The Laval Rocket picked up a point but lost the game. Zayde Wisdom scored 1:05 into overtime on Wednesday night at Place Bell, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms beat the Rocket 5-4 after Laval had rallied from behind twice in regulation. Filip Mešár scored twice, David Reinbacher and Laurent Dauphin each scored once, and Xavier Simoneau added three assists. It was not enough to hold off a Phantoms team that kept answering.
How the Game Unfolded
The Rocket got the first goal at 4:56 of the opening period. Simoneau worked the puck around the Phantoms net and fed Reinbacher at the point. His wrist shot did not look dangerous, but it found its way through traffic as Dillan Bentley screened the goalie from the top of the crease. It was 1-0 Laval.
Lehigh Valley tied it 79 seconds into the second period. Helge Grans shot from the point, Kevin Mandolese could not control the rebound, and Zach Aston-Reese tapped it in after slipping away from Brett Berard. Head coach Daniel Jacob called a timeout a few minutes later, and the Rocket responded. At 9:47, Mešár found open ice in front and beat Carson Bjarnason, with Dauphin getting the assist.
The lead lasted nine seconds. Reinbacher made a turnover behind his own net while the goal announcement was still playing, Noah Powell picked it up and scored, and it was 2-2. Instead of sagging, the Rocket took over the game. They fired the next 14 shots, and Dauphin finished the run with a goal at 18:37 on a pass from Simoneau to make it 3-2.
The third period started the same way the second had. Spencer Gill scored his first AHL goal 1:28 in on a shot that handled well off his stick, and it was 3-3. At 7:38, on a Phantoms power play, Alex Bump found a lane and put Lehigh Valley ahead 4-3.
The Rocket did not fold. Simoneau, in his second effort on the play, got the puck to Mešár, who beat Bjarnason top corner at 10:00 for his second of the night and made it 4-4. Neither team scored the rest of regulation, and in overtime the Phantoms countered quickly. Wisdom shot through a screen in front of Mandolese at 1:05 for the winner.
Why the Rocket Gave It Away
Look at when the goals went in. Lehigh Valley scored at 1:19 of the second period, nine seconds after a Rocket goal, and at 1:28 of the third. Three of the Phantoms’ five goals came within moments of a Rocket goal or an intermission. That is a focus problem, not a talent problem. After a goal for, a team has to play the next shift simple: get pucks deep, change on the fly, and do not take a risk behind your own net. The Reinbacher turnover is the textbook example. He scored the opening goal, then handed the Phantoms the tying goal. It is a young defenseman’s mistake, and the lesson is to move the puck up the wall when the forecheck is on.
The overtime goal was the same story. A counterattack that did not look threatening turned into the winner because nobody took away the shooting lane or cleared the screen in front of the goalie. In 3-on-3, you do not give up the middle.
Shots, Special Teams and Goaltending
| Laval Rocket | Lehigh Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots on goal | 29 | 28 |
| Goalie | Mandolese: 23 saves on 28 shots (.821) | Bjarnason: 25 saves on 29 shots (.862) |
| Power play | 0 for 2 | 1 for 4 |
| Penalty minutes | 12 | 8 |
Source: AHL official game summary (final: Lehigh Valley 5, Laval 4 in overtime).
The Rocket outshot the Phantoms 29-28, so this was not a game they lost on the shot clock. The difference was special teams. Laval went 0 for 2 on the power play, while Bump’s goal on Lehigh Valley’s fourth power play of the night put the visitors ahead. The Rocket took six penalties to the Phantoms’ four, including four minutes for Sasha Pastujov, and a team that wants to stay on top of its division cannot give an opponent that many chances. Mandolese made some strong saves early but struggled on a night when screens and rebounds hurt him.
Who Stood Out
Filip Mešár scored twice and was a +2. His second goal was a clean shot into the top corner, and that makes 5 goals and 8 points in 12 games for the 21-year-old winger. Xavier Simoneau had three assists and was on the ice for the Rocket’s best stretches. Laurent Dauphin had a goal and an assist, and his 12 assists give him 14 points in 12 games, second on the team behind Luke Mittelstadt. The line of Mešár, Dauphin and Simoneau was on the ice for three of the four Rocket goals and all three finished plus-2. David Reinbacher scored for the second time this season, but he will want the turnover back.
Standings and What Is Next
Laval is now 8-3-1 and leads the North Division with 17 points, two ahead of the Toronto Marlies (15 points, same number of games). Lehigh Valley is 5-5-1. The Rocket stay home this weekend for two games against the Cleveland Monsters at Place Bell: Friday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET and Saturday, November 7 at 3:00 p.m. ET. They then visit Syracuse on Wednesday, November 11.
Sources: AHL game center and official game summary; RDS (La Presse Canadienne).
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