Rocket Lineup

Yannick Veilleux – Ryan Poehling – Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Brandon Baddock – Joseph Blandisi – Joel Teasdale

Michael Pezzetta – Hayden Verbeek – Jake Lucchini

Arsen Khisamutdinov – Cameron Hillis – Liam Hawel

Corey Schueneman – Otto Leskinen

Tobie Paquette-Bisson – Cale Fleury

Guillaume Brisebois – Josh Brook

Michael McNiven – Cayden Primeau

Nathanael Halbert, Jacob Leguerrier, Terrance Amorosa, Tristan Pomerleau, Vasily Demchenko

Alex Belzile (undisclosed), Lukas Vejdemo (undisclosed), Jan Mysak (undisclosed), Jesse Ylonen (undisclosed), Jordan Weal (DTD)

Game Report

Game Report written by Amy Johnson

The Laval Rocket had a daunting task ahead of them when they left Quebec two weeks ago for an eight-game road trip to western and central Canada. They would be on away from the comforts of home for quite some time, facing two tough teams, including one team they’ve never played against in franchise history.

Joel Bouchard’s young team has faired well over the past two weeks, winning six of seven of the games coming into tonight’s final matchup of the trip. But with injuries piling up, the head coach admitted to media before the game that his very young roster would need to continue to buy in and stick to their structure.

First Period

Finding sustained offensive pressure was a challenge for the Rocket in the opening period. In fact, it wasn’t until just under nine minutes remained in the frame before Ryan Poehling drove the net and put the first official shot on goal of the game for Laval on the board.

Penalties would become a regular part of this game, and they started early when Laval got the first man advantage. They didn’t convert on the opportunity, but did seem to pick up the pace a bit with a burst of energy. The teams exchanged penalties through the second half of the period, but when Michael Pezzetta was in the box for cross-checking, Cole Perfetti put Manitoba on the board. Kristian Vesalainen blasted a shot from the point on the power play, and the rebound went wide to the left circle where Perfetti made no mistake.

Second Period

Laval’s second period got off to a much better start when, less than minute into the frame, Corey Schueneman found himself all alone in the slot to walk in a put the puck past Mikhail Berdin.

After that, the game tightened up significantly. Neither team was giving up much in terms of shooting lanes or open space, but they did continue their parades to the penalty box.

Third Period

Another quick goal got the final frame started for Laval. Hayden Verbeek forced a Manitoba turnover which set up Pezzetta to grab the puck, enter the zone, and tee up a big shot from the right circle to give the Rocket their first lead of the game.

The Rocket noticeably pushed the pace in this period, and started created more chances for themselves. The penalty kill, including Michael McNiven in net, continued to come up big for Laval as Brandon Baddock and Otto Leskinen found themselves in the box during the period. Manitoba had some good pressure on those power plays, but Laval wasn’t budging.

With 45 seconds left in the game, Joseph Blandisi put the puck into an empty Moose net, and that was all they needed to come away with two points.

What’s Next?

The Rocket went seven-for-eight on this road trip, accumulating 15 out of a possible 16 points along the way. They continue to lead the division and will now head home to Quebec in preparation for a three-game home stand against the Stockton Heat.

Be sure to scroll down and listen to post-game audio between the AHL Report team, other members of the media, and Pezzetta, McNiven, and Bouchard.

Plus / Minus

▲  Hayden Verbeek, Joseph Blandisi, Ryan Poehling

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