The Belleville Senators opened the New Year on home ice but fell 3-1 to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in their final meeting of the season.
The opening period began with a strong Senators power play; however, it was the Phantoms who struck first. Off a rush started by Oscar Eklind, Devon Kaplan fed Ty Murchison, who beat Mads Sogaard to make it 1-0. Just under five minutes later, Lehigh Valley added to their lead. Sustained pressure in the Belleville zone saw Zayde Wisdom deliver a quick spin-o-rama pass to Helge Grans, who scored his third of the year to give the Phantoms a 2-0 advantage.
That momentum carried into the second period as the Phantoms extended the margin. A turnover forced by Cooper Marody in the Belleville zone led to a pass into the slot for Jacob Gaucher, who buried his seventh to make it 3-0. The Senators generated chances, putting nine shots on net, but were unable to capitalize.
The final twenty minutes saw the Senators get on the board with the man advantage. A four-on-three power play opened up space as Olle Lycksell and Xavier Bourgault combined to set up a one-timer from Arthur Kaliyev, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Belleville continued to push, but could not complete the comeback.
This game concludes Belleville’s season series against Lehigh Valley, with the Senators posting a 0-2-0-0 record against the Phantoms. This brings their five-season total to 4-5-1-0, posting a 1-1-0-0 last season.
The Senators have almost a whole week off before going back on the road for a game against the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) for their ninth battle of the year on January 9th with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Coca-Cola Coliseum.
