Like his brother with the Montreal Canadiens, Florian Xhekaj knows how to fight and he showed it during Friday night’s match between the Laval Rocket and the Belleville Senators.
At the end of the first period, the striker threw down the gloves against Jake Chiasson, who had all the trouble in the world defending himself. The two men were already struggling when Xhekaj managed to free his hands.
The Ontarian served solid rights to his opponent before bringing him to the ground. It may have been unorthodox, but it still counts as Xhekaj’s first fight in the American League.
He and Chiasson received double minor penalties for obstructing the play. The Rocket player was also punished for giving the boards.
Laval at the same time signed a nice victory of 4 to 3 in shootouts. Logan Mailloux and Alex Barré-Boulet hit the target in the shootout to make the difference.
The Senators thought they would win in front of their fans at CAA Arena, but Luke Tuch had other plans. He tied the game with 1:40 left to force overtime.
In addition to his shootout goal, Barré-Boulet collected three points. Brandon Gignac was the other scorer for the Rocket, shaking the ropes for the first time this season.
The two rival teams will face each other again on Saturday in Belleville.
