RECAP: HAMILTON’S COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT IN LAVAL
Oct 23, 2026
Game Summary
Game Highlights
Photo Gallery
It went down to the wire Friday night at Place Bell, as the Hamilton Hammers (1-6-0-1) fell 4-2 to the Laval Rocket (7-1-0-0), who extended their winning streak to seven games.
Hamilton battled back from a two-goal deficit in the second period, with Matt Luff and Quinn Finley scoring just under 90 seconds apart. The Rocket regained the lead on the power play in the third before adding an empty-net goal to seal the win.
The two teams will meet again Saturday afternoon for the second half of their back-to-back series, as the Hammers look to close out their three-game road trip on a high note.
Here’s how it went down:
THE SUMMARY
Laval came out strong early, putting pressure on the Hammers in the opening minutes. Vitek Vanecek made several key saves to keep the Rocket off the scoreboard, while Hamilton settled in defensively as the period progressed. Despite being outshot 11-7, the Hammers kept Laval at bay to send the game into the first intermission scoreless.
Laval opened the scoring just over five minutes into the second period when Brett Berard (4) capitalized on a broken play in the Hammers’ zone, with Josh Nadeau and Hunter McKown picking up the assists. Hamilton nearly responded less than two minutes later, but Marshall Warren’s shot rang off the left post. The Rocket added to its lead on an unlucky bounce, as a puck deflected off a stick and past Vitek Vanecek, with Filip Mešár (3) credited with the goal.
The Hammers answered in a hurry, scoring twice in quick succession to erase the deficit. Matt Luff (1) got Hamilton on the board by burying a rebound in tight, with Cameron Berg and Calle Odelius picking up the assists. Quinn Finley (1) followed with his first career AHL goal, finishing a setup from Liam Foudy to pull the Hammers even heading into the third period.
Laval finally converted on its fifth power-play opportunity after Foudy was called for goaltender interference. Sasha Pastujov (6) buried a one-timer to give the Rocket a 3-2 lead with 14:40 remaining in regulation. Hamilton pushed hard for the equalizer, generating chances on a pair of power plays, but Hunter McKown (2) sealed the win for the home side with an empty-net goal.
Vanecek stopped 20 of 23 shots for the Hammers, while Kevin Mandolese turned aside 19 of 21 shots to earn his third win of the season for Laval.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS STORY
Hamilton’s penalty kill showed progress against one of the AHL’s most dangerous power plays on Friday. Laval entered the contest leading the league with 12 power-play goals, while the Hammers had allowed at least one goal against with the man advantage in every game this season and entered the matchup with a 73.3 per cent penalty-kill success rate.
Hamilton responded by killing off five of Laval’s six power-play opportunities, including an early 5-on-3, limiting the damage against a top-ranked unit. The Hammers couldn’t find the same success on the other side of special teams, finishing 0-for-6 on the power play.
FINLEY GETS HIS FIRST
The 22-year-old forward scored his first professional goal Friday night, finding the back of the net in the second period of just his fourth game with the Hammers. Finley recorded his first career point with an assist in his debut against Rochester on October 16 and has since established himself on Hamilton’s top line alongside captain Matthew Highmore.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hammers and Rocket meet again Saturday afternoon to close out Hamilton’s three-game road trip. Watch the rematch live on AHLTV on FloHockey.
Hamilton returns home on Thursday for their Halloween Game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, who make their only visit to TD Coliseum this season. Catch the action live on CABLE14 and AHLTV on FloHockey. Tickets are available at HamiltonHammers.com.