SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (1-0-0-0) opened their season in winning fashion, topping the Laval Rocket (1-1-0-0) by a final score of 3-1 on Saturday before the 15th consecutive sellout crowd at the MassMutual Center. 

The capacity crowd got a goaltending show in the opening period, as Vadim Zherenko got a sweat going in a busy 20-minute frame. The third-year pro had 15 saves, and the penalty-killing unit in front of him stood tall to fend off three separate Laval power plays in the stanza.

The Rocket finally cracked into the goal column 1:51 into the second as Jared Davidson raced up the left side and roofed a wrist shot over Zherenko's stick side to make it a 1-0 lead for the visitors.

Zherenko quickly tightened, though, and Laval could not extend the lead despite multiple outnumbered attack chances through the game's midpoint.

Just under 10 minutes after the Davidson goal, the T-Birds' highly-touted rookie made his presence known as Dalibor Dvorsky parked near the crease and scooped a backhand rebound under Laval goaltender Connor Hughes to even the slate, 1-1, at 11:23 of the period. 

The momentum from the Dvorsky goal carried into the opening 90 seconds of the third. Hugh McGing chipped a puck into the offensive zone on the right wing. Marcus Sylvegard retrieved it and quickly set up Zach Dean with a cross-ice pass. While Hughes made the first save, Dean stayed after the loose rebound and slid it back into the slot, where McGing rifled it into a mostly vacant net to make it a 2-1 game at 1:25.

Steve Konowalchuk's team locked things down in the defensive zone for the remainder of regulation, limiting Laval to just six total shots in the third. Zherenko finished his night with 29 stops to secure the team's first Opening Night win since 2021.

The T-Birds look for a weekend sweep when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. for Kids Opening Day. 

Interested 2024-25 season ticket members can call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com to learn how to become a regular at the Thunderdome.