The Laval Rocket could count on the returns of Brandon Gignac and Sean Farrell to boost their attack, but the Toronto Marlies and a former color man from the Montreal Canadiens' farm club prevailed 4-1 at Place Bell on Friday night.
Joseph Blandisi really hurt his former team with a hat-trick. The one who wore the Rocket jersey in 2020 and 2021 punished the home team by hitting the target twice on the power play. He then finished the job by shooting into the empty net.
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The Rocket players faced quite a challenge with the return of Joseph Woll to the game. The American didn't play in the American League this year, but the Maple Leafs sent him to their farm club so he could get back into shape.
His final game came on December 7, when he suffered a severe ankle sprain against the Ottawa Senators. The 25-year-old goaltender posted an 8-5-1 record, a goals-against average of 2.80 and a save percentage of .916 in the National League this season.
Only Lias Andersson was able to thwart him, and just barely. At the end of the first third, the Swede accepted Xavier Simoneau's great pass and shot from point-blank range. After the puck was partially stopped, it came to rest near the red line and the referees awarded the goal.
It was the only mistake down the stretch for Woll, who made 36 saves. His opponent Jakub Dobes wasn't quite as stable and fired three of 28 shots.
Gignac, the Rockets' leading scorer this season, is back in the American League after being granted a waiver by the CH on Thursday. Unclaimed, he reported to Laval just in time to face the Marlies. Farrell, meanwhile, had not played since his injury on January 7th.
The two rival teams will meet again on Saturday afternoon.