A hat trick from Chris Mueller and a shutout performance from Kasimir Kaskisuo lifted the Marlies to a 3-0 win over the visiting Laval Rocket.
The Marlies came out of the gates hard, peppering Rocket goaltender Connor LaCouvee early and often. The Marlies put 12 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes but were unable to find the back of net. The score stayed locked at 0-0 after 20 minutes of play.
Chris Mueller opened the scoring at 5:35 of the second period, capitalizing on a power play opportunity. Dmytro Timashov fired a shot on goal that came off the pads of LaCouvee right in front of Mueller who was standing by to fire home the rebound. Timothy Liljegren added the extra assist on the goal. At 12:26, Jeremy Bracco sent a Adam Brooks and Mueller out to the races on a 2-on-1 , and they made no mistake as Brooks slid Mueller a saucer pass and he snuck it under LaCouvee for his second of the night. The goal set a new Marlies single-season franchise record with 31 goals in a 76-game season. The record was formerly held by Ryan Hamilton (12-13). The Marlies held a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame.
Late in the final frame, the Rocket were pressuring as they looked to get on the board and cut the deficit. They pulled the goalie to try their luck with an extra attacker, leaving the door open for Mueller to complete his hat trick. Jeremy Bracco set him up and Mueller fired a shot from just inside the blue line into the empty net to seal a 3-0 win for the Marlies. Kasimir Kaskisuo made 19 saves to pick up his fourth shutout of the season.
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