THE ROCKET HAND THE WOLF PACK THEIR FIRST REGULATION LOSS IN A 4-1 VICTORY

LAVAL (October 30, 2019) – The Laval Rocket defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 Wednesday night at Place Bell, handing the Wolf Pack’s first regulation loss of the season. After a heart-breaking overtime loss to their Atlantic division rival last week, the Rocket, who holds a 4-1-1 record against teams in the Atlantic division, scored three unanswered goals in the final period to kick-start their three-game homestand with a victory. 

Ranked seventh in the league on the powerplay as of Wednesday evening, the Rocket earned four man advantages in the game. With 9:29 left in the first period, Michael McCarron scored his first goal of the season after burying a rebound past netminder Igor Shesterkin on the powerplay. Phil Varone and Charles Hudon earned assists on the goal. 

The Wolf Pack tied the game with 3:44 left in the second period when Tim Gettinger beat Lindgren. Through 40 minutes of play, the Rocket remained perfect on the penalty kill, ranked first in the league with a 97.1 % success rate as of Wednesday evening. 

“Everybody is on the same page and we’re making sure we’re making the play when it’s there. You don’t want to fuel the other team, you want to make it miserable for them. We have to stay on top and be very humble making sure we stay with the plan. I think that’s the secret for me, guys that have good habits and know the plan, and you have to know the plan because they’re good teams,” said head coach Joël Bouchard. 

In the third period, Alex Alain ended the stalemate past the halfway of the period after a great individual effort. Charles Hudon added the insurance marker with 7:55 left in the game, scoring top shelf on Shesterkin. Pulling their goalie for an extra forward, Nikita Jevpalovs earned his third tally of the season with an empty-net goal. The Rocket edged the Wolf Pack 24 to 23 in shots. Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves. 

Marqueurs/Scorers 

LAV: McCarron (Varone, Hudon) | Alain | Hudon | Jevpalovs (Evans) 

HFD: Gettinger (Fogarty) 

Unités spéciales/Special teams 

LAV | AN/PP: (1/4) IN/PK: (4/4) 

HFD | AN/PP: (0/4) IN/PK: (3/4) 

Gardiens/Goaltenders 

LAV: Lindgren (22/23) HFD: Shesterkin (20/23) 

Trois étoiles/Three stars 

1. Alexandre Alain – LAV 2. Charles Hudon – LAV 3. Noah Juulsen – LAV