Excerpt from 'Rocket Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on Arber Xhekaj's recent AHL performances. GAME RECAP | Laval Rocket vs Utica Comets Laval Rocket vs Utica Comets [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNDcxMzQyNDM4MTk2NTcy/rocket-final-score.png] Laval Rocket vs Utica Comets ROCKET LINEUP Forward lines 28 Lias Andersson - 37 Brandon Gignac - 15 Sean Farrell 81 Xavier Simoneau - 61 Philippe Maillet - 10 Joshua Roy 49 Jared Davidson - 42 Lucas Condotta - 20 Gabriel Bourque 21 Riley Kidney - 14 Jan Mysak - 68 Riley McKay Defense pairings 72 Arber Xhekaj - 24 Logan Mailloux 84 William Trudeau - 4 Paquette-Bisson 29 Mattias Norlinder - 25 Brady Keeper Goaltenders 73 Kasimir Kaskisuo 38 Strauss Mann Out of the lineup: Scratches: Olivier Galipeau, Nicolas Beaudin, Nathan Legare, Nolan Yaremko, Jakub Dobes Injuries: None GAME REPORT After an exciting shootout victory in Utica on Friday night, the Laval Rocket looked to continue their winning ways with a rematch against the Comets on Sunday afternoon. Riley Kidney rejoined the team after recovering from an illness, and made his way back into the lineup in place of Nolan Yaremko. In addition, Kasimir Kaskisuo was the goaltender tapped to guard Laval's net. The game started pretty quickly when Brandon Gignac lit the lamp just over two minutes after the opening faceoff. However, a penalty by Riley McKay put Utica on the power play and they once again managed to execute on the man-advantage. Laval Rocket defenseman William Trudeau [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNDcxNDU3NTk3MDA3MTk2/53449857154_25d3da45d5_k.jpg] Laval Rocket defenseman William Trudeau Although the game remained tied at 1-1 for the remainder of the first period, there was plenty of other action to focus on. Multiple penalties on both sides made for some interesting power play opportunities, Riley McKay dropped the gloves for a rousing tilt, and two Laval players exited the ice with injuries. Both captain Gabriel Bourque and forward Sean Farrell did not return to the game. Logan Mailloux restored Laval's lead early in the second period after Arber Xhekaj passed him the puck along the blue line and Mailloux blasted a shot from the point to beat Akira Schmid. Then Utica began to turn things around when they scored back-to-back goals to gain their first lead of the game. The score was 3-2 for the Comets through two periods. Midway through the third period, young Jared Davidson scored his second goal of the weekend when he fired a one-timer from the slot into the back of Utica's net to tie the game once more. As on Friday night, this game went to a shootout, and once again the Laval Rocket nabbed both available points after Philippe Maillet and Gignac both scored against Schmid. GAME STATISTICS Rocket (13-14-3-2) Shots: 31 Power play: 0-for-3 Penalty minutes: 24 Comets (10-13-3-3) Shots: 39 Power play: 1-for-6 Penalty minutes: 20 SCORING SUMMARY Rocket Scorers 1st period: Gignac (11) 2nd period: Mailloux (6) 3rd period: Davidson (4) OT: No scoring SO: Maillet, Gignac Comets Scorers 1st period: Gambardella (3)-PPG 2nd period: Laberge (4), Schmelzer (7) 3rd period: No scoring OT: No scoring SO: No scoring Goaltenders LAV: Kaskisuo (W) 2-0-0-0 UTC: Schmid (L) 0-1-3-0 ROCKET PLAYERS OF THE GAME * undefined * undefined * undefined VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS Video highlights courtesy of the Utica Comets [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xppwbAu4_c[/embed] LOOKING BACK Did you miss the Rocket's last game? Catch up on the recap here: Two Big Points In The Shootout | RECAP: LAV @ UTC [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/rocket/two-big-points-in-the-shootout-recap-lav-utc] UP NEXT The Laval Rocket return to Quebec to prepare for their midweek game against the...Utica Comets. Yes, that will be their third consecutive game against the New Jersey Devils' AHL affiliate! Puck drop on Wednesday, January 10, is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET at Place Bell in Laval, QC. Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal [https://thn.com/montreal] for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world. Gretzky Signature Series. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNzAzMjM2NzQxMTEzNjIw/gretzky-northland.jpg] Gretzky Signature Series.