Laval Edges Rochester 4-3 in Eight-Round Shootout After Physical Battle

Laval survived a bruising test and a marathon shootout, edging Rochester 4-3 after eight rounds when Laurent Dauphin tucked home the decisive penalty shot, Kaapo Kähkönen finishing with 25 saves including six in the shootout. Florian Xhekaj opened the scoring for the Rocket midway through the first period with a redirection from Sean Farrell and David Reinbacher.

The game set a physical tone early: Mešár drew an early penalty that produced Laval’s first power play, and Alex Belzile nearly converted a cross-crease feed to Samuel Blais. Tyler Thorpe’s minor for taking down Jagger Joshua created 44 seconds of penalty killing late in the first, and Laval went to the first intermission up 1-0 after fending off that sequence.

Rochester responded in the second period. Riley Fiddler-Schultz levelled the game 1-1 at 0:59 of the second on a centering feed from Jones, then Sammy Blais restored Laval’s lead with a power-play goal at about 9:18. Olivier Nadeau answered for Rochester later in the frame, and a pair of penalties to Florian Xhekaj and Marc Del Gaizo handed Rochester a five-on-three that Konsta Helenius finished with a one-timer at roughly 14:17, putting the Americans ahead 3-2.

Marc Del Gaizo tied the game 3-3 at 6:17 of the third period, finishing a push that included a threaded pass from Belzile to David Reinbacher that was nudged wide earlier in the stanza. Laval continued to press — Belzile picked off a clearing attempt and unleashed a slapshot that produced no rebound — but neither side could break the deadlock in regulation or overtime.

The shootout stretched to eight rounds, with Konsta Helenius and Rathbone scoring for Rochester and Alex Belzile and J. Roy finding the net for Laval in the early rounds. Kähkönen enjoyed a moment of fortune when Riley Fiddler-Schultz’s attempt struck the post, and on the very next try Laurent Dauphin converted to end the eight-round marathon. Habseyesontheprize, Flashscore and team accounts list the extended shootout sequence and Dauphin as the decisive shooter.

Beyond the box score, the game illustrated several AHL dynamics: special teams decided large portions of the contest with power-play goals by Blais and Helenius and a five-on-three swing that changed momentum; Kähkönen’s performance, noted by the Rochester site as his fourth straight win against the Amerks and recorded as 25 saves including six in the shootout, underscores goaltending’s value as NHL clubs monitor AHL form. The contest also drew a strong in-arena crowd at Place Bell, where Flashscore recorded attendance of 10,243 and listed FloHockey as the broadcaster for U.S. and Canadian viewers, signaling continued appetite for midweek AHL drama.

Florian Xhekaj finished with a multi-point night (1+1 per the Amerks recap), while Samuel Blais and Marc Del Gaizo supplied regulation goals for Laval. The Rocket now turn their attention to Utica on Friday, March 13, while the Americans have a trip to Utica on Wednesday, March 11, giving both clubs quick chances to follow up after an evening that provided theater, physicality and a reminder that AHL outcomes can hinge on single moments in shootouts.