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“I believe we spent lots of vitality making an attempt to make that push for the playoffs,” Jean-François Houle mentioned, a day after being eradicated from AHL postseason play.
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Following one of the crucial agonizing defeats of his teaching profession, mixed with a brief evening’s sleep, Jean-François Houle awoke to search out the solar, certainly, was shining once more Saturday morning.
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However that didn’t make Friday evening’s 2-1 time beyond regulation defeat at Utica to the Comets any simpler for Houle and the Laval Rocket to digest. Not solely did Utica sweep the best-of-three collection, the Comets scored the tying objective with two seconds remaining in regulation time earlier than requiring lower than three minutes of time beyond regulation to supply the winner, which appeared inevitable, given the house workforce’s domination.
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“It’s a troublesome one to swallow,” Houle mentioned Saturday afternoon at Place Bell after conducting exit conferences together with his gamers. “It’s by no means enjoyable when you could have the lead they usually rating with two seconds to go. For certain it was a heartbreaker. However that’s hockey. It occurs generally. I assumed our gamers fought a reasonably good struggle all through the final month.”
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The top of the season at all times is bittersweet for a corporation, win or lose. Regardless of ending fifth within the North Division, Laval had excessive hopes for an prolonged playoff run, with the Rocket compelled to win eight of its closing 9 video games simply to qualify for the post-season. However it appeared that elixir ran dry towards the disciplined Comets. Laval was outscored 6-1 over two video games and defenceman Frédéric Allard produced the one objective.
The entire Rockets’ offensive weapons — main scorer Anthony Richard, Canadiens’ rookie sensation Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylönen and Emil Heineman — constantly fired blanks.
And, though goaltender Cayden Primeau delivered a efficiency for the ages Friday evening, going through 34 photographs — seven alone in time beyond regulation — it took multiple participant to diffuse the Comets.
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Laval had its share of late-season accidents, together with first-line centre and 20-goal scorer Mitchell Stephens, however Houle admitted his membership wasn’t constructed for the playoffs.
“I believe we spent lots of vitality making an attempt to make that push for the playoffs,” Houle mentioned. “The emotion was actually excessive. We solely had one objective in two video games. That actually damage. I believe psychological fatigue set in as effectively.
“I don’t suppose we had been constructed for the playoffs; all you guys may see that. I’m not going to sit down right here and say we had been constructed for the playoffs. We’re younger on defence. On the left facet, we had three 20 yr olds. Within the playoffs (particularly) within the AHL, if you wish to go far, you want some veteran presence and also you want some dimension. Our workforce gave the whole lot that they had. For the workforce we had, we competed onerous. However you want some dimension on the fourth line. There’s lots of issues we had been lacking.
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“However this can be a developmental league.”
And the Rocket gamers, younger and outdated, shall be enriched from the experiences they lived over the past month.
There clearly shall be adjustments between now and September coaching camp. The Rocket shall be youthful subsequent season, with quite a few prospects set to permeate the workforce, Houle acknowledged. He made it sound as if 5-foot-8, 176-pound centre Danick Martel, 28, has performed his final recreation for the Rocket. Defenceman Corey Schueneman, 27, may additionally be in search of employment with one other group.
“We discovered a technique to get into the playoffs,” mentioned Schueneman, who performed seven video games with the Canadiens this season. “It’s an extended season, you battle onerous and we discovered a technique to come collectively. However you clearly wish to go additional within the playoffs. On the finish of the day, there’s nothing you are able to do about it now.
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“I believe I progressed, I believe I grew, I believe I developed. That’s one thing you wish to do yearly. I believe it was a very good yr. I’ll speak with my agent and the group … however I used to be sort of within the image this yr and obtained some video games. Issues change from yr to yr.”
Richard, who tallied 30 objectives and 67 factors this season, was considered one of many Laval forwards unable to get into prime scoring positions all through the transient collection.
“They’d a stable workforce defensively,” he defined. “They’re a lot older on the again finish. Up entrance that they had veterans who knew find out how to play within the playoffs. They performed actually tight within the impartial zone. We’re a impartial zone workforce that builds pace. After we include pace we’re actually onerous to play towards. Our recreation (within the collection) was actually sluggish within the impartial zone. We obtained trapped a bit.”
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Richard performed 13 video games for Montreal this season, scoring three objectives and 5 factors. He believes he left his mark though the 26-year-old is eligible to grow to be an unrestricted free agent.
“It’s only a matter of getting an extended shot,” he mentioned. “I believe if I might have stayed there the entire yr, I most likely would have been part of that workforce for certain.”
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