LAVAL’S OFFENSIVE WEAPONS EXPLODE IN 6-4 WIN OVER UTICA
LAVAL (November 22, 2019) – The Rocket used goals from six different skaters in their 6-4 triumph of the Utica Comets on Friday night at Place Bell. Eleven players registered at least one point in the win as the Rocket improve their record to 11-6-3 on the season.
Utica grabbed an early lead in the first via the power play. After Cayden Primeau made the initial save, Francis Perron – who was standing all alone on the doorstep – buried the rebound to put the Comets up 1-0. The Rocket did find the equalizer late in the period, however. Josh Brook forced a turnover, and using their speed to gain separation, he and Lukas Vejdemo broke out on a 2-on-1. Choosing to shoot, the defenseman made no mistake in beating Zane McIntyre to bring the score to a 1-1 tie at the break.
A pair of goals gave the Rocket a 3-1 lead after two; the first coming off a perfectly executed offensive zone faceoff win. After gaining possession of the puck, Gustav Olofsson spotted a wide-open Riley Barber who’s shot deflected off Michael McCarron’s shin pad in front and into the Comets’ net. In the final minute, Barber – who made his presence felt in this game – drove hard to the net before dishing it to Jake Evans who squeezed one past a screened McIntyre, doubling his team’s lead before time expired in the second.
Laval’s offence continued to press in the final frame. Otto Leskinen scored his first career AHL goal on a point shot that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. After seeing their lead cut to two, the Rocket netted two more goals, essentially putting the game to bed. Riley Barber capped off a three-point night with a nifty bar-down wrist shot on the power play, and just one minute later it was Ryan Poehling joining in on the fun with his fourth of the season. The Comets added a pair of late goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Rocket cruised to a 6-4 victory.
“We had very good moments. We also had some tougher moments but that’s going to happen against a hard-working team like Utica. […] We’ll take the win. We’ve had some very good weeks and it’s been a good three, four days in the American Hockey League […] but I think we can be even better in some aspects of the game. I really liked the way we played,” said Joël Bouchard after the game.
Marqueurs/Scorers
LAV: Brook | Barber (Olofsson, Juulsen) | Evans (Barber, Jevpalovs) | Leskinen (Evans, Alain) | Barber (Peca, McCarron) | Poehling (Lynch)
UTI: Perron (Camper, Brisebois) | Jasek (Gadjovich, Camper) | Camper (Chatfield, Perron) | Gadjovich (Perron, Brisebois)
Unités spéciales/Special teams
LAV | AN/PP: (1/6) | IN/PK: (4/7)
UTI | AN/PP: (3/7) | IN/PK: (5/6)
Gardiens/Goaltenders
LAV: Primeau (24/28)
UTI : McIntyre (26/32)
Trois étoiles/Three stars
1. Barber – LAV 2. Evans – LAV 3. Leskinen – LAV
