ROCKET EARN STELLAR, 3-0 SHUTOUT WIN OVER SENATORS

LAVAL (March 11, 2020) – From start to finish, the Laval Rocket put up a dominant performance against the North Division’s top team, the Belleville Senators, shutting out their rivals 3-0 at Place Bell on Wednesday night. 

Outshooting the visitors 37-15, the Rocket were backed by Cayden Primeau, who earned his fourth shutout of the season. The first line made up of centreman Joseph Blandisi, flanked by linemates Yannick Veilleux and Nikita Jevpalovs, proved to be a fruitful combination for the team. Second star Jevpalovs continues to shine, notching a ninth point (4 G, 5 A) in his last six outings. With two assists each, Yannick Veilleux has notched at least one point in his past four games (4 G, 3 A) and Blandisi has a tallied four points (1 G, 3 A) in his last two games, including the empty netter against the Senators tonight. 

It only took 1:12 for the Rocket to grab the lead in the opening period. Jevpalovs deftly beat Filip Gustavsson with assists from Blandisi and Veilleux. Alone in front of the netminder, the Latvian forward showed poise and patience by settling the puck first and bringing it to his forehand before finishing with a swift backhander for the 1-0 lead. 

The Rocket doubled their tally with a late second period goal scored by Jake Lucchini, who received a perfect pass through the slot from Laurent Dauphin to send it past Gustavsson. The Senators, who mustered less than 10 shots in each period, couldn’t solve Primeau, who remained sound in net. Blandisi sealed the victory for the Rocket with an empty net goal as Gustavsson was pulled for an extra forward. 

Returning to the lineup for the first time since November 29, Noah Juulsen made his presence felt and maintained a differential of +1 while taking two shots. 

“You can just see the character he [Noah Juulsen] has, the type of guy he is and the effect he has in the dressing room. I just learned tonight how much he affects us, everybody in the dressing room is behind him. I didn’t realize how big a part of the team he was until he steps in the lineup and he has that effect.” said Joe Blandisi to the media after the game. 

Marqueurs/Scorers 

LAV: Jevpalovs (Blandisi, Veilleux) | Lucchini (Dauphin, Blandisi) | Blandisi (Jevpalovs, Veilleux) 

BEL: 

Unités spéciales/Special teams 

LAV | AN/PP: 0/3 | IN/PK: 2/2 

BEL | AN/PP: 0/2 | IN/PK: 3/3 

Gardiens/Goaltenders 

LAV: Primeau (15/15) | BEL: Gustavsson (35/37) 

Trois étoiles/Three stars 

1. Olofsson – LAV 2. Jevpalovs – LAV 3. Dauphin – LAV