After playing five games in seven days, the Laval Rocket struggled to find energy on Saturday night as they visited the Comets in Utica, NY.
After playing five games in seven days, the Laval Rocket struggled to find energy on Saturday night as they visited the Comets in Utica, NY.
GAME RECAP | Laval Rocket vs Utica Comets
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
10 Joshua Roy - 37 Brandon Gignac - 15 Sean Farrell
81 Xavier Simoneau - 42 Lucas Condotta - 40 Joel Armia
21 Riley Kidney - 14 Jan Mysak - 17 Nathan Legare
49 Jared Davidson - 23 Nolan Yaremko - 43 Alex-Olivier Voyer
Defense pairings
4 Tobie Paquette-Bisson - 24 Logan Mailloux
3 Jayden Struble - 84 William Trudeau
29 Mattias Norlinder - 25 Brady Keeper
Goaltenders
38 Strauss Mann
71 Jakub Dobes
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Nicolas Beaudin, 44 Olivier Galipeau
Injuries: Emil Heineman (upper body), Gabriel Bourque, John Parker-Jones, Lias Andersson, Riley McKay, Philippe Maillet, Mitchell Stephens
Game Report
It's been a long week for the Laval Rocket, and although it started off with three wins, the past 24 hours have been a tad grueling. Following a 3-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night, the Rocket boarded their bus and drove to Utica, NY to take on the Comets on Saturday night and play their fifth game in seven days.
Although Jean-Francois Houle was without the services of forwards Mitchell Stephens and Philippe Maillet due to injury, defenseman Jayden Struble was back in the lineup after serving his three-game suspension. In addition, Nolan Yaremko and Alex-Olivier Voyer were recalled from the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions to fill in the gaps on Houle's roster.
The defensive prospects made their contributions early and often, with Struble assisting Joel Armia's opening shorthanded goal early in the game. Down 2-1 at the first intermission, rearguard Logan Mailloux tallied the equalizer just 37 seconds into the second period.
Laval's penalty kill proved to be formidable on this night, with Nathan Legare adding a second shorthanded goal to the team's tally in the game to put the Rocket ahead by one. Utica tied the game again shortly after that, and Struble even dropped the gloves for a fiesty bout with Joe Gambardella.
But the final frame was all Utica, as there just didn't seem to be any reserves left in the tank for the Rocket to tap into. The Comets put up three more goals in the third period, including two empty-netters, sending the Rocket home with back-to-back losses and in need of some rest.
Game Statistics
Rocket (5-9-1-0)
Shots: 29
Power play: 0-for-1
Penalty minutes: 20
Comets (5-4-3-0)
Shots: 32
Power play: 0-for-5
Penalty minutes: 12
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Armia (5)-SHG
2nd period: Mailloux (4), Legare (2)-SHG
3rd period: no scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Comets Scorers
1st period: Bowers (4), Laberge (1)
2nd period: Ibragimov (1)
3rd period: Ibragimov (2), Engaras (1)-ENG, Hatakka (1)-ENG
OT: n/a
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Mann (L) 2-4-1-0
UTC: Poulter (W) 5-1-1-1
Rocket Players of the Game
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Video Highlights
Video highlights will be added when available
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Haunted By the Phantoms | RECAP: LV @ LAV
Up Next
After playing five games over the course of seven days, the Rocket now head back to Quebec for a bit of rest before starting practice again next week. They'll then head out for a three-game road trip over the course of American Thanksgiving, starting with a two-game visit to the Rochester Americans.
Puck drop on Wednesday, November 22, is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY.
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.
