The Laval Rocket looked to be on their way to bouncing back with a victory on Wednesday night, but a late penalty turned the tide.
The Laval Rocket looked to be on their way to bouncing back with a victory on Wednesday night, but a late penalty turned the tide.
GAME RECAP | Utica Comets vs Laval Rocket
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
81 Xavier Simoneau - 37 Brendan Gignac - 10 Joshua Roy
28 Lias Andersson - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 19 Emil Heineman
21 Riley Kidney - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque
68 Riley McKay - 14 Jan Mysak - 12 Filip Cederqvist
Defense pairings
4 Paquette-Bisson - 24 Logan Mailloux
84 William Trudeau - 52 Justin Barron
29 Mattias Norlinder - 44 Olivier Galipeau
Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Philippe Maillet, Strauss Mann, Jared Davidson
Injuries: Nathan Legare (lower-body), Sean Farrell (upper-body), Brady Keeper (lower body)
Game Report
The Laval Rocket's losing streak extended to three games as the Utica Comets defeated them 4-3 at Place Bell. Wednesday was the Rocket's first home regulation loss in 11 games since December 6th.
Lucas Condotta returned to the lineup after being returned to the team following a brief stint with the Montreal Canadiens. Riley McKay also slotted back after being scratched for three games. Philippe Maillet was not available to play due to sickness and Jared Davidson was scratched by Jean-Francois Houle.
Laval got on the board early in the first period when Emil Heineman took a couple of whacks on the puck in the crease before it crossed the line. The lead was doubled in the second half of the period when Xavier Simoneau found Brandon Gignac behind the defense for the tap in goal.
The Comets dominated the first half of the second period, outshooting their opponents 13-3 and they were rewarded during the fifth minute. As Santeri Hatakka stepped out of the penalty box, he snapped a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Jakub Dobes glove side.
Jan Mysak increased the deficit back to two goals with a wraparound that hit a defender before crossing the red line. Later in the second, the Devils AHL affiliate cut the lead in half when Kyle Criscuolo set up Graeme Clarke for a one-timer that lit the red light.
The Rocket were penalized four consecutive times and Utica capitalized when Brian Halonen blasted the disc in the back of the net with a one-timer early in the third period to bring the teams back to square one.
In the final minute of regulation, indiscipline was costly as Halonen recorded his second of the night while Lucas Condotta was sitting in the box.
After a good 20 minutes, Jean-Francois Houle's squad was dominated in the final 40 minutes, outworked and outshot 29-11.
With the loss, the Canadiens AHL affiliate dropped to fifth place in the North Division, hanging on to the final spot, one point ahead of the two teams behind them.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIk9eV98umg[/embed]
Game Statistics
Rocket (18-17-4-2)
Shots: 30
Power play: 0-for-3
Penalty minutes: 10
Comets (17-16-4-3)
Shots: 41
Power play: 2-for-5
Penalty minutes: 6
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Heineman (8), Gignac (13)
2nd period: Mysak (10)
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Comets Scorers
1st period: No scoring
2nd period: Hatakka (3), Clarke (17)
3rd period: Halonen (8)-PPG, Halonen (9)-PPG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (L) 12-8-4-0
UTC: Poulter (W) 12-5-1-2
Rocket Players of the Game
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Video Highlights
Video highlights courtesy of the Laval Rocket
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKahyaEmcVk[/embed]
Post-Game Interviews
Jean-Francois Houle
Jan Mysak
Emil Heineman
William Trudeau
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Turnovers Prove Costly Against Amerks | LAV @ ROC
Up Next
The Rocket's homestand continues on Friday against the Rochester Americans.
Puck drop on Friday, February 2nd, 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.
