(Laval) Rafaël Harvey-Pinard set up the tying net late in the third period before putting the finishing touches on a tic-tac-toe in overtime and allowing the Laval Rocket to take the measure of the Rochester Americans 4-3 , Friday, in an American Hockey League duel.
Posted yesterday at 10:05 p.m.
The Rocket (33-23-5) took 4and echelon of the North section taking into account this victory and that obtained Wednesday also against the Americans (32-26-9). The Rocket, however, have a handful of games in hand over the Americans (3and rank of the section) and the Crunch (2and).
The Rocket took advantage of a double powerplay to open the scoring. Danick Martel scored his 14and net of the season, as he pushed the disc into a gaping cage. Nate Schnarr and Kevin Roy set up the net.
Sean Malone tied the game early in the middle period for the Americans.
No less than 11 seconds later, Cédric Paquette restored the lead to the Rocket with a wrist shot from the blue line. It is his seventh success in eight games with the Laval team.
Arttu Ruotsalainen has taken matters into his own hands for the Buffalo Sabres farm club. He set up Linus Weissbach’s net before scoring himself and giving the visitors a one-goal priority.
As goaltender Kevin Poulin made his way to the Rocket bench to be replaced by a sixth skater, Sami Niku sent the debate into overtime with a low shot. Jean-Sébastien Dea and Harvey-Pinard were accomplices in the equalizing goal.
The three sidekicks combined their effort in overtime. Dea handed the puck to Niku who arrived in a two-on-one situation. His delivery went under the stick of the opposing defender and dumbfounded the goalkeeper allowing Harvey-Pinard to conclude the sequence.
Poulin made 16 saves in the win.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 40 shots.
Tobie Paquette-Bisson, Alex Belzile and Tory Dello all returned to play with the Rocket.
Lucas Condotta played his first game in a Rocket uniform, he who was signed by the Montreal Canadiens on March 31.
Jean-François Houle’s troop will return to the Place Bell ice in less than 24 hours to face the leaders of the North section, the Utica Comets.