The Laval Rocket returned home to Place Bell on Wednesday night, where they welcomed the top team in the American Hockey League.
The Laval Rocket returned home to Place Bell on Wednesday night, where they welcomed the top team in the American Hockey League.
GAME RECAP | Hershey Bears 2 vs Laval Rocket 3 (SO)
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
81 Xavier Simoneau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 19 Emil Heineman
49 Jared Davidson - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 28 Lias Andersson
68 Riley McKay - 42 Lucas Condotta - 17 Nathan Legare
12 Filip Cederqvist - 21 Riley Kidney - 43 Voyer
Defense pairings
4 Paquette-Bisson - 24 Logan Mailloux
84 William Trudeau - 52 Justin Barron
7 Chris Jandric - 44 Olivier Galipeau
Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Jan Mysak
Injuries: Sean Farrell (upper-body), Brady Keeper (lower body), Gabriel Bourque, Mattias Norlinder
Game Report
The Laval Rocket returned to Place Bell on Wednesday after disputing the last five contests on the road. Jean-Francois Houle's squad collected five of 10 available points in the standings.
Laval began this week's three-game homestand with a 3-2 shootout victory against the league leading Hershey Bears. The win snapped the Canadiens AHL affiliate's two-game losing streak.
Jakub Dobes was tested early into the contest as Mike Vecchione was awarded with a penalty shot after William Trudeau prevented a scoring opportunity. The six-foot five-inches tall goalie made the stop to keep the Bears off the board.
Laval opened the scoring with four seconds remaining on their second power play when an errant puck landed on Philippe Maillet's stick and he buried it top corner from the faceoff dot. The goal extended Maillet's point streak to five games.
The home team doubled their lead less than three minutes later when Lias Andersson made a behind the back pass to Jared Davidson. Davidson used the open ice in front of him to approach the crease and put the puck between Hunter Shepard's pads.
Hershey got on the board in the second period while Olivier Galipeau sat in the penalty box. Moments after hitting the post with a one-timer, Ivan Miroshnichenko scored with a second one-timer.
The Washington Capitals affiliate brought the teams back to square one early in the third period when Bogdan Trineyev circled around Galipeau and then lodging the puck behind the red line with a backhander.
The game remained tied for the balance of the third period and the winner was not determined in overtime.
Logan Mailloux was the only successful shooter in the shootout while Dobes stopped all three attempts against him.
A surprising win for the Rocket against the AHL's best team. Dobes penalty shot save early in the first period gave Laval momentum as they outshot Hershey 12-3 through 20 minutes.
Houle's squad weathered the storm in the second period when the Bears dominated the frame, dominating the shot column 17-7.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrtWJFbB38w[/embed]
Game Statistics
Rocket (22-20-5-2)
Shots: 31
Power play: 1-for-3
Penalty minutes: 6
Bears (39-9-0-3)
Shots: 26
Power play: 1-for-3
Penalty minutes: 6
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Maillet (12)-PPG, Davidson (9)
2nd period: No scoring
3rd period: No scoring
OT: No scoring
SO: Mailloux
Bears Scorers
1st period: No scoring
2nd period: Miroshnichenko (9)-PPG
3rd period: Trineyev (6)
OT: No scoring
SO: No scoring
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (W) 15-10-5-0
HER: Shepard (L) 20-2-2-2
Rocket Players of the Game
- undefined
- undefined
- undefined
Post-Game Interviews
Jean-Francois Houle
Philippe Maillet
Jakub Dobes
Jared Davidson
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Heineman Scores Lone Rocket Goal | RECAP: LAV @ BRI
Up Next
The Rocket's homestand continues on Friday against the Toronto Marlies.
Puck drop on Friday, February 23rd, is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at Place Bell in Laval, QC.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
