St John’s tames Bulldogs, 3-1

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador – The St. John’s IceCaps got off to fast start and then rode a strong performance from goalie Eddie Pasquale to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The IceCaps scored the game’s opening goal just over a minute into the first period, using a power play marker to take an early lead. The goal surely brought a smile to the face of St. John’s head coach Keith McCambridge, who had recently blasted the team publically for its slow starts and inability to produce with the man advantage. “We wanted to make sure we got the first goal and could build off that. But the fact it was a power play goal was a real step in the right direction for our special teams,” said McCambridge. The IceCaps head coach called out his players after Saturday’s loss to the Albany Devils, saying his team was being outworked on a nightly basis and was relying far too much on skill instead of the grit and effort that were so instrumental in the club’s success last season. On Tuesday it appeared the IceCaps responded to their coach’s concerns, especially on special teams where St. John’s scored twice on the power play. “I thought tonight we made some real strides (on the power play). We moved the puck around very nicely and found seams. And getting pucks on the net through traffic is the key to winning power plays,” said McCambridge. “It’s never a bad idea to shoot the puck with traffic in front.” One noticeable change in the IceCaps power play formation was having center Alexander Burmistrov play the point instead of lining up low in the offensive zone as he had earlier in the season. The change had immediate dividends, as Burmistrov picked up two assists on the power play. “Our power play unit adjusted because of the lack of success, so we moved him to the back end with Derek Meech. He (Burmistrov) is a forehand shot on that 1-3-1 going down the wall, so he can make passes and he can go downhill when pucks are put on the net,” said McCambridge. “He’s played that in junior and a little bit in Atlanta, and he’s comfortable there. I thought he looked pretty good back there.” McCambridge also spoke highly of his goaltender after Tuesday’s win. Pasquale made 45 saves against the Bulldogs while looking composed and confident in the crease all night. Some in attendance thought the win was a statement game for the young goalie as he battles for crease time with Mark Dekanich, an equally-talented goaltender who also has his sights set on a job with the parent NHL club in Winnipeg some day. However, McCambridge said Pasquale’s 45-save performance on Tuesday came as no surprise. “I thought Eddie was really strong,” McCambridge said. “It wasn’t a statement game to me. I’ve seen Eddie for a year and a half now and he was what we expect him to be.” Bulldogs head coach Sylvain Lefebvre also praised Pasquale’s efforts after Tuesday’s game, but added he thought the real difference in the game was his team’s inability to stay out of penalty trouble. “We have to play five-on-five, we were in the penalty box way too much. Five-on-five I thought we had the edge,” Lefebvre said. “We have to capitalize on the chances we had; we hit three or four posts tonight.” St. John’s opened the scoring Tuesday when Ray Sawada tipped a Burmistrov point shot past Hamilton goalie Robert Mayer at 1:17 of the opening period. The goal came with Bulldogs defenseman Jarred Tinordi sitting in the penalty box for a two-minute tripping penalty. The IceCaps used another power play goal to go up 2-0 when when Derek Meech one-timed a pass from Burmistrov past a screened Mayer at 7:15 of the second period. Hamilton cut the lead to 2-1 when Brendan Gallagher scored an unassisted marker at 2:26 of the third period. St. John’s shut the door on a Bulldogs comeback when Jason Gregoire banged home a loose puck at 12:28 of the third. Pasquale’s 45-save performance improved his record to three wins and six losses. Mayer stopped 16 shots while his record fell to four wins, six losses and one shootout loss. The game’s three stars were Pasquale, Meech and Hamilton’s Mike Blunden, respectively. The Bulldogs and IceCaps meet again tonight at Mile One Centre, with puck drop going at 7:35 p.m. local time. Darcy.MacRae@prohockeynews.com
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