RYAN POEHLING’S GAME-WINNING GOAL PROPELS ROCKET TO 3-2 WIN OVER PROVIDENCE BRUINS, EXTENDS WIN STREAK TO THREE

LAVAL (Oct. 18, 2019) – Ryan Poehling’s first tally in the American Hockey League turned out to be the game-winning goal in the Laval Rocket’s 3-2 victory over the Providence Bruins Friday night at Place Bell. Backed by Cayden Primeau, who was stellar between the pipes, the Rocket swept the Bruins in their two-game series and extended their win streak to three. 

The Rocket were off to a fiery start. Alex Alain backhanded a rebound past netminder Max Lagacé to give Laval a 1-0 lead. Maxim Lamarche, who created the scoring chance after firing a bullet from the point, earned an assist on the play. Later, on the powerplay, the Rocket took advantage of a missed clearing attempt near the Bruins’ blue line. Alex Belzile passed the puck over to Dale Weise, who made no mistake and beat Lagacé blocker side. The Bruins got on the scoreboard before the end of the period with a goal by Alex Petrovic. The home side showcased their offensive flair all period long and could have added two more goals, but both were waved off by the referee. The Rocket dominated the shot counter 11-9 and Cayden Primeau made a number of key saves to maintain his team’s lead. 

Early in the second frame, the Rocket found themselves on the penalty kill but nothing could stifle their offensive panache. Jake Evans found a streaking Riley Barber, who put in a great second effort to rid himself of Ryan Fitzgerald and unleash a shot but Lagacé had the last word. Barber made more noise later in the game when he set up Karl Alzner with a one-timer that unfortunately went wide of the net. Swarming the Bruins’ zone, the Rocket got another chance when Ryan Poehling retrieved Charles in the dangerous zone but Lagacé made the save. With 3:49 remaining in the frame, the Bruins’ Fitzgerald tied the score. The Rocket ended the period on the powerplay but couldn’t find the back of the net. Once again, the Rocket edged the Bruins with 12-11 shots. 

To open the final frame, the Rocket earned an early scoring chance when Charles Hudon found himself on a breakaway but couldn’t get the shot on net. The Bruins ended up on the powerplay but couldn’t beat Primeau, who remained poised in front of the net. The 20-year-old was particularly alert near the halfway mark of the period, making a key, pad save on Zach Senyshyn. On the other end of the ice, Barber broke in on a breakaway but once again, Lagacé denied the speedy forward. Ryan Poehling broke the tie with a snipe right outside the left faceoff circle to net his first goal of the season. The Bruins’ attempts 

to make a come back were stifled by the Rocket’s defense and Primeau’s exceptional goaltending which capped their 3-2 victory. 

“It was great, especially with that crowd […] Last game we had a good push in the first period and I felt that we kind of did the same, came out with a lot of competitiveness,” said Primeau after the game. 

SCORERS 

LAV: Alain (Lamarche) | Weise (Belzile, Ouellet) | Poehling 

PRO: Petrovic (Fitzgerald, Frederic) | Fitzgerald (Frederic, Petrovic) 

Goaltenders 

LAV: Primeau (32/34) | PRO: Lagacé (27/30) 

Three Stars: 1. Primeau – LAV 2. Poehling – LAV 3. Petrovic – PRO