Belleville Senators coach Troy Mann says it took his team about half a period to shake off the rust of an 11-day layoff, but by then it was too late.
Connor Zary scored his first of two first period goals 3:38 into the game and the B-Sens couldn’t recover, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Stockton Heat.
The top affiliate of the Calgary Flames upped the lead to 4-0 before rookie Egor Sokolov broke through for Belleville with his first professional goal.
The 20-year-old Sokolov was a second round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2020.
Despite the loss which drops Belleville’s record to 1-4, coach Troy Mann saw a number of positives.
Justin Kirkland and Adam Ruzicka also scored for Stockton.
Belleville outshot the Heat 39-30. Filip Gustavsson stopped 26 shots for the B-Sens while Garrett Sparks made 38 saves for the Heat.
The schedule is about to get very busy for Belleville as they host the Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets) Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Both games will be broadcast on CJBQ.
