On the heels of their fifth straight loss, the Laval Rocket headed out to Belleville for the second half of a home-and-home series on Saturday, hoping to end the weekend on a high note.
However, whatever motivation the team might have had while taking the five-hour drive from Laval to Belleville was certainly shaken with the afternoon announcement that the Montreal Canadiens traded Rocket captain Byron Froese and veteran defenceman David Schlemko to Philadelphia for Dale Weise and Christian Folin. The Rocket were already struggling with their forward depth, and now they were facing a new reality without their respected leader, and icing nine rookies in the lineup.