QMJHL: Cape Breton Eagles lack of effort leads to shutout loss to Saint John Sea Dogs at home

Blake Burke of the Cape Breton Eagles, right, looks towards the net as he’s challenged by Olivier Groulx of the Saint John Sea Dogs during Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 in Sydney. Saint John won the game 4-0. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentFor a team that has shown compete and work ethic throughout the early part of the season, the Cape Breton Eagles didn’t show it on Wednesday night.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentReturning to Centre 200 for the first time since Oct. 11 following a six-game road trip, the Eagles’ lack of effort cost them with a 4-0 loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action in Sydney.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe Eagles were outshot 29-26 and were credited with a generous 10 dangerous scoring chances and were unable to shove Sea Dogs netminder Rafaël Courchesne in the process.Article contentEverett Baldwin scored twice while Zachary Morin and Matthew Krayer added single markers for the Sea Dogs (6-6-1-0).Article contentWith the loss, the Eagles have dropped their last four games as well as seven of their last 10 contests. The team now finds itself one point ahead of the Quebec Remparts for 16th place in the overall 18-team league.Article content Romain Litalien of the Cape Breton Eagles, middle, works his way through Saint John Sea Dogs players Olivier Duhamel, left, and Zachary Morin during Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 in Sydney on Wednesday. Saint John won the game 4-0. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentSaint John’s Courchesne stopped all 26 shots he faced for his first career QMJHL shutout. Justin Robinson also saw action in the game, playing for one minute and 32 seconds and facing no shots. Cape Breton’s Félix Hamel turned aside 25 of 29 shots.Article contentBaldwin opened the scoring at 5:09 of the first period with his first career QMJHL goal before Morin added to their lead before the intermission with his sixth goal of the season at the 14:10 mark.Article contentArticle contentSaint John extended the lead in the second period with Baldwin netting his second goal of the game off a point shot that beat Hamel at 13:52 of the frame. Krayer scored his third goal of the season late in the third period to make the score 4-0.Article contentThe Sea Dogs were 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Eagles were 0-for-1 with the man-advantage.Article contentCape Breton and Saint John will conclude their two-game, mid-week series on Thursday when the clubs hit the ice at 7 p.m., at Centre 200.Article contentGAME NOTES: Tomas Lavoie (lower-body), Will Murphy (upper-body), Eliot Litalien (lower-body), Hugo Charron (healthy) and Sam Berthiaume (World Under-17 Hockey Challenge) were not in the lineup for Cape Breton.; Alexis Joseph (World Under-17 Hockey Challenge), Vincent Croteau (healthy), Alexis Gauthier (healthy) and Natan Éthier (healthy) were not dressed for Saint John.; The game marked the return to Centre 200 for Sea Dogs forward Angelo Fullerton, who was traded to Saint John in August and played his first three major junior seasons with the Eagles.; Membertou’s Jax Ginnish was in the lineup for the Eagles for his second career QMJHL game and first in front of family and friends in Sydney.; Attendance for the game was 2,250.Article content