SYDNEY, N.S. — Vasily Ponomarev scored the game-winner as the Shawinigan Cataractes doubled the Cape Breton Eagles 4-2 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 on Thursday.
The winner came on the Russian import's 11th goal of the season midway through the third period, which proved to be the difference for the visiting Cataractes.
Kirill Nizhnikov, Xavier Bourgault and Mavrik Bourque recorded single markers for the Cataractes (14-12-0-0).
Shawn Boudrias scored both goals for the Eagles (15-10-1-1) in front of 2,492 at the Sydney venue.
Nizhnikov opened the scoring with a shot hitting off the post and bouncing off the back of Grimard and finding the back of the net for his third goal of the season to give Shawinigan a 1-0 lead.
Cape Breton tied the game in the second period with Sokolov sending Boudrias on a breakaway, beating Coulombe with a beautiful deke for his 14th goal of the year.
The Cataractes broke the tie at 9:51 of the third period with Bourgault tipping home a Bourque pass for his 13th goal of the season. Minutes later, Shawinigan added to their lead with Vasily Ponomarev finding the back of the net.
Boudrias cut the Cataractes lead to one at the 19:00 mark of the third period with his second goal of the game, before Bourque sealed the deal with his 18th goal of the season into an empty net with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation time.Shawinigan outshot Cape Breton 47-22, while going 1-for-4 on the power play. The Eagles went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.
Cape Breton will return to the ice on Sunday when they host the Moncton Wildcats at 4 p.m. at Centre 200 in Sydney.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
SCORE: Shawinigan 3, Cape Breton 1
CROWD/VENUE: 2,492, Centre 200, Sydney
GOAL SCORERS: Shawinigan: Vasily Ponomarev, Kirill Nizhnikov, Xavier Bourgault and Mavrik Bourque; Cape Breton: Shawn Boudrias (2)
SAVES/SHOTS: Shawinigan: Antoine Coulombe (20/22); Cape Breton: William Grimard (43/47)
THREE STARS: 1st: Shawn Boudrias (CAP), 2nd: William Grimard (CAP), 3rd: Kirill Nizhnikov (SHA)
TURNING POINT: Vasily Ponomarev's goal midway through the third period proved be the game winner.
WHAT IT MEANS: With the loss, the Eagles drop their third straight game.
UP NEXT: Moncton Wildcats, Sunday, 4 p.m., Centre 200, Sydney
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LINES:
Cape Breton:
Forwards:
1 - Egor Sokolov - Ryan Francis - Shawn Boudrias
2 - Brooklyn Kalmikov - Mathias Laferriere - Felix Lafrance
3 - Liam Kidney - Ivan Ivan - Derek Gentile
4 - Connor Trenholm - David Doucet - Matt Gordon
Defence:
1 - Kyle Havlena - Nathan Larose
2 - Logan Kelly-Murphy - Jarrett Baker
3 - Jeremy Langlois - Alex Falardeau
4 - Matthew Lint
Goaltenders:
1 - William Grimard
2 - Ewan MacDonald
Scratches: Shaun Miller (suspended), Cole Fraser (upper-body), Kevin Mandolese (lower-body), Adam McCormick (upper-body)
Shawinigan:
Forwards:
1 - Valentin Nussbaumer - Mavrik Bourque - Olivier Nadeau
2 - Gabriel Denis - Vasily Ponomarev - Kirill Nizhnikov
3 - Charles Beaudoin - Xavier Cormier - Xavier Bourgault
4 - Jeremy Martin - William Veillette - Wiliam Cummings
Defence:
1 - Marc-Antoine Pepin - Jordan Lepage
2 - Pierre-Olivier Bourgeois - Leon Denny
3 - Tyson Hinds - Gabriel Belley-Pelletier
Scratches: Matthew MacDonald, Philippe Blanchet, Mikael Robidoux and Simon Dubois-Tiberghen
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