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BOISBRIAND, Que. Shiloh Keo Jersey . -- Vladimir Tkachev scored his second goal of the game 16:58 into overtime as the Moncton Wildcats took Game 2 against the host Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-5 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action. Ivan Barbashev had a goal and three assists for the Wildcats (1-1), who evened their Round 1 matchup at a game apiece, Christopher Caissy scored once and set up two more and Conor Garland and Christophe Lalonde each had a goal and an assist. Nikita Jevpalovs had a hat trick for the Armada (1-1) while Ryan Tesink and Marcus Hinds each scored once. Monctons Alex Dubeau made 41 saves for the win as Blainville-Boisbriands Etienne Marcoux gave up six goals on 26 shots in defeat. --- MOOSEHEADS 6 ISLANDERS 3 HALIFAX -- Danny Moynihan scored twice and Jonathan Drouin and Luca Ciampini each added a goal and two assists as the Mooseheads doubled up Charlottetown for a 1-0 first-round series lead. Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Schewfelt had a goal and an assist apiece for Halifax. Anthony Cortese, Alexandre Goulet and Daniel Sprong each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (0-1). Zachary Fucale made 15 saves for the Mooseheads while Charlottetowns Mason McDonald stopped 45-of-51 shots in defeat. --- HUSKIES 5 REMPARTS 4 (OT) QUEBEC CITY -- Ryan Penny scored 4:11 into overtime and Jeremy Lauzon scored twice in regulation as Rouyn-Noranda slipped past the Remparts to take Game 1 of its Round 1 matchup. Mathieu Lemay had a goal and an assist for the Huskies (1-0) and Jason Fuchs scored the other. Adam Chapman had a pair of goals for Quebec (0-1), Cody Donaghey and Nick Sorensen each scored once and Olivier Archambault tacked on three assists. Rouyn-Norandas Alexandre Belanger made 29 saves for the win as Francois Brassard stopped 30-of-35 shots for the Remparts. --- DRAKKAR 5 CATARACTES 1 BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- Philippe Cadorette made 27 saves and Robbie Graham scored twice as the Drakkar toppled Shawingan in Game 1 of their first-round tilt. Jeremy Gregoire, Denis Gorbunov and Charles Hudon also scored for Baie-Comeau (1-0) while Valentin Zykov and Alec Jon Banville each chipped in with two assists. Shawinigans Alexis DAoust snapped Cadorettes shutout bid with less than five minutes to play in the third period. Marvin Cupper turned away 33-of-38 shots for the Cataractes (0-1). --- FOREURS 4 TITAN 1 VAL-DOR, Que. -- Anthony Richard scored late in the first period and then again in the third as the Foreurs took Game 1 in their Round 1 clash against Acadie-Bathurst. Guillaume Gelinas had a goal and assist for Val-dOr (1-0) and Samuel Henley added the other. Aaron Kerr scored the lone goal for the Titan (0-1). Antoine Bibeau made 15 saves for the Foreurs. Acadie-Bathursts Jacon Brennan stopped 38-of-42 shots in defeat. --- OCEANIC 5 SAGUENEENS 3 RIMOUSKI, Que. -- Sebastien Sylvestre scored twice and Philippe Desrosiers only had to make 13 saves as the Oceanic were victorious in Game 1 of their opening round meeting with Chicoutimi. Jimmy Oligny, Samuel Morin and William Couture also scored for Rimouski (1-0) and Alexis Loiseau chipped in with two assists. Janne Puhakka, William Gignac and Domenic Beauchemin scored for the Sagueneens (0-1) while Julio Billia kicked out 36-of-40 shots in a losing cause. Chicoutimis Simon Tremblay was ejected in the second period after receiving a major for checking from behind. --- TIGRES 4 VOLTIGEURS 3 DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. -- Francois Tremblay made 33 saves and Julien Leducs goal 27 seconds into the third period stood up as the winner as Victoriaville edged the Voltigeurs for a 1-0 series lead in Round 1 action. Jonathan Diaby and Yan Pavel Laplante each had a goal and an assist for the Tigres and Cameron Yarwood scored once. Drummondville (0-1) got goals from Matthew Boudens, William Carriere and Olivier Caouette. Louis-Philip Guindon gave up four goals on 18 shots for the Voltigeurs. --- OLYMPIQUES 7 SCREAMING EAGLES 2 GATINEAU, Que. -- Simon Tardif-Richard had three goals and two assists and Martin Reway added two goals and two assists as the Olympiques hammered Cape Breton in Game 1 of their first-round bout. Vaclav Karabacek scored once and set up two more for Gatineau (1-0), Emile Poirier had a single goal and Jean-Simon Deslauriers had three assists. Timothe Simard and Clark Bishop scored for the Screaming Eagles (0-1). Robert Steeves made 18 saves for the Olympiques. Cape Bretons Alex Bureau gave up five goals on 23 shots in 46 minutes of action before Zachary Fortin took over. Fortin stopped 4-of-6 shots in relief. Brooks Reed Jersey . Ortega played 42 games for Double-A Tulsa in the Texas League last season before sustaining a hairline fracture on his shin. Tim Jamison . Barcelona says Pique tore a muscle in his right leg. The Spain international will miss Spanish league games against Almeria and Valladolid, but should be back for the Champions league match against Manchester City on March 12.TORONTO -- Sergio Santos certainly didnt make a favourable first impression Monday. The veteran reliever, obtained in the off-season from the Chicago White Sox to be Torontos closer, blew his second save of the season as the Boston Red Sox rallied for three ninth-inning runs to earn a 4-2 victory and spoil the Blue Jays home opener. Santos (0-1) came on to protect a 2-1 Toronto lead to start the ninth but only lasted two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, three earned runs, three walks and a wild pitch while fanning one. And to add insult to injury, the boisterous Rogers Centre sellout of 48,473 -- the Jays largest home-opening crowd since drawing 50,171 in 2008 for a 6-3 win over Boston -- roundly booed him off the field when he was replaced by Luis Perez. "Id be booing too, it wasnt pretty," Santos said. "Its tough because