ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador – The St. John’s IceCaps made sure the third time was the charm Saturday night as they topped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3-2 in game seven of their AHL Eastern Conference semifinal.
forward Jason King fights off a hook during Saturday%27s game seven victory in St. John%27s. Photo by Jeff Cull
The IceCaps had two previous opportunities to eliminate the Penguins, but came up short in both game five and game six. On Saturday they used a gritty team effort and a two-goal performance from Aaron Gagnon to finally close the deal and earn a spot in the Eastern Conference final against the Norfolk Admirals.
“That was a pretty emotional win,” said IceCaps forward Jason King. “We had two tough losses in a row, but tonight showed the character of our team. We know we have a good group here, a special group. There wasn’t a player here who wanted to go home.”
It was IceCaps veterans such as King, Gagnon, Garth Murray and Brett Festerling who led St. John’s to a game seven victory over the Penguins. The club’s more mature players set the pace with physical play and a simple, but effective game plan throughout the contest.
According to Gagnon, this calm demeanor played a key role in finally winning the series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“We kept a pretty good mood in here. We have a group of guys who have been around and know how to handle the situation,” said Gagnon. “We didn’t panic, we didn’t change our game; we just got better.”
IceCaps head coach Keith McCambridge looked equal parts satisfied and relieved after Saturday’s win. He spoke highly of the way the Penguins battled the IceCaps for seven games and said the series provided his players with a lesson of what it takes to win in professional hockey.
“That’s a really great group of players in our locker room and there’s a lot of character in there. I’m proud of those guys. They put everything they had into tonight’s effort and they were rewarded,” said McCambridge. “You’ve got to learn how to manage pucks, you’ve got to learn where you are in the game and where the momentum is. You have to make the other team work and make them come the length of the ice to get their scoring chances. I thought we did a really good job of limiting turnovers and getting pucks deep at key moments of the game when they started getting momentum.”
McCambridge also spoke highly of the play of his shutdown pairing on defense, Brett Festerling and Arturs Kulda. The pair has been solid throughout the IceCaps postseason run and stepped their play up even further in game seven versus the Penguins.
. John%E2%80%99s players and fans celebrate as the final buzzer sounds in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinal. Photo by Jeff Cull
In the dying minutes of the third period neither man left the ice very often, and when they did it was usually only for a 30-second breather before jumping back over the boards and into the play.
“They are obviously key components to the defensive side of our game. When we’re defending a lead, they are going to log some more minutes back there,” said McCambridge.
The IceCaps went as far as to use Festerling on the point during a third-period power play just to ensure the Penguins wouldn’t force a turnover and create a shorthanded scoring opportunity.
“We know they’re really aggressive on the penalty kill, especially since they were down in the third period tonight. In those situations you want to give yourself a chance to score on the power play but also be aware of their aggressiveness on the penalty kill,” said McCambridge of his decision to use Festerling on the power play.
Festerling said after game seven he and Kulda relish the opportunity serve as the team’s shutdown tandem and enjoy the challenges of playing against the opponents’ top players in the game’s crucial moments.
“We embrace our roles. You’re not going to see us jumping into the play very often. We keep it simple – get it back, get on the wall, make sure to get the puck deep and play physical. That’s what we’ve been trying to do,” said Festerling. “It’s not as glamorous as being a guy who scores a lot of goals, but we take pride in playing a shutdown role. That’s a point of pride for us.”
Ray Sawada put St. John’s on the scoreboard Saturday when he redirected a brilliant pass from John Albert on a two-on-one at 11:52 of the first period. The Penguins tied the game at one with a breakaway goal from Ryan Craig at 6:43 of the second period. Gagnon then put the IceCaps back on top with a power play marker at 11:35 of the second.
Gagnon’s second of the game just 53 seconds into the third period gave St. John’s a 3-1 advantage. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clawed back into the game with a power play goal from Colin McDonald at 9:36 of the third, but that was as close as they would get as the IceCaps hung on for a 3-2 win.
Eddie Pasquale made 26 saves in the IceCaps net, while Brad Thiessen stopped 24 shots in goal for the Penguins.
The IceCaps begin the Eastern Conference final on Thursday, May 17 in Norfolk.
Contact Darcy.MacRae@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Jeff.Cull@prohockeynews.com
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