<p>The host Saint John Sea Dogs certainly had the deck stacked against them a few ways on the opening night of the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John on Monday evening.</p>
<p></p>
<p>They hadn&#8217;t played since losing to the Rimouski Oceanic in overtime on May 12 to be eliminated from the QMJHL post-season. They were being led by an interim coach in Gardiner MacDougall who had never coached a single QMJHL game. They were playing a battle-tested Hamilton Bulldogs team that recently edged the Windsor Spitfires to capture the OHL crown.</p>
<p>But those potential challenges didn&#8217;t really materialize, as Saint John played a strong game en route to a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs. The Sea Dogs scored first and never trailed in the game. They led 2-1 after the first period, 4-1 after the second period, and then hung on the for the win.</p>
<p>Calgary Flames prospect Yan Kuznetsov opened the scoring with a nice shot from the left point.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> prospect Yan Kuznetsov opens the scoring at the 2022 Memorial Cup! <a href="https://t.co/yPJc2a5cfZ">pic.twitter.com/yPJc2a5cfZ</a></p>
<p>&mdash; FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlamesNation/status/1539035409690136576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>He was plus-1 with three shots on goal. Fellow prospect Jeremie Poirier had an assist and was plus-2 with five shots on goal and a penalty that led to a Bulldogs power play goal.</p>
<p>In addition to Kuznetsov, Ryan Francis (twice), William Dufour and Peter Reynolds scored for Saint John. Hamilton&#8217;s goals came from Ryan Winterton (twice) and Avery Hayes.</p>
<p>The first goal for every Memorial Cup team is to win a game: if you win a game, your likely path leads (at least) to the semi-final game. Mission accomplished for the Sea Dogs.</p>
<p>The tournament continues on Tuesday night when the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings face the QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes. The Sea Dogs face Edmonton on Wednesday night.</p>
<h2><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1637192862258000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dLuPqW6rbyceDwC6Lbc9o" data-wpel-link="internal"><strong>THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF</strong></a></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="CToWUd a6T jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/6X0Dv3_3PYFPZkrLaCbWeYHXMWzAuuXH7t2JLsFB1K2CKHzv26F60yZHHLRR12FCRBsmykWDyeegP6hZLXPKs-Eh0ldWPAdIalTDjc6NK66QBuw7_5ft-rH7CN3uSSVIFr216hvo7Hon19ua7JUBjO1KV9pf7iUjZeLTRUvNVMf6EPrRW0k=s0-d-e1-ft#https://i1.wp.com/publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DailyFaceoff-Fantasy-Tools.png?resize=796%2C265&amp;ssl=1" alt="" width="796" height="265" data-lazy-loaded="1" /></p>
<p>Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1637192862258000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dLuPqW6rbyceDwC6Lbc9o" data-wpel-link="internal">Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.</a></p>
<h2><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://flamesnation.ca/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643426444783000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ZoMy36-f05a90iD5z8D6E" data-wpel-link="internal"><strong>More from FlamesNation</strong></a></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/20/blake-coleman-had-a-terrific-defensive-first-season-in-calgary-2020-21/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">Blake Coleman brought a champion’s work ethic to the Calgary Flames in 2021-22</a></li>
<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/19/what-are-the-calgary-flames-needs-ahead-of-the-2022-nhl-draft/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">What are the Calgary Flames’ needs ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/19/mike-kostka/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">‘People couldn’t wear red jerseys into the rink’: Mike Kostka on the challenges of the Stockton Heat</a></li>
</ul>

The host Saint John Sea Dogs certainly had the deck stacked against them a few ways on the opening night of the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John on Monday evening.



They hadn't played since losing to the Rimouski Oceanic in overtime on May 12 to be eliminated from the QMJHL post-season. They were being led by an interim coach in Gardiner MacDougall who had never coached a single QMJHL game. They were playing a battle-tested Hamilton Bulldogs team that recently edged the Windsor Spitfires to capture the OHL crown.

But those potential challenges didn't really materialize, as Saint John played a strong game en route to a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs. The Sea Dogs scored first and never trailed in the game. They led 2-1 after the first period, 4-1 after the second period, and then hung on the for the win.

Calgary Flames prospect Yan Kuznetsov opened the scoring with a nice shot from the left point.

https://twitter.com/FlamesNation/status/1539035409690136576

He was plus-1 with three shots on goal. Fellow prospect Jeremie Poirier had an assist and was plus-2 with five shots on goal and a penalty that led to a Bulldogs power play goal.

In addition to Kuznetsov, Ryan Francis (twice), William Dufour and Peter Reynolds scored for Saint John. Hamilton's goals came from Ryan Winterton (twice) and Avery Hayes.

The first goal for every Memorial Cup team is to win a game: if you win a game, your likely path leads (at least) to the semi-final game. Mission accomplished for the Sea Dogs.

The tournament continues on Tuesday night when the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings face the QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes. The Sea Dogs face Edmonton on Wednesday night.
<h2><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1637192862258000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dLuPqW6rbyceDwC6Lbc9o" data-wpel-link="internal"><strong>THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF</strong></a></h2>
<img class="CToWUd a6T jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/6X0Dv3_3PYFPZkrLaCbWeYHXMWzAuuXH7t2JLsFB1K2CKHzv26F60yZHHLRR12FCRBsmykWDyeegP6hZLXPKs-Eh0ldWPAdIalTDjc6NK66QBuw7_5ft-rH7CN3uSSVIFr216hvo7Hon19ua7JUBjO1KV9pf7iUjZeLTRUvNVMf6EPrRW0k=s0-d-e1-ft#https://i1.wp.com/publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DailyFaceoff-Fantasy-Tools.png?resize=796%2C265&amp;ssl=1" alt="" width="796" height="265" data-lazy-loaded="1" />

Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/purchase-options/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1637192862258000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dLuPqW6rbyceDwC6Lbc9o" data-wpel-link="internal">Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.</a>
<h2><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer follow" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://flamesnation.ca/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643426444783000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ZoMy36-f05a90iD5z8D6E" data-wpel-link="internal"><strong>More from FlamesNation</strong></a></h2>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/20/blake-coleman-had-a-terrific-defensive-first-season-in-calgary-2020-21/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">Blake Coleman brought a champion’s work ethic to the Calgary Flames in 2021-22</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/19/what-are-the-calgary-flames-needs-ahead-of-the-2022-nhl-draft/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">What are the Calgary Flames’ needs ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft?</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://flamesnation.ca/2022/06/19/mike-kostka/" rel="v:url follow" data-wpel-link="internal">‘People couldn’t wear red jerseys into the rink’: Mike Kostka on the challenges of the Stockton Heat</a></li>
</ul>

Saint John Sea Dogs avoid rust in opening night win over Hamilton at Memorial Cup

Should the Flames be interested in Avalanche forward Casey Mittelstadt?

Flames Game Day 54: A clash with the Colorado Avalanche (7pm MT)

Should the Flames be interested in Canucks defenceman Carson Soucy?

Flames recall forward Dryden Hunt from the AHL’s Wranglers, return Clark Bishop to the AHL

Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas (88) handles the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period at Rogers Arena.

Recent articles from Ryan Pike

Breaking News