ROCKET SQUANDER TWO-GOAL LEAD, LOSE 3-2 (SO) TO DEVILS

BINGHAMTON (January 25, 2020) — The Rocket and Devils’ first matchup of the season did not disappoint and made way for a lively, fast-paced game. The Rocket held a 2-0 lead for over 40 minutes, but Binghamton rose to the occasion and captured a 3-2 (SO) victory Saturday night at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. 

For the third time in his professional career, Charles Hudon reached the 20-goal plateau. The Alma, QC native leads the Rocket in goals and sits third in team points (24) heading into his second appearance at the AHL All-Star Classic. 

Scoreless after 35 minutes of play, the Rocket were up 2-0 thanks to former Chicoutimi Saguenéens teammates Hudon and Laurent Dauphin. The former wired a slick wrister from the hash marks after accepting a pass from Jake Evans down low. Joe Cox kept the play alive, absorbing a crushing hit to chip the puck over to Evans. 

Thirty-six seconds later, Dauphin skated from his own blue line through the offensive zone. Surrounded by three Devils, the centreman’s first shot was blocked before he swiftly placed the disk past netminder Gilles Senn on his second attempt to give the Rocket a two-goal advantage. Karl Alzner and Michael Pezzetta earned assists on the tally. 

The Devils peppered Cayden Primeau with 18 shots in the final stanza, tying the game with goals from Kyle Cumiskey and Josh Jacobs. Unable to break the stalemate in regulation or overtime, the Devils captured the victory in shootout with goals from Jesper Boqvist and Joey Anderson. Phil Varone was the Rocket’s lone scorer. 

“Those are points that we need against a team that we were leading going into the third. We need to find a way to come out with a win. We played well but we took some penalties which they didn’t necessarily capitalize on, but when you’re in your zone, on your heels […] it takes a toll on you going late into the game. It’s a good learning experience,” said Cayden Primeau after the game. 

Marqueurs/Scorers 

LAV: Hudon (Evans, Cox) |Dauphin (Alzner, Pezzetta) 

BNG: Cumiskey (Baddock, McLeod) | Jacobs (Sharangovich) 

Unités spéciales/Special teams 

LAV | AN/PP: 0/2 | IN/PK: 5/5 

BNG | AN/PP: 0/5 | IN/PK: 2/2 

Gardiens/Goaltenders 

LAV: Primeau (29/31) | BNG: Senn (29/31) 

Trois étoiles/Three stars 

1. Anderson – BNG 2. Jacobs – BNG 3. Cumiskey – BNG