(Laval) Mattias Norlinder scored his first American Hockey League (AHL) goal and the Laval Rocket claimed a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose on Wednesday.
Kevin Roy had two points in the victory, including the game-winning goal early in the third period.
This is a third straight win for the Rocket (14-6-1-0). Goalkeeper Cayden Primeau made 39 saves.
In the Moose camp (9-10-2-0), this defeat comes to end a series of four consecutive victories. The team had also won eight of their last ten games.
Alex Belzile gave the Laval Rocket a 1-0 lead at the very end of the first period. He surprised goalkeeper Mikhail Berdin with a wrist shot during a counterattack. His third goal of the season.
The Moose tied the game with a power play early in the second period. Primeau thought he had stopped the puck on an outside shot, but it was sliding slowly down his semicircle as Jeff Malott rushed to push it into the net.
Then, again at the end of the period, the Rocket regained their lead by one goal, taking advantage of a power play in turn. It was defenseman Norlinder who moved the ropes with a wrist shot from the blue line that slipped through traffic into the net.
In the third period, Kevin Roy struck at 5:42 to give the Rocket a two-goal lead. Which ultimately turned out to be the winning goal.
David Gustafsson closed the gap late in the game after the Moose pulled his goalie in favor of a sixth skater, but it was too little too late.