CLEVELAND – Rafael Harvey Benard managed to celebrate his 50th point of the season – and 51st place – in an unmistakable Laval Rocket 6-0 win over the Cleveland Monsters, on Thursday, in the Major League hockey competition.
Harvey Benard prepared the first net for the match, that of his friend Jean-Sebastien Dea to give the visitors the lead in the first period and access to the prestigious plateau.
Dea opens valves with a precise throw
Laval’s team started the middle half well with three goals in the first six minutes. Alex Belzile, Nate Schnarr and then Brandon Gignac flashed the red light.
Early in the third half, Dia scored his 25th goal of the season with the help of Harvey Benard. Jean-Christophe Baudouin completed the task a few moments later.
Like Harvey Benard, Danic Martell distinguished himself with two passes. Upon returning to the match, Gabriel Burke was awarded an assist. He missed the last three matches due to injury.
Kevin Boleyn held 27 shots for his second close of the season. His counterpart Linden Marshall was less successful, allowing six goals from 29 shots.
The two teams meet again on Saturday in Cleveland. There are seven matches left for Jean-Francois Houle’s team before the playoffs. This will be the fourth duel in a series of five duels on the road.
The rocket, which is second in the Northern Division, is in good shape to begin its journey into the semi-finals of the said division. The top three teams in the division get a ticket to the semi-finals, while those who finish fourth and fifth will face off in a series of up to three matches.
