On Friday evening, the Laval Rocket hosted their home opener at Place Bell against the Syracuse Crunch, celebrating with a Fan Jam and the traditional pre-game ceremony introducing local players.
Alex Barré-Boulet, who had recently cleared waivers after being released by Laval, quickly made his mark by scoring his first goal for the Rocket. He capitalized on a turnover caused by Brandon Gignac with just over a minute left in the first period, putting the puck in the net against his former team.
Shortly after, Vincent Arseneau fought Kale Kessy but had to stop due to a dislocated finger, which he attempted to pop back into place himself — quite painful!
After the Crunch equalized in the second period, Joshua Roy reclaimed the lead for the Rocket with a power-play goal, marking his first of the season, with Barré-Boulet assisting. The match was tight at a 2-2 tie going into the third, but Roy scored again with another power-play goal, allowing the Rocket to regain the lead for the third time.
The Laval team maintained their advantage as Barré-Boulet scored again, bringing his total to two goals and four points for the game, with assists from Joshua and Gignac. Aside from one fight, the rest of the game was relatively uneventful, resulting in a successful comeback for the Rocket!
In NCAA news, two Canadiens prospects also had notable performances on Friday night. Jacob Fowler achieved a shutout in Boston College’s 5-0 win against American International College, making 20 saves for his second shutout of the season in just three games. Meanwhile, Michael Hage scored a stunning goal in the University of Michigan’s 3-0 victory over St. Cloud State. The game remained close until the third period, when Michigan’s forwards netted three unanswered goals. Hage’s impressive feint led to his team’s second goal, bringing his total to seven points, four of which are goals, in five games played so far.
