(Laval) The Laval Rocket successfully capped a brief two-game preparatory schedule with a 5-2 victory against the Belleville Senators on Sunday afternoon at Place Bell.
For the occasion, head coach Jean-François Houle used 11 of the players who contributed to Toronto’s 3-1 win on Thursday.
Also, he called on, for the first time, attacker Joshua Roy and defender Logan Mailloux, whom the Canadian had sold to his school club on Tuesday.
If Mailloux gave a decent performance, Roy particularly stood out.
Inserted into a trio completed by Philippe Maillet and Filip Mesar, Roy skillfully prepared the first goal of the match, that of Maillet after only 39 seconds of play.
Roy added assists on the eventual winning goal, scored by defenseman Jayden Struble, in the second period, and on that of Mesar, in the third period, after an effective forecheck.
Nathan Légaré, during a numerical penalty in the first period, and Jared Davidson scored the other Rocket goals against Kevin Mandolese, who played the entire match.
Facing a rival who had several players missing, who had been recalled for the Ottawa Senators’ game against the Canadiens the day before, the Rocket dominated 43-24 in shots on goal.
As they did in Toronto on Thursday, Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann shared the work in front of the Rocket net.
PHOTO FROM THE ROCKET TWITTER ACCOUNT
Philippe Maillet
Mann started the game and allowed two goals on 13 shots in just over 30 minutes.
He gave in to Cole Reinhardt, in the first period, and to Matthew Boucher, who hit the target under the eyes of his father, Philippe Boucher, former NHL defender, in the middle period.
Dobes stopped all 11 shots aimed at him.
The match took place in rather special conditions. For logistical reasons, the Rocket organization chose to hold the meeting in front of deserted stands.
Only family members of Rocket players were in the arena, scattered in seats located behind the two penalty boxes.
However, with the local opening fast approaching, the team responsible for match entertainment held a dress rehearsal, with commercial breaks planned and enhanced by… a crowd entertainer!
We even heard, before the first throw in, a message serving to give preventive instructions to the spectators!
And of course, people were asked to remove their hats and caps and stand for the playing of the national anthem!
This local opening will take place Friday evening when the Rocket will host the Abbotsford Canucks. The same two teams will face each other the next day, this time in the afternoon.