The Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate won three tight games.
by Chris G, Rocket Sports, Montreal Canadiens blogger
The Rocket hosted the Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) on Wednesday before heading on the road to square off against the Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) on Friday and the Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) on Sunday.
Wednesday: Hershey Bears 2 - Laval Rocket 3 (overtime)
The Bears opened the scoring as Montreal native Jake Massie skated around Rafael Harvey-Pinard before beating Cayden Primeau between the pads. The visitors led 2-0 into the third period when Noel Hoefenmayer set up Sean Farrell for a one-timer goal from the slot. Laurent Dauphin tied it 1:05 later after banking a rebound to the back of the net. The winner was determined 1:03 into overtime when Adam Engstrom circled the defender before placing the puck in the top corner.
“We got better, period by period. To come from behind two goals against them was not likely,” Pascal Vincent said following the game where Laval allowed the first goal for the fifth consecutive match. “I was impressed by [the team], their resilience. We don’t have doubts but at the same time, the fact they keep doing it during important games is impressive.”
Friday: Laval Rocket 4 - Hartford Wolf Pack 3
Logan Mailloux put Laval on the board by beating veteran Louis Domingue with a shot from the slot. The score was tied when Owen Beck put the puck past the goal line with a shot from the faceoff circle before the first intermission. Dauphin increased the lead early in the second when he was left uncovered and he knocked in a rebound from the front of the net. The Wolf Pack answered back with two goals in the third period and when it looked like overtime would be needed, Mailloux scored his second of the contest with a shot from the slot. The defenceman’s three-point performance earned him the AHL’s first start of the day.
“We came out strong, we played fast, our transitions were really good,” Vincent noted. “They scored a goal on a power play and the other goal during six-on-five. On five-on-five, we limited them to not a lot. The team played well.”
Sunday: Laval Rocket 3 - Providence Bruins 2 (overtime)
The Rocket capitalized on their first power play to get on the board as Noel Hoefenmayer blast from the blue line found its way behind the goalie. The Bruins tied it early in the second period until Alex Barre-Boulet surprised the netminder with a shot following a faceoff win by Dauphin. Providence forced overtime when they jumped on a rebound early in the third period to tie. In the extra period, Dauphin from the back of the opponent’s net set up Mailloux in the slot for a one-timer to record his second consecutive game winning goal.
Roster News
On Friday, the Canadiens assigned Jayden Struble to the Rocket on a conditioning assignment. The defenceman joined the team for the two road games over the weekend. "It was a no-brainer. We're not practising a lot [in Montreal] and I'm not playing, so it's tough staying in shape and staying game ready,” he spoke in Hartford about accepting the assignment.
The following day, Rafael Harvey-Pinard was recalled by the NHL club for precautionary reasons as Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson were game-time decisions. Both forwards ended up dressing for the contest and Harvey-Pinard watched the contest from the press box. Harvey-Pinard has obtained 11 points in 24 games with Laval.
Following the announcement of Joshua Roy’s absence of four-to-six weeks due to an upper body injury, the AHL added Owen Beck to the All Star Classic roster. The Peterborough, Ontario native has collected 26 points in 39 games. The event takes place on February 2nd and 3rd at Coachella Valley.
Up Next
The Rocket will look at extending the three-game winning streak when hosting the Wolf Pack on Friday and Saturday at Place Bell.
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