Riley Kidney scored with 1:07 left in regulation and the Laval Rocket beat the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-3 on Friday.
Brandon Gignac, Lucas Condotta and Jan Mysak also found the back of the net for the Rocket. Goaltender Jakub Dobes was solid for his team, blocking 42 shots.
Samu Tuomaala, Wade Allison and Emil Andrea scored the goals for the Phantoms, who controlled the game for the majority of the game. Cal Petersen made 20 saves.
The Phantoms applied pressure from the start of the game and scored 3:06 into the game.
William Trudeau was chased for a stick hit, while the Rocket tried to defend his zone and Tuomaala scored his seventh goal of the season, less than a minute later. Andrea and Cooper Marody got the assists.
Dobes then made a nice save against Adam Brooks, as the Phantoms pulled up two on one.
The second period got off to a bad start for the Rocket, who conceded a goal 13 seconds into the game. Allison rushed into the zone, rushing towards the boards, and then fired a perfect shot that beat Dobes over the ‘left shoulder.
The animosity escalated after the Phantoms’ second goal. Riley McKay was sent off for four minutes following a hit and his altercation with Marody.
Nolan Yaremko and Garrett Wilson then fought after a check from behind by Yaremko on Allison.
The Phantoms once again found themselves on the power play when Gabriel Bourque was punished for tripping. With just under 11 minutes left in the second period, Dobes stole a goal from the Phantoms by falling to the ice while moving to his right.
His save seemed to give energy to his team. In the following moments, Gignac put pressure on enemy territory and reduced the gap, with a shorthanded goal at 10:05 of play.
Just over a minute later, Condotta tied the game with a quick shot.
With 3:25 left in the second period, Andrea gave the Phantoms the lead again, on the power play, with the help of a good wrister that beat Dobes on the side of the shield.
No fewer than 26 penalty minutes were awarded in the second period.
Mysak made it 3-3 at 7:14 in the third period, with him positioned in front of the net.
Dobes stood out with a glove save during a two-on-one for the Phantoms in the seconds following Mysak’s goal.
The Rocket took advantage of a numerical advantage at the end of the third period. Kidney gave his team the lead for the first time in the game, with 1:07 remaining, when he took advantage of a bouncing puck to shoot through traffic and beat the Phantoms goaltender, who never saw the puck coming.
