Jessiman stops 51 shots as Screaming Eagles edge Wildcats

Kyle Jessiman turned aside 51 of 54 shots to backstop the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles to a 4-3 win over the Moncton Wildcats at the Moncton Coliseum, Friday.

The win improves the Screaming Eagles record to 1412-1-1, and extends the Wildcats losing streak to six straight games and dropping the team’s record to 13-12-2-1.

Cape Breton opened the scoring eight minutes into the first period with captain Phélix Martineau finding the back of the net for his 13th of the season.

The Wildcats, who outshot Cape Breton 5423, tied the game shortly after with an Anderson MacDonald power play goal, however the McGrath Screaming Eagles regained the lead before the opening frame was complete with Jordan Ty Fournier’s power play goal at 17:57, giving Cape Breton a 2-1 lead.

Jeremy McKenna made the score 2-2 early in the second period, but the Screaming Eagles answered with Kyle McGrath scoring Sokolov his first two Quebec Major Junior hockey League goals, including one shorthanded, making the score 4-2.

Moncton cut the Cape Breton lead to one with Gerald Blackmore’s goal at 8:46 of the final frame, but that’s as close as they would come as the Screaming Eagles would hold Jessiman on for the win.

The Screaming Eagles went 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Wildcats also went 1-for-5.

Mark Grametbauer stopped 19 of 23 shots for Moncton.

Cape Breton will return to action on Sunday when they host the Val-d’Or Foreurs at 4 p.m. at Centre 200 in Sydney.