Raphaël Lavoie, Tanner Laczynski and Ben Hemmerling have carried much of the Henderson Silver Knights offensive production in recent weeks and Saturday night was no exception.
The trio generated the Silver Knights’ best scoring chances and accounted for all of the team’s goals, but it wasn’t enough as Henderson lost 4-3 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in overtime at Lee’s Family Forum.
“I liked our intentions,” head coach Ryan Craig said. “I thought Riley’s (McKay) intentions early were good. Our team’s intentions were good. It took us a while to get there but we had some guys that played some really good hockey.”
Related: Henderson Drops Fourth Straight, Falls to Coachella Valley 4-3 Despite Veteran Production, Special Teams Success
The loss pushes Henderson’s losing streak to five games heading into the American Hockey League All-Star break.
Lavoie, Laczynski and Hemmerinling Stay Hot Despite Sweep
Despite the loss, it’s easy to see why Laczynski earned the nod to represent Henderson at the 2026 AHL All-Star Game after a game like tonight.
“Tanner has been an integral part of the Silver Knights and the Golden Knights for the past two seasons,” Craig said. “He has been a leader for our team, both with his on-ice production and his work ethic, and we are very happy to see him recognized for it. It is an honor that is very much deserved.”
The connection between Laczynski and Hemmerling was seen early Saturday. The duo generated several high-danger scoring chances, consistently creating space in the offensive zone.
On Henderson’s first goal, Laczynski drew multiple Firebirds defenders toward him before slipping a pass across to Hemmerling, leaving the 21-year-old with an open net and plenty of time to finish the play.
“It’s pretty easy to play with Laczynski and Lavoie just kind of got to get to the right areas,” Hemmerling said. “They’ll find you so kind of finding those soft areas in the middle of the ice.”
Completing the line is Lavoie. The 25-year old scored with 36 seconds remaining in the third period and again following a Silver Knights timeout, which tied the game with 18 seconds.
“I thought Lavoie was good,” Craig said. “I think he’s working his way back again. You can see the pop. And now it’s tough to come back after sitting out playing three and four games but to his credit, he dug in at the end there and got us two big goals.”
Together, the trio has become Henderson’s most reliable offensive spark, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take down the Firebirds, losing 4-3 in overtime.
They’ll look to carry that production forward following the AHL All-Star break. The Silver Knights now enter a 13-day hiatus, next playing the Abbotsford Canucks on Feb. 20.
“We’ll catch our breath for sure,” Craig said. “We’ll get away from it for a few days. We’re excited about Laczynski representing us at the All Star game but we got to push here to make in the final 29 games.”
