Latest news with #PascalVincent
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Charlotte breezes to 5-1 victory over Laval Rocket
Article content No longer is it a question of whether the Laval Rocket will win this AHL Eastern Conference final series. Article content Article content Instead, can the Rocket even win a game? That appears unlikely. Article content Laval, a relatively young team, has provided little opposition for the vastly superior, more talented and experienced Charlotte Checkers. Article content Sunday afternoon, in what had to be considered a must-win scenario, the visiting Rocket were nothing but pushovers and totally outclassed yet again. The Checkers skated to an easy 5-1 victory before 8,292 spectators at the Bojangles Coliseum and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-0. Article content Article content On the bright side, for the first time in the series, Laval didn't surrender a shorthanded goal. Small consolation. Article content Article content While the Rocket finished first overall in the league this season, the team has collectively hit a wall. The players and head coach Pascal Vincent simply have no answer and appear unable to stop the bleeding. Article content Laval will attempt to stave off elimination Tuesday night in Charlotte (7 p.m., RDS). Should the visitors somehow triumph, the fifth game would be played in Charlotte on Thursday night. Article content In the opening-round of the 1960 playoffs, Rochester defeated Cleveland. In the 1989 Southern Division final, Adirondack defeated Hershey. The fifth and deciding games were decided in overtime. And in the 2013 Eastern Conference semifinal, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat Providence. Article content Article content Laval hasn't lost three successive games since late November — those three defeats all coming on the road. Article content Riley Bezeau paced Charlotte on Sunday with two goals. Will Lockwood, John Leonard and Sandis Vilmanis also scored. Bezeau, who scored only two goals in 24 regular-season games, now has three alone against Laval. As for Leonard, he continues to lead Charlotte in scoring, with six goals and 10 points in 11 games. Leonard also extended his point streak to seven games, while Lockwood has points in four consecutive games. Article content The Checkers are on a seven-game winning streak, having not lost since May 9. Article content Charlotte broke this game open with four second-period goals. Two were scored within 68 seconds, providing the Checkers with a 3-0 lead. Vincent called a time-out at that juncture in an attempt to settle down his team, but it didn't work. Charlotte added another score, taking a 4-0 lead — the three goals coming in a span of 4:21.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Charlotte breezes to 5-1 victory over Laval Rocket
Laval Rocket By No longer is it a question of whether the Laval Rocket will win this AHL Eastern Conference final series. Instead, can the Rocket even win a game? That appears unlikely. Laval, a relatively young team, has provided little opposition for the vastly superior, more talented and experienced Charlotte Checkers. Sunday afternoon, in what had to be considered a must-win scenario, the visiting Rocket were nothing but pushovers and totally outclassed yet again. The Checkers skated to an easy 5-1 victory before 8,292 spectators at the Bojangles Coliseum and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-0. On the bright side, for the first time in the series, Laval didn't surrender a shorthanded goal. Small consolation. While the Rocket finished first overall in the league this season, the team has collectively hit a wall. The players and head coach Pascal Vincent simply have no answer and appear unable to stop the bleeding. Laval will attempt to stave off elimination Tuesday night in Charlotte (7 p.m., RDS). Should the visitors somehow triumph, the fifth game would be played in Charlotte on Thursday night. Three teams in AHL history have overcome 3-0 deficits. In the opening-round of the 1960 playoffs, Rochester defeated Cleveland. In the 1989 Southern Division final, Adirondack defeated Hershey. The fifth and deciding games were decided in overtime. And in the 2013 Eastern Conference semifinal, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat Providence. Laval hasn't lost three successive games since late November — those three defeats all coming on the road. Riley Bezeau paced Charlotte on Sunday with two goals. Will Lockwood, John Leonard and Sandis Vilmanis also scored. Bezeau, who scored only two goals in 24 regular-season games, now has three alone against Laval. As for Leonard, he continues to lead Charlotte in scoring, with six goals and 10 points in 11 games. Leonard also extended his point streak to seven games, while Lockwood has points in four consecutive games. The Checkers are on a seven-game winning streak, having not lost since May 9. Charlotte broke this game open with four second-period goals. Two were scored within 68 seconds, providing the Checkers with a 3-0 lead. Vincent called a time-out at that juncture in an attempt to settle down his team, but it didn't work. Charlotte added another score, taking a 4-0 lead — the three goals coming in a span of 4:21. 