On this Sunday afternoon, the Laval Rocket was playing its 46th game.
The game pitted Pascal Vincent’s team against the Rochester Americans, who recently surpassed the Rocket in the standings.
The match was therefore very important for Laval.
A victory would allow the Laval team to reclaim its top spot in the North Division, as well as join the Hershey Bears at the top of the overall standings.
After today’s games, Rochester and Hershey will have played two more games than Laval.
Here is the lineup that Pascal Vincent presented for the match.
Some important changes to note in the final lineup.
First, it was Connor Hughes who got the start, but it was also Logan Nijhoff’s first game with the Rocket.
The game started strong for Laval with two quick goals in the first few minutes of play.
Alex Barré-Boulet opened the scoring, on a pass from Sean Farrell.
And less than two minutes after the first goal, Florian Xhekaj doubled the lead for his team with a powerful and precise shot while shorthanded.
It was the 12th goal of the season for Arber’s little brother, which is quite impressive considering he is a rookie and has had very few chances on the power play.
It should also be noted that he has mainly played on the fourth line and already has over 100 penalty minutes.
There is definitely a nice progression curve since the Canadiens drafted him.
Unfortunately, the two-goal lead didn’t last, as the Americans closed the gap in the middle of the first period before tying the game early in the second period.
At least, the Rocket could count on a red-hot Owen Beck.
The young right winger responded with two consecutive goals in the second period to restore a two-goal lead for his team.
Beck even chased Devon Levi from the game, who had allowed four goals on 11 shots.
His two goals were not the most electrifying, but it’s the result that counts, as they say.
The Rocket picked up the third period where they left off, adding to their lead in the early minutes of the period.
The duo of Sean Farrell and Alex Barré-Boulet struck again.
The game thus ended with a score of 5-2 in favor of the Laval Rocket, who reclaimed first place in the North Division and also joined the Hershey Bears at the top of the overall standings.
In the victory, Connor Hughes was solid, making 34 saves on 36 shots.
The next game for the Laval Rocket will be tomorrow (Monday) against the Toronto Marlies.