Islanders capitalize on quick start in Sunday victory over Saint John in Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – A three-goal first period propelled by Keith Getson lifted the Charlottetown Islanders to a 6-2 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday in Charlottetown.

Getson scored the first goal, assisted on Pascal Aquin's eventual game-winning goal and second score in the third and won 68 per cent of his faceoffs.

Not a bad outing for the Bridgewater, N.S., native, who along with Aquin became the team's top goal-getter with nine.

"Definitely at the start of any game we want to get out to a good start," said Getson. "Other than in the third period and late in the second and those five minute spurts I thought we played a full game."

The weaker of those two times came after the Robbie Burt's five-minute boarding penalty at 4:06 set off simultaneous fights between Charlottetown's Hunter Drew and Saint John's Samuel Duchesne, and the Dogs' Cole Reginato and the Isles' Sam King.

Drew, Reginato, Duchesne and Burt were tossed for the game while King sat for five minutes. Ultimately, the Dogs took advantage of a discombobulated Isles' defence and scored on a 4-on-4 at 5:25 and shorthanded three minutes later, thanks to Ostap Safin and Alexis Girard, respectively.

But the Isles recovered with a sixth goal from Saku Vesterinen with just under five minutes left in the game.

"Myself, I like a physical game. I kind of expected that I guess," said Getson, who was bonked to the ice by Safin late in the game before taking a pass and drew an interference penalty.

Charlottetown went to 13-8-1 after the win, good for ninth overall and fourth in the Maritimes Division. Saint John dropped to 5-13-4-2 in the division.

Certainly not what Saint John captain Joe Veleno expected after a sweet 7-2 road win over the Mooseheads on Friday in Halifax, N.S.

"I just think (the Islanders) outworked us. We were too overconfident from that win against Halifax and (Charlottetown) just pushed the pace on us. Their work ethic was much better than ours," said Veleno, who had an assist on Safin's marker.

"Can't get too high or too low. It was a tough game, we all knew that. We all knew coming in we wanted to play a little simpler and it kind of fired back on us."

Gregor MacLeod (2) had the other Isles' goals. Pierre-Olivier Joseph chipped in three assists.

Matthew Welsh stopped 33-of-35 shots for the win. Matthew Williams faced 44 shots in the loss.