Rocket Lineup

Anthony Richard – Peter Abbandonato – Joel Teasdale

Emil Heineman – Mitchell Stephens – Pierrick Dube

Xavier Simoneau – Brandon Gignac – Lucas Condotta

Riley McKay – Nolan Yaremko – Gabriel Bourque

William Trudeau – Nicolas Beaudin

Jayden Struble – Corey Schueneman

Mattias Norlinder – Tory Dello

Cayden Primeau – Kevin Poulin

Danick Martel, Madison Bowey, John Parker-Jones, Frederic Allard, Olivier Galipeau, Jan Mysak

Gianni Fairbrother (knee), Otto Leskinen

Game Report

Game Report written by Amy Johnson

The Laval Rocket continued their road trip on Friday night with a Central Division matchup against the Rockford IceHogs. With Cleveland having once again pushed them down out of a playoff position, even after coming off a second consecutive win against the Manitoba Moose, the team from Quebec needed every point possible.

Cayden Primeau returned to the crease after his one-game stint with the Montreal Canadiens. But the influx of young prospects also continued with a Friday afternoon signing of NCAA goaltending prospect Jakub Dobes. Dobes signed a two-year entry deal and also an AHL contract in order to finish this season with Laval. 

First Period

The opening minutes of the game were a bit shaky for the visiting team, but a couple of saves by Primeau allowed everyone to settle in and find some balance. Unfortunately, severe weather in the area – thunderstorms and a tornado watch – forced a delay of the game with 8:20 left in the period as people in the building moved to a safe area.

After about a 30-minute pause, the fans were permitted to file back into their seats and roughly 20 minutes later, the game resumed following a brief warmup for the players.

The period ended with no scoring at either end, but Riley McKay was handed an interference penalty as time expired. The Rocket would begin the second period on the penalty kill.

Second Period

Before McKay’s penalty expired, Laval was handed another one and Anthony Richard joined his teammate in the box for tripping. Shortly after the penalties expired, Rockford took a too-many-men penalty, but the Rocket’s power play soon became four-on-four hockey when Emil Heineman took a holding penalty.

But it was Heineman who would open the scoring in this game later in the period, when he tipped a puck into the Rockford net off of a shot from Nicolas Beaudin.

Third Period

Laval continued to dominate puck possession, and even though Rockford managed to beat Primeau a few times and hit the post, their shots just couldn’t get through.

Mitchell Stephens padded the Rocket’s lead midway through the period, making it 2-0 for the visitors. He then doubled his tally with an empty-netter to secure a win and the shutout.

What’s Next

Plus / Minus

▲ Emil Heineman, Nicolas Beaudin, Mitchell Stephens

▼ Riley McKay, Anthony Richard