It’s safe to say the Belleville Senators deserved their overtime win over the Rochester Americans on Saturday.
After getting some bad bounces on Friday and trailing by two goals twice in the rematch, the B-Sens battled back to pick up a 5-4 win in the extra frame.
Coach Kurt Kleinendorst tells Quinte News his team may not have been as sharp as they were on Friday but worked hard enough to get the win.
Thomas Chabot opened the scoring just under 6:30 into the first period, when Colin White circled the Rochester net and slid a pass out to the top of the far circle and he slammed a slap shot past Adam Wilcox.
Steve Moses would answer for the Amerks a few minutes later and Rochester got one more before the end of the first period on a scrambling play around the Belleville goal.
In the second, a long shot from the point hit the post, bounced off the back of Andrew Hammond and Sahir Gill tapped the puck across the line.
It was Gill’s second goal of the game, which came at 2:20 into the second period, on the power play to make it 3-1.
Belleville would cut the lead to two at 10:46 of the second stanza, after Gabriel Gagne danced into the zone on the left wing to start the rush.
The B-Sens kept the play alive with Macoy Erkamps eventually swinging a pass back to the middle, where Jordan Murray blasted a slap shot and Max McCormick tipped it on the way.
The second period ended 4-1 Americans, with Dalton Smith scoring his first of the season, beating Andrew Hammond on a shot he probably should have stopped.
Belleville was able to work its way back and tied it in the third.
Jordan Murray threw the puck to the net from the far side corner, at a tough angle and it squeaked through to put Belleville within one, early in the third period.
Francis Perron got Belleville even midway through the frame when he cleaned up a rebound during a wild couple of moments around the Amerks net.
And Murray was the OT hero, after Max McCormick and Francis Perron moved the puck around the offensive zone and sent it to the net, where the New Brunswick native was able to get a piece.
Murray says the team was able to get back to its game plan after a slow second period.
The full game summary is available by clicking here.
Next action for the B-Sens is next Wednesday, November 15th, when they welcome the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to the Yardmen Arena.
CJBQ’s complete coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. that night.