A smooth and consistent effort from the T-Birds in the first period paid off at 2:20. Nikita Alexandrov pivoted around a check at the offensive blueline and chipped a forehander over the shoulder of Jacob Fowler to give the T-Birds a 1-0 lead. Steve Konowalchuk’s team defeated Laval on the shot counter 9-7 in the first twenty minutes, with Vadim Zherenko rejecting every one of the seven sacrifices that came his way.
Zherenko and Fowler weren’t overly challenged in a quiet second period that saw just 13 combined shots on net despite two power plays for Springfield and one for Laval.
The T-Birds’ penalty kill continued to rise to the occasion as the match went to the third with Laval unable to strike despite leading by two minutes to open the frame. Hugh McGing Finally, Springfield got some security at 10:48 of the third, when he collected a 2-on-1 pass from Nikita Susuev over the shoulder of Fowler to make it a 2-0 game.
The win still wouldn’t be easy for the T-Birds as Laval battled back to a 2-1 score when Luke Tuch scored his first of the season just 1:08 after the McGing goal.
McGing’s busy day continued when he dropped the gloves with Tuch at 3:51 p.m. after Tuch delivered a booming blow to Otto Stenberg at the Springfield bank. The T-Birds rallied around their veteran leader and destroyed the ensuing Laval power play before making a Matt Luff empty-netter to seal the victory.
Zherenko’s excellent night ended with 24 stops to secure victory, while Fowler fell for only the third time this season, making 23 stops in defeat for the Rocket.
Five of the T-Birds’ next six games are scheduled, starting with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop on Friday in Allentown against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center.
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