Hockey

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

O'Dell, Lunden help St. John's IceCaps rally past Hamilton Bulldogs 4-3

By: The Canadian Press

Saturday, Mar. 16, 2013 at 8:56 PM | Comments: 0

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Dustin Tokarski could have made 60 saves and he would still have been disgusted by the way the Hamilton Bulldogs lost to the St. John's IceCaps.

Eric O'Dell scored twice in the third period and Josh Lunden had the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation as St. John's rallied for a 4-3 win over Hamilton in American Hockey League action Saturday.

The Bulldogs led 3-1 after the first, but came apart in the third. Tokarski, who finished with 32 saves for Hamilton, said his performance was irrelevant.

"It wouldn't matter if I made 32 or 60 saves, a loss is a loss. It sucked," he said.

Lunden gave St. John's a 4-3 lead at 19:34 when a Kael Mouillierat pass found him in traffic in front of the net.

"A win like that, that's a come-from-behind win, to get the back-to-back wins. That's a real team effort. The boys are feeling pretty good in there," Lunden said.

Ray Sawada also scored for the IceCaps (25-32-5), while Mark Dekanich made 16 saves.

Patrick Holland, Philippe Lefebrve and Tyler Murovich each scored for Hamilton (24-31-6).

Hamilton opened the scoring on a goal from Holland at 5:52. Holland raced to the back post and finished a long cross-ice pass from Joey Tenute.

Lefebrve made it 2-0 after capitalizing on a scramble in front of the net for the goal, as the puck bounced off the post and out to him.

St. John's found some life on a tip in from Sawada at 15:47 off an Aaron Gagnon point shot.

The IceCaps suffered for a poor turnover in their defensive zone that led to a 3-1 Hamilton lead just over a minute later when Patrick Cullity threw a puck out from behind St. John's net right to Murovich, who buried it.

The IceCaps pulled the game within one at 3:38 in the third period when O'Dell gained the blue-line and rifled a wrist shot past Tokarski with a one-man effort that rewarded St. John's for their persistent pressure.

O'Dell then scored his second goal of the evening at 17:53. He was parked in front of the net and got a stick on a point shot from Mouillierat to tie the game.

O'Dell said the team pushed one another to come back and win to sweep the home series.

"The veterans were getting on us in the dressing room after the first," he said. "Coach was pretty frustrated with us too. After the second period I thought we brought it together and put the puck in the net."

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.