Joel Armia and Joshua Roy each earned two points in Laval's season opening matchup against the Abbotsford Canucks.
GAME RECAP | Abbotsford Canucks vs Laval Rocket
Abbotsford Canucks vs Laval RocketRocket Lineup
Forward lines
19 Emil Heineman - 61 Philippe Maillet - 10 Joshua Roy
21 Riley Kidney - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 40 Joel Armia
15 Sean Farrell - 37 Brendan Gignac - 28 Lias Andersson
81 Xavier Simoneau - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque
Defense pairings
29 Mattias Norlinder - 24 Logan Mailloux
84 William Trudeau - 7 Gustav Lindstrom
03 Jayden Struble - 4 Tobie Paquette-Bisson
Goaltenders
75 Jakub Dobes
38 Strauss Mann
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Nicolas Beaudin, Jan Mysak, Nathan Legare, Brady Keeper, Olivier Galipeau, Filip Mesar, Jared Davidson, Riley McKay, Zachary Emond
Injuries: none
Game Report
The Laval Rocket kicked off the 2023-24 regular season on Friday with a 7-4 loss against the Abbotsford Canucks in front of a sold out crowd at Place Bell.
The second period decided the contest as Vancouver's AHL affiliate scored three times in under four minutes. Abbotsford capitalized on defensive errors to turn on the red light behind Jakub Dobes. The 22-year-old goalie was replaced after the Canucks' fifth goal. Dobes was let down from his teammates in his professional debut.
Joel Armia's Rocket debut had a great beginning. He received a loud ovation from the crowd during the player introductions and made the fans roar by scoring Laval's first goal of the season. The 30-year-old scored with a wrist shot that trickled through Arturs Silovs. The Finland native added a second goal in the third period to cut the deficit to two goals.
Joshua Roy continued where he left off from Sunday's preseason action with another strong showing. The 20-year-old recorded his first career AHL goal with a nifty deke around Danila Klimovich.
Jean-Francois Houle has 17 forwards, nine defencemen and three goalies on the roster. With such a high number of individuals, the coach had to identify nine players to scratch. The reflection led to some of the younger players on the team like Jared Davidson, Jan Mysak and Filip Mesar watching the game from the stands. After the game, Houle confirmed that there will be changes for the next match.
The organization will need to decide quickly whether sitting some of their younger prospects is the path going forward. If it's not, action needs to be taken to find ice time for them.
Game Statistics
Rocket (0-1-0)
Shots: 31
Power play: 1/5
Penalty minutes: 17
Canucks (1-0-0)
Shots: 22
Power play: 1/4
Penalty minutes: 21
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Armia (1), Roy (1)
2nd period: no scoring
3rd period: Gignac (1), Armia (2)-PPG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Canucks Scorers
1st period: Podkolzin (1), Aman (1)
2nd period: Rathbone (1), Karlsson (1), Podkolzin (2)
3rd period: Bains (1), Stevens (1)-SHG/ENG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (L) 0-1-0, Mann
BEL: Silovs (W) 1-0-0
Rocket Players of the Game
- Joshua Roy: His first two points plus two shots on goal, in his second AHL game. He showed off his skills in the offensive zone and drew one penalty.
- Joel Armia: Scored two goals and had several chances in the third period to register a hat trick.
- Brandon Gignac: Led the team with six shots on goal and scored early in the third that provided a boost to the teams and fans.
Video Highlights
Post-game Quotes
Jean-Francois Houle
Joshua Roy
Logan Mailloux
Sean Farrell
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Rocket Solid In Preseason Finale | RECAP: BEL @ LAV
Up Next
The Laval Rocket and Abbotsford Canucks wrap up their weekend series on Saturday.
Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 pm ET on Saturday, October 14th at the Bell Centre.
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.
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