'They got one goal there,' captain Lucas Condotta told the media in Charlotte. 'We had about a five- or six-minute stretch where we gave up a few goals. That kills you in the playoffs. It's hard to dig yourself out of a hole like that. 'It's a different game in the playoffs. We have to regroup for the next game here and figure something out. It's on the guys in the room. We have to get going here. Just believe, that's it.' Following the fourth goal, starting goaltender Cayden Primeau was replaced by Jacob Fowler. It marked the second consecutive game in which Primeau was removed in the second period after being beaten four times; this time on 16 shots in barely more than 25 minutes. Fowler stopped 12 of 13 shots in 34:46. It would appear Vincent has no choice, with the season on the line, but to start Fowler on Tuesday. As for Primeau, a potential restricted free agent this summer, he has done nothing in this series to attract a new franchise. Jared Davidson, on the power play, scored Laval's only goal at 8:49 of the second period, deflecting an Owen Beck shot. 'We don't want to be in this position right now,' Davidson told the media in Charlotte. 'They're playing well (but) we have a little more than we can give. We'll come in (Tuesday) and try to earn another game. No championship team goes through nothing throughout the whole season and the playoffs. Crazier things have been done. We just have to come ready to play.' The Rocket has been outscored 15-4 in the series and has yet to produce the opening goal. Two of the four goals have been scored by defencemen. Charlotte goalie Kaapo Kahkonen has stopped 75 of 79 shots and has now won 16 of his last 20 games, dating back to March 21. Kahkonen played four full NHL seasons with Minnesota and San Jose between 2020-24. The Checkers won the Calder Cup in 2019 and appear headed to the final again. While the Rocket is now 3-2 on the road this post-season and 11-3-1 since Feb. 26, it has never won in Charlotte in five attempts. Laval was without centre and leading playoff scorer Laurent Dauphin, who didn't return after being taken into the boards from behind by defenceman Marek Alscher in the second period of Thursday's second game. He was replaced Sunday by Luke Tuch. The Rocket produced only 23 shots against Kahkonen. Joshua Roy had a team-leading four shots. Florian Xhekaj was a minus-3, while eight others — including defencemen Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, Noel Hoefenmayer and Zack Hayes — were all minus-2. Laval started well, generating the game's first three shots, before defenceman Adam Engstrom lost his check, allowing Bezeau to open the scoring at 9:17. In the period's 12th minute, Alex Barré-Boulet came dangerously close to tying the score, only to hit the post on a breakaway. It was that kind of an afternoon for Laval. And then everything fell apart in the second period.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Laval Rocket down 0-2 in Eastern Association final after loss to Charlotte Checkers
Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent watches play during third period AHL hockey action in Laval, Que., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Trevor Carrick had a goal and two assists, leading the Charlotte Checkers to an easy 5-2 victory over the Laval Rocket on Thursday night at Place Bell. For the second game in a row, the Montreal Canadiens' farm team was unable to battle what a much more experienced and structured team had to offer. The Checkers scored one power-play goal, one shorthanded goal and three even-strength goals, and they physically dominated the Laval team without any real consequences. The best example came when Marek Alscher knocked Laurent Dauphin out with a late check about six feet from the Rocket bench. Dauphin did not return to the game. The Checkers did their job by taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Association final. They will return home for at least the next two games -- three if they suffer a setback. John Leonard, Michael Benning, Will Lockwood, and Riley Bezeau found the back of the net for the visitors. