Sherbrooke ends losing streak on the road in Saint John

Phoenix earn 3 points in Maritimes road trip

The Sherbrooke Phoenix’s losing streak ended at seven games after making their trip into Atlantic Canada for three straight games against Maritimes division opponents in QMJHL action.

After playing three teams in three days, the Phoenix ended up going 1-1-1 in their weekend games. In their first game of the Remembrance Day weekend; Sherbrooke beat the Saint John Seadogs by a score of 5-4, lost to the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 and fell to the Halifax Mooseheads in overtime 3-2.

Against the Seadogs in Harbour Station Arena, Sherbrooke and Saint John traded goals and chances throughout the game before Nicolas Poulin scored the game winning goal. For the winner, Poulin scored on Alex D’orio with a quick snapshot from the top of the left circle with just over two minutes remaining in the third period. Poulin’s game-winning goal was his second score of the game as he earned the game’s first star with two goals and an assist in the win.

In the short turnaround, the Phoenix stayed in New Brunswick for their second game of the trip taking on Moncton. Against the Wildcats, the Birds were unable to earn a second straight win falling by a score of 3-1 after the Wildcats ended Sherbrooke’s chance to force overtime with a late game empty netter.

Sherbrooke had the lead by getting on the board first with a goal from Nicolas Poulin. However, Moncton scored three unanswered goals including two from Brady Pataki to hand the Phoenix the loss. Evan Fitzpatrick was in net for the first two games stopping 53-of-59 shots in the two games.

In the Phoenix’s final game of the weekend, the Birds finished off their road trip with a hard-fought overtime loss against the league’s sixth ranked team. Despite the Birds being outshot heavily, Sherbrooke and Halifax were in a deadlock tied 2-2 after 40 minutes and needed the extra-frame to determine a winner after a scoreless third period. Unfortunately for the Phoenix, Halifax goalie Blade Mann-dixon couldn’t be solved; stopping all the shots he faced while Cregan kept the puck out of the Phoenix net for as long as possible. In the loss, Cregan stopped 36-of-39 shots while his counterpart Mann-dixon stopped 21-of-23 shots. In the overtime, Raphael Lavoie ended the game hopping on a rebound in the blue paint after Cregan stopped a point-blank shot from the slot.

Sherbrooke next will play their fifth straight Maritimes division opponent when they host the Acadie-bathurst Titan on November 17th and will host the Gatineau Olympiques afterwards on the 19th.