The Laval Rocket and Utica Comets combined for 11 goals in their third meeting this week.
The Laval Rocket and Utica Comets combined for 11 goals in their third meeting this week.
GAME RECAP | Utica Comets vs Laval Rocket
Rocket Lineup
Forward lines
21 Riley Kidney - 37 Brandon Gignac - 28 Lias Andersson
81 Xavier Simoneau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 10 Joshua Roy
49 Jared Davidson - 14 - Jan Mysak - 42 Lucas Condotta
86 Jakov Novak - 23 Nolan Yaremko - 68 Riley McKay
Defense pairings
72 Arber Xhekaj - 24 Logan Mailloux
84 William Trudeau - 4 Paquette-Bisson
29 Mattias Norlinder - 13 Nicolas Beaudin
Goaltenders
71 Jakub Dobes
38 Strauss Mann
Out of the lineup:
Scratches: Olivier Galipeau, Kasimir Kaskisuo, Alex-Olivier Voyer
Injuries: Nathan Legare (lower-body), Sean Farrell (upper-body), Brady Keeper (lower body), Gabriel Bourque (unspecified)
Game Report
The Utica Comets snapped the Laval Rocket's win streak at four games with a 6-5 overtime victory on Wednesday at Place Bell. Utica's win prevented Laval in winning all three games between the division rivals in six days.
Jean-Francois Houle was forced to make several changes to his lineup due to injuries to Sean Farrell, Gabriel Bourque and Brady Keeper. All three were hurt during Sunday's contest in Utica. Jakov Novak, recalled from Trois-Rivieres on Tuesday, Nolan Yaremko and Nicolas Beaudin slotted in to replace them.
The visitors got on the board first on a counter attack that began when Isaac Poulter stoned Riley Kidney from point blank. On the other end of the rink, Justin Dowling beat Jakub Dobes top corner from the faceoff circle.
Laval answered back later in the period when Joshua Roy sneaked in between the defence into the slot to accept a pass from Philippe Maillet to tie the game. Maillet's assist extended his point streak to five games.
Dowling scored his second of the night in the second period on the power play before the Rocket answered with two goals. First, Roy picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated to the faceoff where he beat Poulter glove side. Later in the frame, Jared Davidson set up Tobie Bisson for a one-timer goal. The defenceman's goal of the year set a new personal record for the 26-year old.
Utica added two more goals before the intermission, including a power play goal to take the lead. Despite having a good start up to that point, Dobes was not happy with both goals allowed and broke his stick after allowing the fourth goal.
Laval took advantage of their second power play when Maillet completed a tic-tac-toe play that began by Roy and Lias Andersson.
With 2:32 remaining in regulation, the Comets capitalized on a defensive breakdown to take the lead when Brian Halonen banked in the puck after Dobes made two saves on shots from the blue paint.
Less than a minute later, the home team secured a point in the standings when Andersson tapped in the pass by Maillet in the back of the net.
In overtime, Joe Gambardella jumped on the opportunity that was created when Lucas Condotta and Xavier Simoneau collided in the defensive zone to beat Dobes for the 6-5 victory.
The Rocket was carried by the line of Roy, Maillet and Simoneau. The trio collected a total of eight points during the contest. Even though the Comets scored six times, Dobes had another solid start. Defensive errors cost Laval a second point in the standings.
Game Statistics
Rocket (13-14-4-2)
Shots: 29
Power play: 1-for-2
Penalty minutes: 13
Comets (11-13-3-3)
Shots: 37
Power play: 2-for-4
Penalty minutes: 9
Scoring Summary
Rocket Scorers
1st period: Roy (11)
2nd period: Roy (12), Bisson (5)
3rd period: Maillet (7)-PPG, Andersson (8)
OT: No scoring
SO: n/a
Comets Scorers
1st period: Dowling (4)
2nd period: Dowling (5)-PPG, Criscuolo (7), Halonen (1)-PPG
3rd period: Halonen (2)
OT: Gambardella (4)
SO: n/a
Goaltenders
LAV: Dobes (L) 9-6-4-0
UTC: Poulter (W) 9-4-1-1
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=niErSjp4Pu0[/embed]
Post-Game Interviews
Jean-Francois Houle
Logan Mailloux
Philippe Maillet
Joshua Roy
Looking Back
Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Another Shootout, Another Win For the Laval Rocket | RECAP: LAV @ UTC
Up Next
The Laval Rocket begin a doubleheader against the Manitoba Moose on Friday.
Puck drop on Friday, January 12, is scheduled for 7:00 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.