you feel you let 24 other guys down that you have been working hard with for the last two months. "But I have to be ready for tomorrow. I hope its another safe situation and I can get back out there. All I can do is be prepared for the next job and hopefully get the job done. Im throwing some good pitches, unfortunately the couple of bad ones I am throwing theyre hitting. Its baseball and Im not going to pout and whine about it. It is what it is." Ryan Sweeneys single to right field off Santos scored pinch-runner Darnell McDonald from second to break a 2-2 tie. Santos issued consecutive two-out walks to David Ortiz and Cody Ross to set up Sweeneys clutch hit. Dustin Pedroia, who homered earlier in the game, belted a leadoff double for Boston (1-3) and scored on Adrian Gonzalezs sacrifice fly. Ross later came home on the wild pitch by Santos. There would be no comeback for Toronto (2-2) as Boston right-hander Alfredo Aceves retired Brett Lawrie, Eric Thames and J.P. Arencibia in order in the ninth for the save. Scott Atchison (1-0), who relieved Red Sox starter Felix Doubront after the fifth, earned the win. But despite Santos early struggles, Toronto manager John Farrell says hes not looking for a new closer. "Sergio remains our closer," Farrell said. "He got into a situation after the leadoff double I thought he started to overthrow his fastball. "He yanked a number of pitches out of the strike zone. The two walks obviously led to those three runs. Right now were not in sync all the way around. Our offence will get on track. Runs are at a little bit of a premium right now." Bostons comeback spoiled a solid outing by Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez, who went six solid innings in a historic outing. At 21 years 355 days Alvarez became the youngest Blue Jay to start a home opener in club history. The distinction previously belonged to Jerry Garvin, who was 22 years 174 days when he started Torontos home opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 14, 1978. Alvarez allowed four hits, one run and a walk while fanning two. He had good command of hit pitches as 12 of his 18 outs came on grounders. His lone miscue came against Pedroia, who belted a solo homer. "Their starter was pretty darn good," Pedroia said of Alvarez. "Hes got great stuff, man. "His two-seam fastball is pretty darn good. Hes going to be good for a long time." Boston finally earned its first win of the season after opening the campaign by being swept in Detroit. Bobby Valentine, in his first season as the Red Sox manager, had nothing by praise for Pedroia. Shane Lechler Jersey. "I dont have enough words to talk about Pedroia," he said. "I came here at 12 oclock and figured no one would be here and he was here pacing and said weve got to get the monkey off our back and lets go. "Hes just a great player." Alvarez was pleased with his performance. "All I was doing was trying to get ahead of the hitters," the Venezuelan said through an interpreter. "I was able to throw the ball well in my first opening day here in Toronto and I was very pleased with that." Toronto dropped to 26-10 in home openers and 16-7 at Rogers Centre, having lost two of its last three there. Fans were in a boisterous mood all night, frantically waving white towels to support a solid play by the Blue Jays or to offer inspiration to Toronto batters. But fans in the upper deck watched the game with only one beer in hand after sales were restricted to the seating area. Spectators were limited to just one beer per trip Monday, half of whats allowed at regular games. Other concession stands at Rogers Centre werent affected. In the 2009 home opener against Detroit, fights broke out in the stands and the game was delayed when fans threw litter on the field. Mondays gathering was well behaved with only one fight that broke out in the lower level. Doubront allowed two earned runs and four hits over five innings. He also registered six strikeouts and three walks before giving way to right-hander Atchison to start the sixth. Toronto opened the scoring with two in the bottom of the third. Colby Rasmus scored on Kelly Johnsons fielders choice as Doubront handled Johnsons comebacker to the mound and threw home. But Rasmus, who made a sparkling diving catch in centre in the second before delivering a one-out triple, managed to beat Jarrod Saltalamacchias tag. Yunel Escobar made it 2-0, scoring from second on Edwin Encarnacions RBI single. Boston threatened in the top of the fifth after Rosss single and Sweeneys ground-rule double put two on with one out. But Alvarez got Saltalamacchia and Mike Aviles to both ground out and end the threat. The Red Sox got their first run of the game in the top of the sixth on Pedroias first homer of the season. Mondays contest opened an 11-day, nine-game homestand for Toronto. Following the three-game series with Boston, the Blue Jays will have a day off Thursday before opening a three-game weekend set against Baltimore. The club will have another off-day April 16 before finishing up with three games against Tampa Bay. NOTES --Toronto slugger Jose Bautista, who led the majors last season with 43 home runs, received his Silver Slugger award prior to the game then went hitless in four at-bats . . . Toronto is scheduled to send right-hander Kyle Drabek to the mound in the second game of the series Tuesday night against Boston, with the Red Sox to counter with right-hander Daniel Bard. Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero will get his second start of the season in the series finale Wednesday afternoon, facing Jon Lester in a battle of left-handers . . . Boston was 10-8 last year against the Blue Jays and came into Mondays contest 96-79 at Rogers Centre and 140-112 all-time in Toronto. The two teams will meet 18 times this season . . . Toronto and Boston rank second and third, respectively, in homers over the last three seasons with 652 and 626, respectively. New York is tops with 667. ' ' ' |
