The former Laval Rocket captain was honored before the game, but left his mark on the game itself, as well.
The former Laval Rocket captain was honored before the game, but left his mark on the game itself, as well.
GAME RECAP | Hartford Wolf Pack vs Laval Rocket
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
10 Joshua Roy - 37 Brandon Gignac - 19 Emil Heineman
81 Xavier Simoneau - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque
21 Riley Kidney - 14 Jan Mysak - 17 Nathan Legare
61 Philippe Maillet - 23 Nolan Yaremko - 68 Riley McKay
Defense pairings
72 Arber Xhekaj - 24 Logan Mailloux
4 Paquette-Bisson - 44 Olivier Galipeau
84 William Trudeau - 25 Brady Keeper
Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
38 Strauss Mann
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Jared Davidson, Nicolas Beaudin
Injuries: Lias Andersson, Sean Farrell
Game Report
The Laval Rocket's losing streak extended to nine games on Friday following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack have not lost in regulation time in their last eight games.
Prior to puck drop, the organization paid tribute to former Rocket captain Alex Belzile in his first game back at Place Bell since signing his two-year contract with the New York Rangers.
Laval obtained an early five-on-three power play and capitalized on their opportunities. First, Philippe Maillet beat Louis Domingue with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle with five seconds remaining in the first infraction. Arber Xhekaj registered his first career AHL point with an assist on the sequence.
On the next shift, Joshua Roy added a second power play goal when banking in his own rebound. The goal snapped Roy's seven-game pointless streak.
Hartford got on the board less than two minutes later during a power play when Belzile snuck behind both defenders to score his eighth of the year.
Laval regained their two-goal lead 38 seconds later when Logan Mailloux fed Riley McKay for a one-timer that the forward buried behind the goalie.
The Wolf Pack eliminated the two-goal deficit in the second period by scoring two goals in 21 seconds. First, Turner Elson redirected Marc Hollowell's point shot behind Dobes and then Nathan Legare gave the puck away in his own zone and that led to Ryder Korczak netting the tying goal.
The tied lasted through the third period and the teams were not able to clinch the victory in overtime.
Alex Belzile and Brett Berard scored in shootout while Joshua Roy and Emil Heineman were stopped by Louis Domingue.
Despite the loss, a lot of positives for Jean-Francois Houle's squad. The Rocket showed up and their engagement level was much higher than on Wednesday. The struggling power play delivered two goals and Dobes bounced back after being pulled from his last start in Abbotsford.
Game Statistics
Rocket (5-12-3-2)
Shots: 31
Power play: 2-for-4
Penalty minutes: 25
Wolf Pack (15-4-3-0)
Shots: 40
Power play: 1-for-3
Penalty minutes: 37
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Maillet (4)-PPG, Roy (8)-PPG, McKay (3)
2nd period: No scoring
3rd period: No scoring
OT: No scoring
SO: No scoring
Wolf Pack Scorers
1st period: Belzile (8)
2nd period: Elson (2), Korczak (4)
3rd period: No scoring
OT: No scoring
SO: Belzile, Berard
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (L/SO) 3-5-2-1
HFD: Domingue (W) 8-1-1-0
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=nzLXlyDWTSk[/embed]
Post-Game Interviews
Jean-Francois Houle
Joshua Roy
Logan Mailloux
Philippe Maillet
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Xhekaj Makes His AHL Debut | RECAP: BEL @ LAV
Up Next
The two teams will faceoff again on Saturday to wrap up the weekend series.
Puck drop on Saturday, December 8, is scheduled for 3:00 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.
