The Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate completed a successful road trip
by Chris G, Rocket Sports, Montreal Canadiens blogger
The Laval Rocket wrapped up their five-game road trip with a stop in Rochester on Wednesday to face the Americans (Buffalo Sabres), followed with a match in Syracuse on Friday versus the Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) and back to Rochester on Saturday.
Wednesday: Laval Rocket 3 - Rochester Americans 2 (overtime)
The Rocket trailed 1-0 through 40 minutes when Luke Tuch and Alex Barre-Boulet on the power play scored consecutively 6:32 apart to grab the lead. Rochester answered back with the tying goal on the next shift to tie it and force the teams into extra time. In the final minute of overtime, Logan Mailloux sealed the victory with a power play goal.
“When we started to skate in the third period, we started to play better and gain momentum. In the first and the second, maybe our players respected too much [Rochester’s] skills. It was definitely the best offensive team that we’ve seen so far,” Pascal Vincent observed. “I liked how we responded in the third.”
Friday: Laval Rocket 4 - Syracuse Crunch 3 (shootout)
The Crunch scored twice in under two minutes in the early stages of the middle frame for the lead. It did not last long as Laval answered back with a pair of goals by Jared Davidson in a span of 0:32 and Vincent Arseneau with the go-ahead goal before the intermission. Syracuse brought the teams back to square one with the tying goal early in the third period. With overtime not determining a winner, the division rivals headed into shootout, where Davidson added to his two goals by being the only successful scorer to allow his team to leave the arena with two points in the standings.
“It’s impressive on how the players can adjust based on what happens in front of them,” Vincent said postgame. “It was very defensive, very tight, very physical, and the players adjusted. It’s impressive on how the team is able to play different styles and stick together. They took a 2-0 lead and I didn’t feel any panic on the bench.”
Saturday: Laval Rocket 4 - Rochester Americans 1
The Americans led 1-0 when Vincent Arseneau fed Laurent Dauphin on a two-on-one for a shorthanded goal with 21 seconds remaining in the first period. Dauphin broke the tie with a one-timer with less than a second remaining prior to the second intermission. Two empty net goals by Gustav Lindstrom and Dauphin’s third of the contest sealed the win.
The Rocket completed their five-game road trip with four games, giving them a comfortable lead on top of the North Division.
"It's hard not to believe in these guys. They find ways to win. Sometimes it's with the special units, sometimes it's by scoring a big goal at the right time, or a big save,” Vincent said about the team’s performance following Friday’s game.
Roster News
Barre-Boulet left during the second period of Friday’s game with a lower body injury after being hit into the boards by Tobie Paquette-Bisson. The former Rocket defenceman received a boarding minor for the contact.
Jacob Perreault replaced Barre-Boulet’s roster spot for Saturday’s game. It was his first AHL game since a shoulder injury that occurred during a fight in April. When he was cleared to return to action in October, he was assigned to the Trois-Rivieres Lions, where he obtained five points in five games.
Up Next
The Canadiens AHL affiliate returns to Place Bell for a rematch against the Americans on Wednesday and a visit by the Belleville Senators (Ottawa Senators) on Friday. The two teams square off in Belleville the following day.
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