Rocket Lineup

Rafael Harvey-Pinard – Jordan Weal – Jesse Ylonen

Yannick Veilleux – Lukas Vejdemo – Alex Belzile

Joseph Blandisi – Ryan Poehling – Joel Teasdale

Brandon Baddock – Jan Mysak – Arsen Khisamutdinov

Corey Schueneman – Otto Leskinen

Gustav Olofsson – Cale Fleury

Tobie Paquette-Bisson – Josh Brook

Cayden Primeau, Michael McNiven

Nathanael Halbert, Liam Hawel, Hayden Verbeek, Jacob Leguerrier, Cameron Hillis, Vasily Demchenko, Guillaume Brisbois, Terrance Amorosa, Tristan Pomerleau, Michael Pezzetta, Jake Lucchini

N/A

Game Report

Game Report written by Amy Johnson

For the first time this season, the Laval Rocket find themselves on the road this week. It’s unfamiliar territory for this team, who have called the Bell Centre home for the past two months for training camp and the start of the season. Their first outing on Monday against Belleville didn’t go as planned.

Head coach Joel Bouchard told reporters that, without making excuses, it was a very different day of preparation for his group, involving same-day travel to Ottawa and new surroundings. But, he said, this would be a scenario that they would face often and they needed to be sure the team was prepared in any environment.

Bouchard spoke before the game about Cayden Primeau getting more ice time this week, and adding bodies on the blueline in preparation for Gustav Olofsson‘s upcoming planned absence.

First Period

The opening period on this night was a much better 20 minutes of hockey for Laval. They controlled the puck for the better part of the first five minutes, before Otto Leskinen was called for slashing. 

Belleville got some decent shots on the power play, but Primeau held his ground. Conversely, Laval couldn’t muster much on a power play of their own a few minutes later. At the other end of the ice, Filip Gustavsson put on another goaltending clinic for most of this game.

Now playing their sixth game of the year against each other, the Rocket and Senators began showing the signs of their bitter rivalry from previous years creeping up. Scrums consistently cropped up after whistles. The biggest thing missing from the period was goals. Neither team lit the lamp before intermission.

Second Period

Laval turned up the heat and ran up the shot clock in the second period, outshooting Belleville 21-2 in the frame. Cale Fleury made an impression early on when he laid a blistering hit on Egor Sokolov along the boards.

During a second Rocket power play, Alex Belzile had an excellent chance from the slot with a quick shot, but the Senators’ netminder stoned him.

Shortly after, Yannick Veilleux was driving the net when a Senators skater pushed him into Belleville’s goalie which sent Gustavsson sprawling on his stomach. Lukas Vejdemo quickly tapped in the loose puck to put the Rocket up 1-0, assisted by Belzile and Veilleux.

Third Period

Five minutes into the third period, Jan Mysak scored his first professional goal when he, Brandon Baddock, and Josh Brook entered the zone on an odd-man rush. Mysak set up in front of the net and backhanded the puck to score.

The Senators didn’t go away, however, and persisted throughout the period. They saw an opportunity late in the game when Vejdemo took a high-sticking penalty with just over four minutes left in the game. Logan Shaw won a draw late in the power play, allowing Vitaly Abramov to take the puck and fire a quick wrister from the slot to get Belleville on the board.

Seconds later, on the faceoff at center ice, it was Belleville’s turn to lose a faceoff and Belzile got the goal right back when he found the back of the net off a shot from the right circle.

What’s Next?

Laval will wrap up this first road trip of the season on Friday when they travel to Toronto. It’ll be the first time this year for them to face the Marlies.

Be sure to scroll down and hear audio from The AHL Report team and other media members in post-game interviews with Mysak, Belzile, and Bouchard.

Plus / Minus

▲  Lukas Vejdemo, Jan Mysak, Josh Brook, Alex Belzile

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