(Photo: Belleville Senators)
UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Cleveland beat Toronto 5 – 1 and earn final playoff spot in North Division.
The Belleville Senators couldn’t handle the Rochester Americans power play and dropped the last game of the season, one which they really needed to win, 4 – 2 at the CAA Arena today (Sunday).
Logan Brown put the B-Sens up 1-0 early but that was as good as the afternoon got.
The penalty kill, a season-long weakness for Belleville, was not up to snuff again as the Amerks went 3 for 4 while enjoying a man advantage.
Meanwhile, another problem for the Senators was the young man playing his first professional hockey game in goal for Rochester, Ukko-Pekka Luukanen.
The Sens outshot the Amerks 34 to 29, with 20 of those shots coming in the third period as they desperately tried to at least tie the game, to no avail.
Jack Rodewald scored Belleville’s other goal.
The loss now means that Belleville needs Cleveland to lose in regulation in Toronto to make the playoffs. If the Monsters collect a point, they will claim the final playoff spot in the North Division.
At the time of this article’s publishing it was known Toronto was only starting a handful of regular players, electing to call up several others from the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL.
Crowd at Senators/Amerks game Sunday April 14/19. (Photo:Quinte News)
