Story by Matt Yidcombe
The Belleville Senators scored three goals in the second period as they beat the Laval Rocket 4-1 Friday night at Place Bell for their third straight victory.
Belleville had goals from Gabriel Gagne (2), Jordan Murray and Mike Blunden while Danny Taylor won his third straight start by making 36 saves. Adam Cracknell scored for Laval while Charlie Lindgren made just six saves before being pulled in favour of Michael McNiven who stopped 11 shots.
The opening goal of the night was originally credited to a returning Ethan Werek, who had been a healthy scratch the last two games, but instead went the way of Gagne whose long-ranged shot at 5:33 of the first made it 1-0 Belleville.
But it was the second period where the Sens exploded as they pushed their lead to 2-0 on Murray’s sixth of the season as his shot from the blue line found its way past traffic – and Lindgren – at 3:01.
After Nick Paul and Jeremy Gregoire dropped the gloves off of the ensuing face-off, which saw both players receive game misconducts, the Belleville lead was 3-0 only 55 seconds later as captain Blunden deposited a pass from behind the net by Jim O’Brien past Lindgren for his fifth of the campaign.
Gagne, who ended a 12-game scoreless drought with his first goal of the night, patiently skated into the Rocket offensive zone before pulling off a toe-drag and ripping a wrist shot past Lindgren at 9:48 for a 4-0 lead and chasing the Laval goalie from the game.
Cracknell’s 15th of the season, and 13th with Laval, came 2:15 into the third period as he beat Taylor after Matt Taormina shot the puck off the boards.
Sens defenceman Max Lajoie left the game in the third period after an awkward fall into the boards. The three-game winning streak for the Sens matches their season high.
Belleville is back in action tonight (Saturday) in the second half of a home-and-home with Laval on Country Night where local artists Tyler Wilkinson and Brandon Scott will both perform. Tickets are available by clicking here.
Puck drop is 7 o’clock at the Yardmen. Broadcast time on CJBQ is 6:50.
