The Laval Rocket answered Friday’s 2-0 shutout loss in a big way. On Saturday afternoon at Place Bell, they beat the Syracuse Crunch 6-1, outshooting them 33-24 and scoring three times on the power play.
Sasha Pastujov led the way with two goals and an assist, and Reilly Walsh finished with four points from the blue line. Both teams now sit at 1-1-0.
A Slow Start, Then the Floodgates
The Rocket controlled the opening period and outshot the Crunch 10-6, but a Vincent Arseneau interference penalty at 6:04 changed the script. Maxim Groshev scored on the ensuing power play at 7:21 with a harmless-looking shot that found its way through traffic, and Syracuse took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission despite being outplayed for most of it.
Laval did not stay behind for long. Reilly Walsh tied the game just 47 seconds into the second period, the Rocket’s first goal of the season. Pastujov put the Rocket in front on the power play at 4:31 with what turned out to be the game-winner, with Alex Belzile and Walsh picking up the assists, and Brett Berard made it 3-1 at 9:12 after beating two Syracuse defenders at the blue line and finishing glove side. David Reinbacher and Luke Mittelstadt had the helpers on that goal.
The Power Play Finishes the Job
The third period was all Rocket. Pastujov scored his second of the game on the power play at 15:10, set up by Mittelstadt and Walsh. Alex Belzile added an empty-netter at 16:41, and Samuel Poulin closed the scoring on yet another power play at 18:20, with Berard and Walsh assisting. Laval finished 3-for-5 with the man advantage, while Syracuse went 1-for-4.
Walsh had a hand in every power-play goal, adding three assists to his early second-period goal for a four-point night and a +1 rating. Mittelstadt collected three assists, and Berard and Belzile each had a goal and an assist. Pastujov, who fired seven of Laval’s 33 shots, was named first star.
Fowler Holds the Line
Jacob Fowler did what he did on Friday: kept his team in it. He stopped 23 of 24 shots (.958) on Saturday after making 29 saves on 31 shots in the opener, which puts him at 52 stops on 55 shots (.945) through two games. At the other end, Olivier Rodrigue stopped 27 of 32 shots (.844) before Laval added the empty-netter.
Tempers Boil Over
It was not a quiet afternoon. Tyler Thorpe and Jarred Tinordi dropped the gloves late in the first period, and a scrum broke out right after Belzile’s empty-netter in the third. Clark Bishop and Laurent Dauphin fought, and misconducts went to Dylan Duke and Lucas Mercuri for Syracuse and to Reinbacher and Xavier Simoneau for Laval. The Crunch finished with 44 penalty minutes to the Rocket’s 42.
What’s Next
Laval now heads out on the road. The Rocket’s next game is Saturday, October 10 at Springfield (6:05 p.m. ET), followed by a stop in Hartford on Sunday, October 11. The Crunch return to Place Bell on Wednesday, October 21. For every number from this game, see the official AHL box score.
Coach’s Take
This is the version of the Rocket we wanted to see on opening night. The new additions are starting to produce, the power play came alive, and Fowler gives this team a chance to win every night he plays. The penalty minutes are the one thing to watch, because Daniel Jacob will not want to live in the box all season. Still, a 6-1 answer after a 2-0 shutout is exactly how you start a season.
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