By Aaron McCracken
Date: 4/27/2001

Derrick Walser tied the game with 27 seconds remaining and then scored the winner at 7:05 of overtime as the Saint John Flames capped a thrilling 5-4 comeback victory over the Quebec Citadelles. Levente Szuper was perfect in a relief effort for the Flames, making 16 saves and stopping Mike Ribeiro's overtime penalty shot.

The Flames took the early lead in the game when Steve Begin scored his sixth of the playoffs on the power play twelve minutes into the first. Begin redirected a Micki Dupont pass and beat Mathieu Garon, who was making his 8^th consecutive start. The Flames went up 2-0 late in the period when Marty Murray made some brilliant moves behind the Quebec net and banked a pass off Garon for a short-handed goal. The Flames dominated the 1^st period, and did not allow a Quebec shot on goal during the final 14 minutes.

Things changed quickly however during the 2^nd period. With Rick Mrozik pinching in, Eric Landry grabbed a loose puck, skated the length of the ice, and fired it by Martin Brochu to put Quebec on the board. Six minutes later, Quebec tied the game when Miloslav Guren slapped a point shot though traffic on the power play. Thirty seconds later, Quebec went up 3-2 when Jon Delisle stole the puck from Steve Montador and beat Brochu. And then less than a minute later, Arron Asham scored a weak goal that put the Citadelles up 4-2 and ended Brochu's evening.

Levente Szuper came on in relief and the Flames looked like a different team. Saint John controlled the pace of the 3^rd period and finally were able to beat Garon on a floating wrist shot from Sergei Varlamov. Quebec protected their lead well until Mathieu Garon tried to clear a dump-in with 34 seconds remaining. The Quebec goaltender shot it out of play and received a delay-of-game call, setting up a 6-on-4 faceoff deep in the Citadelle zone. Although Marty Murray lost the draw, the puck came out to Derrick Walser, who fired it through a crowd and beat Garon to tie the game.

Walser's overtime winner came on a similar play, after Quebec's Eric Bertrand took a high-sticking penalty seven minutes into the extra frame. Marty Murray found Walser wide open on the right-point, and the young defenseman blasted a shot past Garon, giving the Flames a 3-1 series lead.

• Rick Mrozik knocked the net off its moorings in overtime, giving the Citadelles' Mike Ribeiro a penalty shot. However, Szuper confidently stacked the pads to deny the young Quebec sniper.
• Marty Murray had 4 points and now has 10 in the playoffs.
• Sergei Varlamov has a point in each playoff game, and a goal in six out of seven games.
• Levente Szuper made 16 saves in his professional playoff debut, and is a strong bet to start game five.
• Derrick Walser leads all defensemen with 4 goals. Micki Dupont leads all rookies with 5 points. Darrel Scoville leads all skaters at +9.

1. Begin (Dupont, Martin) PP
2. Murray (Botterill, Dupont) SH
3. Varlamov (Botterill, Murray)
4. Walser (Varlamov, Murray) PP
5. Walser (Scoville, Murray) OT, PP

3. Arron Asham

2. Marty Murray

Murray – Varlamov – Botterill

Tkaczuk – Begin -- Clark

Betts – Roche – Fata

Royer - Doull

Walser – Martin

Montador – Scoville

Mrozik – Dupont

Scratches: Miika Elomo (broken nose, one week), Chris St. Croix (healthy), Jason Morgan (facial laceration, day to day) Bobby Russell (healthy), Jeff Dewar (healthy), Dany Sabourin (healthy).