Rocket Lineup

Michael Frolik – Ryan Poehling – Jesse Ylonen

Laurent Dauphin – Lukas Vejdemo – Arsen Khisamutdinov

Joel Teasdale – Jordan Weal – Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Jan Mysak – Kevin Lynch – Brandon Baddock

Gustav Olofsson – Josh Brook

Otto Leskinen – Corey Schueneman

Gianni Fairbrother – Xavier Ouellet

Cayden Primeau – Michael McNiven

Tobie Paquette-Bisson, Nathanael Halbert, Liam Hawel, Cameron Hillis, Hayden Verbeek, Jacob Leguerrier, Michael Pezzetta, Jake Lucchini, Yannick Veilleux, Joseph Blandisi

Alex Belzile (day-to-day), Kaiden Guhle (day-to-day)

Game Report

Game Report written by Chris G

The Rocket hosted the Senators on Friday night for the final time in this four-game stretch between the division rivals. Belleville scored four answered goals and went on to win 4-1 on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. 

Joel Bouchard continued his plan of rotating veterans into the lineup. Laurent Dauphin, Lukas Vejdemo, Kevin Lynch, and Brandon Baddock returned to game action from the forward group, replacing Yannick Veilleux, Joseph Blandisi, Michael Pezzetta, and Jake Lucchini. 

On defence, Gianni Fairbrother made his professional hockey debut. The Canadiens’ 2019 third round draft pick replaced Cale Fleury at the blue line. Cayden Primeau got the start in goal after making 15 saves in his last start. 

First Period

The Rocket opened the scoring 1:36 into the first period. Laval has scored first in all four matches this year. During his first shift, Fairbrother’s one-timer went over the net, and Ryan Poehling was at the doorstep to tap the puck into the goal. 

At the 6:14 mark, the puck was deep in the home team’s zone when Poehling made a blind pass to the Senators’ Cody Goloubef and he buried it behind Primeau to tie the score. 

With 11:25 remaining, Vejdemo went into the corner to get the loose puck and made a perfect pass to Dauphin in front of the net for the goal. It was Dauphin’s 150th career AHL point. Vejdemo’s assist was his fourth point in three games.

Second Period

Rafael Harvey-Pinard extended Laval’s lead to two goals 6:05 into the middle frame. Harvey-Pinard was tangled in the crease with Joey Daccord when he knocked the puck off a defender’s skate into the goal. On that sequence, Dauphin obtained his second point of the night, and Gustav Olofsson recorded his third assist in the last three games. 

In the following minute, Laval obtained a two-man power-play that lasted 1:46, but they were unable to convert.

The Senators’ most dangerous scoring opportunity came in the final minute when the speedy Alex Formenton went coast-to-coast and forced Primeau to make a pad save. 

Third Period

On the first shift of the third period, Jesse Ylonen carried the puck into the offensive zone and found Corey Schueneman in the slot for a power play goal. 

Arsen Khisamutdinov was in the penalty box at the 8:15 mark when Harvey-Pinard scored on Otto Leskinen’s rebound. The offensive rush began when Jordan Weal pressured the Senators defence on Laval’s blue line. 

Thirty-two seconds later, Belleville closed the gap to three goals as Mark Kastelic capitalized on a rebound during the power play. It was the first goal allowed by the Rocket in 12 shorthanded opportunities. 

Harvey-Pinard nearly obtained a hat trick with one minute remaining in the period as he hit the crossbar after coming off the bench.

What’s Next?

The Rocket won three of the four game series against the Senators. After the game, Bouchard said that he was proud of his veterans and the role that they have played to this point. 

Laval’s next opponent will be Manitoba. The teams will face each other four times in six days starting on Monday. 

Be sure to scroll down and listen to full audio from post-game interviews with Fairbrother, Harvey-Pinard, Poehling, and Bouchard.

Plus / Minus

▲  Jesse Ylonen, Laurent Dauphin, Ryan Poehling, Lukas Vejdemo, Otto Leskinen, Rafael Harvey-Pinard

▼  Joel Teasdale, Brandon Baddock