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 22 shots. Noel Hoefenmayer and David Reinbacher replied for the Rocket, who seem to be learning the hard way the basics of the game in the American Hockey League's final four. Cayden Primeau allowed four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Jacob Fowler in the second period. The 20-year-old goaltender allowed one goal on 12 shots. Talk is cheap Hostilities began well before the opening face-off. During warm-ups, several players from both teams exchanged heated words in the middle of the rink, and a few minor stick checks were exchanged. When the game got underway, the Rocket didn't miss a chance to throw checks, each time raising the decibel level in the arena. However, indiscipline crept into the conversation, and the Checkers didn't need much more to seize the momentum. The Laval team killed off the first two minutes of a four-minute penalty to Joshua Roy for high sticking, but Primeau couldn't see anything when Carrick's point shot changed direction off Dauphin's stick. Both teams exchanged golden scoring opportunities early in the second period. Kahkonen stood tall against Jared Davidson, while Primeau shut the door on MacKenzie Entwistle. The Rocket had a chance to tie the game on the power play, but as was the case the night before, the five-on-five attack did more harm than good. Logan Mailloux attempted a deke at the point of entry, but ended up turning the puck over, sending Leonard on a breakaway. Leonard made a deke to beat Primeau and score his second shorthanded goal in 24 hours. That's when it felt like the Checkers had lost all respect for their opponents. Benning dealt a heavy blow to Laval by playing around in the enemy zone before beating Primeau. Just 44 seconds later, Lockwood fired a shot from the right circle and found the back of the net, sending the Rocket goalie out of the game. The North Carolina squad also continued to impose themselves physically, notably with a check on Alscher. Tempers flared and several skirmishes broke out before the end of the second period. The Rocket had a glimmer of hope in the final period when Hoefenmayer fired a shot from the point that slipped past Kahkonen, but Bezeau completed the humiliation by beating Fowler on the blocker side with less than seven minutes remaining. Reinbacher sparked the final celebrations with 59.3 seconds left on the clock. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 30, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Laval Rocket banks on home-ice lift as playoff series hits Place Bell
Laval Rocket By The Rocket played all season to secure home-ice advantage. Now, back in Place Bell, Laval must win two of the next three games against the Rochester Americans. 'You learn from history and we've been playing good in our building all year,' Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent said Tuesday at Place Bell. 'There's no reason for us to believe that we won't, but we're playing against a very good team. If we focus on ourselves, we can compete. It can be really hard to beat us in our building, with our fans, the noise and all the energy that comes from those guys.' After an unusual five-day layoff, the two teams will resume their best-of-five North Division final Wednesday (7 p.m., RDS) with the series tied 1-1. While the Rocket would have preferred to return home ahead 2-0, the team still has a bit of wiggle room. Laval was 24-9-3 this season at home and is 1-1 in the playoffs. The teams will play Game 4 Friday night, while Game 5, if necessary, would be played Sunday afternoon. Vincent wouldn't disclose his starting goaltender for Game 3, but he has been rotating Cayden Primeau and Jacob Fowler. Should that trend continue, it's Primeau's turn. Laval and Rochester were the top two teams in the division, and while the Rocket went 6-1-1 during the regular season against the Americans, two games went to overtime and two others were decided by one goal. Laval won the opening game 5-4 and lost 5-3 Friday, but the final goal was scored into an empty net. The visitors squandered a one-goal lead in the second period that night, allowing Rochester to score in the final minute of that frame and never recovered. Nine goals against in two games — albeit one into an empty net — is unusual for a team that allowed an AHL-low 178 in 72 games. But the Rocket also took a league-high 1,101 penalty minutes and has displayed a lack of discipline at times in this series. Rochester went 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 1 and was 2-for-4 on Friday. That included the winning goal in the third period when Florian Xhekaj was off for goaltender interference. Vincent said Rochester goalie Devon Levi did a good job of selling the contact to the officials. 'They have a good power play and we have to stay more disciplined for sure,' defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon said. 