By Justin Vézina
Jakub Dobeš has been generous in recent days. In the first few games of November, he single-handedly provided enough spectacular saves to send a DVD set into production.
The goalkeeper was imperial, making numerous saves in extremis in the Laval Rocket’s last few games. First, on Wednesday November 1, despite a 4-1 loss to the Utica Comets, the 22-year-old Czech stood up to several quality chances by the visitors to keep his team in the game.
His best saves, however, were reserved for the Toronto Marlies, the team’s Friday and Saturday night rivals.
On Friday, his multiple saves were imperative to his side’s success. The hosts were able to take advantage of their goalkeeper’s brilliance to come from behind and defeat the Marlies 5-3. A performance that earned him many cheers from the crowd.
“I’m getting better every day. Little by little, I’m making progress, and that’s the mentality I have. I’m working really hard to be more confident every day. It’s a totally different situation for me now than it was, say, for the opening match,” he recounted after the victory.
Barely 24 hours later, against the same Marlies, Dobeš was decisive. He stopped no fewer than three breakaways in the first two periods, giving his team-mates hope.
Ultimately, the laval club folded 5-0, but many noted the stopper’s good performance, and this for a third consecutive game.
“He’s our goalkeeper of the future and we wanted to see what he could do with two games in a row. And it wasn’t a 3 p.m. game either. He’s often played on Fridays and Saturdays at university, and he played well enough yesterday to deserve the start today,” said Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle, explaining Dobeš’s back-to-back starts.
Struble, Maillet and Galipeau stand out
In Wednesday’s duel, defenseman Jayden Struble scored his first professional goal with a precise wrist shot. The goal not only got the Rocket back into the game, but also confirmed the American’s excellent start to the season.
“It was really cool. After hitting the post earlier in the game, I really wanted one [goal]. Fortunately, I got one. But it’s definitely harder when you lose,” said Struble after the game…
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