The Laval Rocket ended a two-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Both Laval goals came while the team was short-handed: Jared Davidson tied the game in the second period, and Xavier Simoneau scored the winner in the third. Kevin Mandolese stopped 10 of 11 shots, and the Rocket moved to 8-3-0 after losing 4-2 in Calgary on Thursday.
A Scoreless First Period
Laval controlled the start and outshot Calgary 6-2 in the first period, but the game stayed 0-0. The Rocket kept the pressure on in the second, outshooting the Wranglers 12-7, and still found themselves behind. Alex Nylander scored at 6:00 for his fourth goal of the season, with assists from Luke Philp and Mike Benning, to make it 1-0 Calgary.
Three Fights and a Short-Handed Goal
The game turned physical in the middle of the second period. Three fights broke out in a span of 40 seconds: Tyler Thorpe against Axel Hurtig at 9:53, Braden Haché against Brayden Pachal at 9:56, and Alex Belzile against Dryden Hunt at 10:33. The Rocket answered on the scoreboard a few minutes later. With Brett Berard in the penalty box for interference, Jared Davidson scored short-handed at 14:59, his first goal of the season, on a play set up by Laurent Dauphin and David Reinbacher. It was 1-1 after two periods.
Simoneau Wins It Short-Handed
Laval took the lead in the third period in the same way. Hunter McKown went to the box for hooking at 7:03, and at 8:27 Xavier Simoneau scored his fourth goal of the season, unassisted and again short-handed, to make it 2-1. Calgary managed only two shots on goal in the third period and pulled goalie Kirill Zarubin for the extra attacker late, but Kevin Mandolese and the Rocket defense held on.
The Numbers
| Team | Shots by period | Total | Power play | Penalty minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laval Rocket | 6 – 12 – 10 | 28 | 0 for 4 | 29 |
| Calgary Wranglers | 2 – 7 – 2 | 11 | 0 for 4 | 29 |
Laval outshot Calgary 28-11 and still needed two short-handed goals to win, because neither team scored on the power play. Mandolese stopped 10 of 11 shots (.909) in the win, and Zarubin stopped 26 of 28 (.929) for Calgary. Attendance was 3,483.
Who Stood Out
Davidson was named the first star and Simoneau the second, and Calgary defenseman Jake Livingstone took the third. Laurent Dauphin had an assist and four shots on goal and now has 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) this season. David Reinbacher, who is with the Rocket, picked up an assist, finished plus-2 and put two shots on net. Alex Belzile also had four shots on goal, along with his fight, and the Rocket finished the day with 29 penalty minutes, the same as Calgary.
The win answers the Thursday loss in Calgary and gives Laval a result built on penalty killing and goaltending. Two short-handed goals in one game are rare, and the way the Rocket reacted after the second-period fights shows a team that did not lose its focus.
Sources: official AHL statistics.
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