The series between the Laval Rocket and the Springfield Thunderbirds is well established. Wednesday evening, in a Place Bell filled to the maximum, the men of Jean-François Houle will have to avoid an old trap.
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The players of the Canadian school club will have to manage their emotions during the match. Even if they are pumped up, they will have to put their energies in the right situations. A bad penalty could be costly, given the visitors’ offensive power.
Besides, discipline has been one of the Rocket’s shortcomings this season.
“Throughout the year, we had a number of different experiences,” explained Houle. To excel in the playoffs, you have to learn from what happened during the whole year.
Photo archives, Martin Alarie
Defenseman Corey Schueneman came to the defense of his goaltender Cayden Primeau during a game against the Syracuse Crunch on May 14.
“At the start of the season, we took bad punishments. It took us a long time to stop doing it. We had to put guys in the stands to break this bad habit. It hasn’t been easy. »
In the last meeting, the Rocket played with fire without getting burned. With a 4-2 lead, he received two penalties in the last 10 minutes.
“You can’t do that,” added the head coach.
He is also well aware that the Thunderbirds are trying to disturb goaltender Cayden Primeau, who has been smoking since the start of the playoffs.
“You have to play hockey. You have to stay disciplined. It is sure that they will try to put traffic in front of Primeau. He plays very well and they will try to distract him.
“We have to do the same with their goalkeeper. It’s important to go to the net. You don’t have to reply. You have to remain calm. »
-Listen to Alexandre Moranville-Ouellet at the microphone of Mario Dumont on QUB radio:
Protect Primeau
On Sunday, the Thunderbirds tried to get inside Primeau’s head. Will Bitten approached him without too much restraint; Hugh McGing gave him two sticks on the mitt after the whistle.
“Cayden is incredible right now and he’s one of the reasons for our success,” Tobie Paquette-Bisson said. I am there to defend him when this type of situation arises.
“We don’t want to get too involved in their game. At five against five, we really feel that we have the advantage. If they decide to go into Cayden, we will defend him, but the crowd will give us a boost too, ”added the defender.
Besides, a noisy crowd could push Rocket players to go over the limit.
“We are a very emotional team that likes to cry. We should let the crowd do the talking. We are at home. People here know hockey and they know how to shout at the right time. »
Preparing for Hofer
On a different note, Houle is planning for the return of Joel Hofer to the Thunderbirds’ goal for Game 3.
“I expect him to be the starter,” he said. If it’s him, it changes something in our approach. He plays very well with the puck.
“He can take the opposing team on the wrong foot during substitutions or during power play. With him, we have to be smarter in our puck placements. You have to keep her as far away from him as possible. »
The Eastern Conference final in the American League is tied 1-1.