The Rocket loses in overtime
The Laval Rocket was just minutes away from winning, but they finally lost 2-1 in overtime against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday at the MassMutual Center.
It was former Montreal Canadiens Matthew Peca who closed the debate in the first overtime. The pivot came alone in front of the net and fired a quick shot into the crease.
The “T-Birds” take the lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Defenseman Brady Lyle tied the game with less than three minutes left in regulation when a shot from the blue line deflected past Primeau.
We were expecting a goalkeeper duel between the latter and Joel Hofer and that’s exactly what we got. Primeau stopped 37 of 39 shots, while the St. Louis Blues farm gatekeeper made 41 saves.
It was Danick Martel, author of several important goals since the start of the spring tournament, who broke the deadlock in the second period. While defender Tyler Tucker had ventured into opposing territory, Brandon Gignac spotted Martel, who was coming at full speed into the enemy zone. He outspeeded Hofer to score his seventh spring goal.
The T-Birds swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Charlotte Checkers back to back to open the playoffs. They thus remain undefeated since the start of the playoff tournament.
The Rocket and the Thunderbirds will only be entitled to a few hours of rest before crossing swords again in Springfield on Sunday.
