Lias Andersson made his mark on Saturday afternoon, scoring two goals for the Laval Rocket in their second matchup against Abbotsford.
GAME RECAP | Abbotsford Canucks vs Laval Rocket
Laval Rocket vs Abbotsford CanucksRocket Lineup
Forward lines
19 Emil Heineman - 27 Mitchell Stephens - 10 Joshua Roy
15 Sean Farrell - 37 Brandon Gignac - 40 Joel Armia
49 Jared Davidson - 61 Philippe Maillet - 28 Lias Andersson
20 Gabriel Bourque - 14 Jan Mysak - 17 Nathan Legare
Defense pairings
13 Nicolas Beaudin - 7 Gustav Lindstrom
3 Jayden Struble - 24 Logan Mailloux
29 Mattias Norlinder - 4 Tobie Paquette-Bisson
Goaltenders
38 Strauss Mann
75 Jakub Dobes
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Brady Keeper, Riley Kidney, Lucas Condotta, Xavier Simoneau, William Trudeau, Olivier Galipeau, Filip Mesar, Riley McKay, Zachary Emond
Injuries: none
Game Report
The Laval Rocket wrapped up their weekend series against the Abbotsford Canucks with a 4-3 loss on Saturday afternoon at Place Bell. Defensive errors were costly for Laval.
Jean-Francois Houle followed through with his comments from Friday that changes would be made to the lineup. Notable insertions were Jared Davidson and Nicolas Beaudin, while Riley Kidney and William Trudeau were scratched.
The Canucks took a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes when Tristen Nielsen made a perfect tip on a point shot that ended up behind Stauss Mann. Abbotsford's second goal was caused by Laval's defensive breakdown. Mattias Norlinder and Logan Mailloux were battling for a puck and the Rocket's three forwards had already exited the defensive zone, which gave Aidan McDonough a clear path to the net for the goal.
Laval bounced back in the second period with a pair of goals. First, Joel Armia found Joshua Roy in the slot and he buried it for a power play goal. With under two minutes remaining, Lias Andersson netted his first of the year after pouncing on Jayden Struble's rebound that was free in the blue paint.
In third period, a pair of defensive errors by Tobie Paquette-Bisson led to two more goals by Nielsen. Andersson added a second goal on a power play while Mann was in the bench for the extra attacker.
Bad news for the Rocket as Emil Heineman left the game during the second period after a collision with an official behind the net in the offensive zone. No update provided by the organization until the forward is further evaluated.
Game Statistics
Rocket (0-2-0)
Shots: 44
Power play: 2/9
Penalty minutes: 4
Canucks (2-0-0)
Shots: 29
Power play: 0/2
Penalty minutes: 18
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: no scoring
2nd period: Roy (2)-PPG, Andersson (1)
3rd period: Andersson (2)-PPG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Canucks Scorers
1st period: Nielsen (1), McDonough (1)
2nd period: no scoring
3rd period: Nielsen (2), Nielsen (3)
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Mann (L) 0-1-0
BEL: Tolopito (W) 1-0-0
Rocket Players of the Game
- Lias Andersson: Scored two goals on four shots.
- Joshua Roy: Earned two points, led the team with 10 shots, and had several scoring chances.
- Joel Armia: One assist, eight shots on goals, and generated several offensive changes.
Video Highlights
Post-game Quotes
Jean-Francois Houle
Gabriel Bourque
Lias Andersson
Nicolas Beaudin
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Armia Scores Two In Rocket Opener | RECAP: ABB @ LAV
Up Next
The Laval Rocket will have the day off on Sunday before beginning preparation to host the Rochester Americans on Wednesday.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, October 18th at Place Bell.
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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