'We can't give them that many opportunities. We also just need to clean some stuff up in our defensive zone. I'm excited for us to bounce back. We've been in close games all year and have learned to never give up. 'I think this is a position we don't mind being in,' added the 32-year-old veteran. 'We've come back to a building that's going to be rocking, fans that are passionate and support us tremendously. If you were to ask me what situation I'd rather be in, being at home in a three-game series is the one you want. We're going to try to use that advantage, come out and play our best hockey. We have to come out businesslike and get the job done. Obviously, if things don't go our way, we're not dead in the water. We still have confidence in ourselves, but (Wednesday) is a big game.' While the Rocket has many veterans, it still remains a relatively young team. Forward Alex Barré-Boulet has the most playoff experience (28 games), six more than Wotherspoon. While both are in their first season with the Canadiens organization, neither has made it beyond the second round of the AHL playoffs. Barré-Boulet was part of the Tampa Bay organization and played for Syracuse, while Wotherspoon received the majority of his experience with Utica (New Jersey Devils). But experience could prove crucial this week. 'This has been a good time to reset,' Barré-Boulet said. 'If we'd have won the first two games, we'd want to play right away. We're ready. We've been a good team at home all year. The crowd's annoying for the other team. We like our odds but, at the same time, we're not going to take anything for granted.' While Barré-Boulet wished he had more playoff experience, he was also one of the extra healthy scratches when the Lightning won its second consecutive Stanley Cup in 2021. He witnessed what it takes to win a championship. 'Our young guys, I think, are mature enough to do the job in the playoffs,' he said. 'If you're not ready (Wednesday) to play the game, you're probably in the wrong business.'
Ottawa Citizen
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Laval Rocket banks on home-ice lift as playoff series hits Place Bell
The Rocket played all season to secure home-ice advantage. Now, back in Place Bell, Laval must win two of the next three games against the Rochester Americans. Article content 'You learn from history and we've been playing good in our building all year,' Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent said Tuesday at Place Bell. 'There's no reason for us to believe that we won't, but we're playing against a very good team. If we focus on ourselves, we can compete. It can be really hard to beat us in our building, with our fans, the noise and all the energy that comes from those guys.' Article content Article content After an unusual five-day layoff, the two teams will resume their best-of-five North Division final Wednesday (7 p.m., RDS) with the series tied 1-1. While the Rocket would have preferred to return home ahead 2-0, the team still has a bit of wiggle room. Article content Article content Laval was 24-9-3 this season at home and is 1-1 in the playoffs. The teams will play Game 4 Friday night, while Game 5, if necessary, would be played Sunday afternoon. Article content Vincent wouldn't disclose his starting goaltender for Game 3, but he has been rotating Cayden Primeau and Jacob Fowler. Should that trend continue, it's Primeau's turn. Article content Laval and Rochester were the top two teams in the division, and while the Rocket went 6-1-1 during the regular season against the Americans, two games went to overtime and two others were decided by one goal. Laval won the opening game 5-4 and lost 5-3 Friday, but the final goal was scored into an empty net. The visitors squandered a one-goal lead in the second period that night, allowing Rochester to score in the final minute of that frame and never recovered. Article content Article content Nine goals against in two games — albeit one into an empty net — is unusual for a team that allowed an AHL-low 178 in 72 games. But the Rocket also took a league-high 1,101 penalty minutes and has displayed a lack of discipline at times in this series. Rochester went 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 1 and was 2-for-4 on Friday. That included the winning goal in the third period when Florian Xhekaj was off for goaltender interference. Article content Vincent said Rochester goalie Devon Levi did a good job of selling the contact to the officials. Article content Article content 'They have a good power play and we have to stay more disciplined for sure,' defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon said. 'We can't give them that many opportunities. We also just need to clean some stuff up in our defensive zone. I'm excited for us to bounce back. We've been in close games all year and have learned to never give up.
