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.