The Amerks and Rockets played a classic game that took several overtimes before Laval won the sweep.
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It’s not hard to identify the mood of skating on Wednesday morning. The LaVar Rockets were in high spirits as Game 3 loomed in downtown Rochester. Winning streak in Laval, they took full control of the series and tried to end the game against the Americans.
Head coach J.-F. Haller kept his winning lineup, once again opting for a traditional lineup of 12 forwards and 6 guards. Game 2 hero Lucas Condotta was again nominated for the 12th forward.
In front of a hostile crowd in Rochester, the Rockets didn’t get off to a great start as the Amerx took an early lead. Cédric Paquette tried to steer the puck behind his net but the ball bounced off the side of the goal. Mark Jankowski jumped on the error and fired into Primo’s lead with just 64 seconds to go.
The missile shrugged off an earlier stumbling block and launched an attack on American networks. All four lines spun and slammed on goalkeeper Aaron Dyer, who saved seven shots in a row before the puck finally left the zone more than moments later.
When that happened, the Rockets faced an early penalty when Xavier Ouellet was called for a counter-check from below the goal line. While penalties had been a strong point in previous games, JJ Peterka was quick to finish, scoring with just over 30 seconds remaining to double Rochester’s lead.
The Rockets had to turn things around and get a chance when Ryan MacInnis found Sami Niku from behind and gave Laval her first power play of the night . Time and time again, the Rockets fired chances but failed to throw forward rebounds as the Americans did a good job of clearing the goalie’s overflow.
LaVar didn’t let up at the end of the third quarter when Alex Berziller pitted for a late hook shot for the Rockets. The missile escaped without further damage thanks to some glitches in Dale’s handling of the puck behind the net, and some timely saves from Primeau. The last nudge from the Rockets came close, but J.-S. Dea couldn’t put the puck in when the horn sounded to end the first quarter.
For the first time in the series, all of the series had an impact on the Rockets as they entered the second phase. Their passing intent was correct, but when they tried to attack a team waiting for a turnover, it was all just a hair. Primeau is keen to bridge those moments, while at the other end Dell continues to frustrate Lav
