
Rocket Give up Three-Goal Lead in Final Period, Lose 5- 4 in OT against Senators
February 1, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Laval Rocket News Release
LAVAL - In their second back-to-back tilt, the Laval Rocket and the Belleville Senators offered another exciting game in front of 7613 fans at Place Bell on Saturday night. The Rocket held a commanding 4-1 lead in the final frame, but the Senators climbed their way back up to capture the 5-4 victory in overtime.
Phil Varone (1 G, 1 A), Riley Barber (1 G, 1 A) and Xavier Ouellet (2 A) earned two points each in the loss. Varone has tallied nine points (4 G, 5 A) in his last eight outings. In his first game in the American Hockey League, Jesperi Kotkaniemi registered an assist.
Through 40 minutes of play, the Senators dominated the shot clock 26 to 12. However, the Rocket were opportunistic, tallying the first of the game in the second stanza off the stick of Jake Evans, who leads the team with 31 points. On a two-on-one down low, the centreman accepted a backhand pass from Kevin Lynch before placing the puck past Filip Gustavsson. The Senators tied the game with a goal from Michael Carcone but the Rocket were up 2-1 after 40 minutes of play when Phil Varone notched a powerplay marker.
Brimming with confidence, the home side took a 4-1 lead in the third period. Early on, Riley Barber tipped in Xavier Ouellet's bullet from the blue line. Charles Hudon then connected for his 21st goal of the season, scoring from the right faceoff circle on the man advantage. The Senators battled back though, scoring three goals off the sticks of Logan Brown, Josh Norris and Rudolfs Balcers, the latter of which came with 8.2 seconds left in the tilt. Jordan Murray sealed the win for the Senators in overtime.
"It is always better to play in a packed barn and the atmosphere this weekend was awesome. It was really fun when we were scoring goals. Our fans know hockey really well and they know that there is a lot of hockey left. I thank them for coming and it's not over yet," said Riley Barber after the game.
Marqueurs/Scorers
LAV: Evans (Lynch, Veilleux) | Varone (Barber, Alain) | Barber (Ouellet, Varone) | Hudon (Ouellet, Kotkaniemi)
BEL: Carcone (Formenton, Norris) | Brown (Murray) | Norris (Formenton, Carcone) | Balcers (Norris, Brannstrom) | Murray (Formenton)
Unités spéciales/Special teams
LAV | AN/PP: 2/3 | IN/PK: 6/6
BEL | AN/PP: 0/6 | IN/PK: 1/3
Gardiens/Goaltenders
LAV: Kinkaid (32/37) | BEL: Gustavsson (18/22)
Trois étoiles/Three stars
1. Murray - BEL 2. Ouellet - LAV 3. Varone - LAV
American Hockey League Stories from February 1, 2020
- Condors Turned Away up the 99 - Bakersfield Condors
- Czarnik Leads Heat to 4-1 Win over Condors - Stockton Heat
- Sens Complete Wild Comeback in Laval - Belleville Senators
- Wolves Slow Manitoba - Chicago Wolves
- Rocket Give up Three-Goal Lead in Final Period, Lose 5- 4 in OT against Senators - Laval Rocket
- Reign Rally Catches San Diego in OT - Ontario Reign
- Holmstrom nets shootout winner to snap four-game slide - Bridgeport Islanders
- Gulls Edged in OT - San Diego Gulls
- Penguins Lose to Sound Tigers in Shootout, 3-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Amerks Win Fifth Straight in Binghamton - Rochester Americans
- Studnicka Notches Four Points as Providence Bruins Defeat Syracuse Crunch, 6-2 - Providence Bruins
- Berube Backstops 3-0 Shutout at Hershey - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Bednard Blanks Wolf Pack Before Sold out "What If?" Night Crowd - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Bednard Stops Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Admirals Score Seven in Win over Hogs - Milwaukee Admirals
- Crunch Fall to Bruins, 6-2 - Syracuse Crunch
- Bears Blanked on Home Ice by Phantoms - Hershey Bears
- Amerks Squeeze Out 3-2 Win Over Devils - Binghamton Devils
- Special-Teams Strikes Help Checkers Snap Skid - Charlotte Checkers
- Pickard Returns to Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Special Teams Lead Monsters to 3-2 Victory over Comets - Cleveland Monsters
- Comets Fall Victim To Monsters' Special Teams - Utica Comets
- Game 42 Preview: Colorado at Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Rochester Americans Game Preview: Saturday, February 1, 2020 at Binghamton Devils - Rochester Americans
- Heat Return from Break against Bakersfield - Stockton Heat
- Coyotes Recall Capobianco from Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Next Gen Takes over as Marlies Host Checkers - Toronto Marlies
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators at Rocket, February 1 - Belleville Senators
- Game Preview: Bears vs. Phantoms, 7 PM - Hershey Bears
- Blue Jackets Recall Defenseman Andrew Peeke from Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Reign Outlast Bakersfield, 4-3 - Ontario Reign
- Sherwood's Hat Trick Paces Gulls to 5-3 Victory - San Diego Gulls
- Sherwood's Hat-Trick Leads Gulls Past Barracuda, 5-3 - San Jose Barracuda
- Chaotic Seven-Goal Second Period Leaves Tucson One Short - Tucson Roadrunners
- Record Crowd Sees Condors Comeback Fall Short, 4-3 - Bakersfield Condors
- Iowa Hands Grand Rapids 4-1 Loss Friday - Iowa Wild
- Rocket Outshoot Senators 43-17, Lose 4-3 - Laval Rocket
- Shootout Goes Moose Way - Manitoba Moose
- Amerks Double up Crunch for Fourth Straight Win - Rochester Americans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Laval Rocket Stories
- Laval Rocket Announce Broadcast Schedule for the 2021-22 Season
- Rocket Announce 2021-22 Season Schedule
- The New Leader: Jean-François Houle
- Jean-François Houle Appointed Head Coach of the Laval Rocket
- Rocket Agree to Terms on a One-Year, Two-Way AHL Contract with Justin Ducharme

