Rocket Start With a Bang

The countdown is over.

Everything went according to plan with the official launching of the Laval Rocket tonight as the club soared to a 3-0 victory over the Belleville Senators in front of a full house at Place Bell.

The stars starred, the goalie pitched a shutout, and a popular young francophone scored the first-ever goal in franchise history, so the 10,000 fans who watched their inaugural Laval AHL game left with a smile on their faces.

Montreal’s management team in attendance must have also been happy with what they saw because all of the top prospects were strong in this contest.

Charlie Lindgren looked like he was ready to supplant Al Montoya as Carey Price’s backup in Montreal’s training camp as he frankly outplayed the NHL veteran.  If he keeps playing like he did opening night, stopping all 26 shots he faced in a flawless performance, and Montoya’s struggles continue, he’ll get an NHL call soon enough.

The top line of Chris Terry, Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak was dominant for much of the game, particularly in the first period when Scherbak and McCarron put on a show for several shifts when the puck rarely left the Belleville zone.