Rocket Sweep Crunch In Back-To-Back Games | RECAP: SYR @ LAV

GAME RECAP | Syracuse Crunch vs Laval Rocket

Forward lines
15 Sean Farrell - 37 Brandon Gignac - 19 Emil Heineman
28 Lias Andersson - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque
81 Xavier Simoneau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 10 Joshua Roy
21 Riley Kidney - 14 Jan Mysak - 17 Nathan Legare

Defense pairings
72 Arber Xhekaj - 24 Logan Mailloux
84 William Trudeau - 4 Paquette-Bisson
29 Mattias Norlinder - 44 Olivier Galipeau

Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
73 Kasimir Kaskisuo

Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Jared Davidson, Brady Keeper, Strauss Mann, Nolan Yaremko, Riley McKay

Injuries: None

The Laval Rocket swept the weekend series against the Syracuse Crunch with a 4-1 win on Saturday in front of a sold out crowd of 10,286 fans at Place Bell. The victory extends the Crunch's losing streak to 12 games in Laval, dating back to March 14, 2019. 

Jean-Francois Houle rotated some fresh legs into the lineup to complete the sequence of three games in three days. Lias Andersoon and Jan Mysak slotted in while Riley McKay and Nolan Yaremko were scratched. Jakub Dobes got the call between the pipes. 

Special teams were featured on Saturday with 50 penalty minutes handed out by the officials. The Rocket capitalized on their first power play during the first period when Sean Farrell tapped in the rebound from Emil Heineman's shot. Less than two minutes later, Mysak redirected William Trudeau's shot during a penalty kill to make it a two-goal lead through 20 minutes. 

Laval added to their lead early in the second period on the power play as Arber Xhekaj used the traffic in front of the net to beat Matt Tomkins with a wrist shot. With under one minute remaining in the middle frame, Joshua Roy picked up his own rebound inside the blue paint to record his 10th of the year. The marker came one second after the conclusion of the Rocket's sixth power play of the afternoon. 

Syracuse broke the shutout with 2:31 remaining in regulation when Shawn Element's shot from the slot ended up behind Dobes. 

Nathan Legare left the game in the second period with a lower body injury. The organization did not provide an update on the gravity of the injury. 

The special teams were huge for Laval on Saturday killing all six power plays. The four penalty kills in the first 20 minutes were critical in the victory. On the power play, the Canadiens AHL affiliate has now scored at least once in the last four matches. 

The Rocket finish off the calendar year on a high note with six wins in their last eight games. During this stretch, all aspects of the team has been clicking. 

Rocket (11-14-3-2)
Shots: 31
Power play: 2-for-6
Penalty minutes: 19

Crunch (16-11-2-2)
Shots: 26
Power play: 0-for-6
Penalty minutes: 31

Rocket Scorers
1st period: Farrell (6)-PPG, Mysak (5)-SHG
2nd period: Xhekaj (2)-PPG, Roy (10)
3rd period: No scoring
OT: n/a
SO: n/a

Crunch Scorers
1st period: No scoring
2nd period: No scoring
3rd period: Element (7)
OT: n/a
SO: n/a

Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (W) 8-6-3-0
SYR: Tomkins (L) 5-4-1-0

Video highlights courtesy of the Laval Rocket

Jean-Francois Houle

Sean Farrell

Jakub Dobes

Xavier Simoneau

Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Kaskisuo Steady In Season Debut | RECAP: SYR @ LAV

The Laval Rocket will be off on Sunday and Monday before resuming practice on Tuesday for their upcoming trip to Utica to face the Comets on Friday and Sunday. 

Puck drop on Friday, January 5, is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, 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.