said McKee after the game. “At this level of hockey, there’s a real fine line between winning and losing, and if you’re not mentally sharp and you’re not playing with legs that look fresh, you’re giving yourself a tough chance to win a hockey game.”
“We weren’t surprised by [Saint John’s] jump. They’ve had a lot of time off, they’re here at home, they had a great crowd. I’m sure they’ve been anticipating and had this game circled on their calendar for a long time.”
The Memorial Cup continues Tuesday as the Western Hockey League champion Edmonton Oil Kings take on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Shawinigan Cataractes.
The Sea Dogs will return to the ice on Wednesday as they face Edmonton. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
A salute to the crowd. pic.twitter.com/zTb8PxtaUC
— Tim Herd (@timherdradio) June 21, 2022
