(Syracuse) Félix Robert and Mitchell Chaffee both collected a goal and an assist and the Syracuse Crunch easily dominated the Laval Rocket 5-0 on Saturday night.
It was a reunion for head coach Joël Bouchard, who led the Rocket from 2018 to 2021. His new formation gave no chance to that of his former colleague Jean-François Houle.
Ilya Usau, Declan Carlile and Daniel Walcott also moved the ropes for the Crunch (4-2-0), which ended a streak of two losses.
Although little threatened, Pyotr Kochetkov was able to stand out by blocking 19 pucks. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect, who was loaned to the Tampa Bay Lightning farm club, recorded his first shutout this season.
The defense and indiscipline of the Rocket (1-5-1) once again cost the Laval squad dearly, who suffered a third consecutive defeat.
Strauss Mann got the start for the worst defense in the American Hockey League and gave up five times on 23 shots.
The Montreal Canadiens’ farm club will now return home to host the Utica Comets on Wednesday evening.
Both teams started the match in rhythm, but it was the Crunch who struck first.
Devante Stephens collected the puck along the boards and saw Usau in front of the net. The Belarusian took a good, lively shot that beat Mann on the blocker’s side.
The Rocket seemed a little shaken by this goal and he played sluggishly in his territory. Gabriel Fortier handed the puck to Walcott, who took advantage of the screen provided by defender Jayden Struble to hit the target.
The Crunch kept their foot on the accelerator at the end of the first period and during the second third. He manhandled the visitors in all aspects of the game, until he added a third goal.
During a power play, Gage Goncalves and Robert worked well with the puck. Chaffee finally gained possession near the net and beat Mann between the pads.
First on the puck, Joël Bouchard’s men started the last twenty in style. With the one-player advantage, Carlile threaded the needle with a shot from the point that Mann didn’t quite see due to Usau’s work in front of him.
To add, after wasting a power play opportunity, the Rocket let Max Crozier and Robert go two-on-one. The last completed the maneuver to bring the score to 5-0.