AHL: The Rocket suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Crunch

It’s possible that the Laval Rocket were starting to tire from extra time.

Laval lost 4-3 to the Syracuse Crunch in a shootout on Saturday night, the third straight loss it has suffered after regulation time. Earlier this week, the Rocket suffered two overtime losses to the Rochester Americans.

So, the Rockets have now lost their last five games and the team appears to be plunging into the eye of a difficult weather storm.

“I think we still see progress in our game,” said defender Olivier Galipeau, who is optimistic about the Rockets’ strong comeback. We played 60 minutes of continuous effort, tonight 65 minutes with extra time.

“Everyone talks to the guy sitting next to him. We have good chemistry. It’s just about continuing to improve and eliminating the little mental mistakes like turnovers. »

With a 5-9-4 record, Laval has one of the worst point percentages in the AHL this season.

On Saturday, the Rockets squandered a one-goal lead on two occasions. Riley Kidney and Jan Misak scored in the second straight game, while Brandon Gignac also scored in the loss.

“It’s good to see that we’re competitive,” Galipo said. Last time was a disaster. So, let’s see where we are today, it shows [notre progrès]. »

In the Crunch camp, the scorers were Felix Robert, Mitchell Xavi and Gage Goncalves. Robert finished the match with two points, while Goncalves contributed to his team’s three goals.

Laval cannot maintain its lead

The Crunch quickly set the pace to put itself in the driver’s seat. Just 1:14 into the first period, Robert completed a great pass on the power play to open the scoring with his seventh goal of the season.

But the second half of the clash was up to the Rocket, which seized the opportunity to take the initiative. Klee tied the game first with his second goal in two games, scoring on a wrist shot, then giving Gignac Laval the lead for the first time in the game at the end of the period.

The two teams exchanged goals in the middle of the second half, making the score 3-2 after 40 minutes of play. Xavi initially tied the score with a shot from the mouth of the goal, but Misak scored again, narrowly, with a single goal against the Rockets, also with his second goal in 24 hours.

The Crunch’s power play struck again in the third period. Goncalves fired a lone goal to beat Dobis and tie the game 3-3.

After neither team scored in overtime, no Rocket player was able to score in the shootout. Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell and Mitchell Stevens were frustrated by Matt Tomkins, while Dobbs was beaten by Joe Carroll.

This was the Rockets’ last game of November, as the team would have five days without a game. It will return to action in a doubleheader against the Canucks in Abbotsford, Friday and Saturday.

“It’s not easy. We arrive at our new destination at two or three in the morning. People don’t see it, but we sleep late and wake up early while traveling,” explained Paquette Bisson, who plans to rest this week. »