The bounces weren’t in the Charlottetown Islanders’ favour Friday night in a 6-2 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at Eastlink Centre.
“It sucks,” said Islanders netminder Mason McDonald who made 40 saves in the loss. “Coming out with some momentum from last night we expected big things. We came out flat and I didn’t think we played to our full potential.”
The Islanders fall to 25-21-1-3 on the season after beating the league’s fourth best team 24 hours earlier. The 16th place Sagueneens improve to 20-21-3-2.
Islanders forward Daniel Sprong scored a pair of goals for the Islanders. He said Chicoutimi isn’t a bad team.
“They work hard and we knew that coming in. They’re in 16th place but they don’t play like a team that’s in 16th place. We got outworked today and that’s it.”
McDonald said the loss wasn’t a case over confidence for the Islanders.
“I think we just came out flat. After that third goal it took the momentum out of the team and the building and from there it went down hill.”
It’s a disappointing atmosphere in the dressing room after a loss like that, said Sprong.
“We got embarrassed at home. They outworked us. We got to to get back to work and get ready for our Quebec road trip.”
The Sagueneens broke a 2-2 tie late in the second period with a goal from Carl Tremblay on a questionable non-call for goaltender interference.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to stop the puck with a player on top of me,” said McDonald. “He pushes off and tips the puck in the net. I don’t know what the ref saw. I was unable to stop the puck.”
Sprong opened the scoring at the 11:59 mark of the first period with his 24th goal of the season. Quinn O’Brien drew the lone assist.
Chicoutimi tied the game just 1:08 later with Nicolas Roy scoring his 12th of the season. Tremblay and Samuel Hodhod drew assists.
Chicoutimi had a 25-9 shot advantage in the first period.
McDonald said it was fun facing 25 shots in a single period.
“I don’t think I’ve ever faced that many in one period. Shots just kept coming. I didn’t really expect it honestly.”
Sprong said McDonald kept the Islanders in the game.
“It’s not his fault. He played really well in the first period or it could have been ugly…we didn’t battle hard enough in front of him.”
The Islanders took a 2-1 lead at the 9:25 mark of the second period with a power play marker form Sprong for his second of the game and 25th of the season. Filip Chlapik and Alexandre Goulet drew assists.
Landon Schiller’s seventh of the season tied the game 2-2 at 14:42 with Frederic Allard and Gabriel Gosselin drawing assists.
Chicoutimi took its first lead of the game at 16:12 with Tremblay’s fourth goal of the season. Hodhod and Charles Guevremont drew assists.
In the third period, the Sagueneens took a 4-2 lead at 4:57 with Alexandre Ranger’s 18th goal of the season. Lauren Dauphin drew the lone assist.
Guevremonet made it 5-2 Chicoutimi at 6:38 with his 10th of the season with Allard and Roy drawing assists.
Dauphin capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal at 16:28 for his 19th of the season.
Storm Phaneuf made 31 saves in the winning cage for Chicoutimi.
The Islanders are back on the road next week as they visit the Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. AST.
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