The Belleville Senators played their last home game of the season against the Syracuse Crunch, winning 6–4.
The first period produced plenty of chances, as the Crunch narrowly outshot the Senators 11–10 while also generating opportunities on the man advantage. The Senators went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-1 on the power play to start the game.
In the middle frame, the Senators broke through the stalemate to take the lead. At the 6:06 mark, Hoty Stanley scored his first goal with the Senators and in the AHL, with Graeme Clarke picking up the assist to put Belleville up 1–0 heading into the third.
A wild final twenty minutes saw the Senators strike first. Off a pass from Clarke, Blake Montgomery went in alone and scored his first BSens and AHL goal, giving Belleville a 2–0 lead. A few minutes later, the Senators added another. During a net-front battle, Arthur Kaliyev recorded his fortieth goal of the year, with Carter Yakemchuk and Xavier Bourgault assisting to make it 3–0. The Crunch answered with a goal of their own. A point shot from Ethan Samson snuck through for his fourth of the season, pulling Syracuse within two. Twenty-five seconds later, the Senators restored their three-goal lead. After a turnover at the top of the offensive zone, Xavier Bourgault’s quick shot beat Harrison Meneghin to make it 4–1.
Syracuse responded with two quick goals within thirty seconds. Gabriel Szturc scored his eighth of the season, assisted by Tommy Miller, to make it 4–2. Then, on a two-on-one, Samson scored his second of the night off a feed from Reece Newkirk, cutting the deficit to 4–3. Belleville quickly regained momentum, scoring their fifth at the 14:11 mark. A two-on-one rush started by Clarke led to Yakemchuk and Bourgault breaking out, with Bourgault finishing for his second of the game to make it 5–3. The Crunch made things interesting again with under three minutes remaining, as Szturc scored his second of the night. Matthew Pietroniro and Ethan Gauthier assisted on the play, making it a 5–4 game. However, Keean Washkurak sealed the win with his ninth goal of the season into the empty net, securing the 6–4 final.
See the game highlights here.
An interview by David Foot with Senators’ Interim Head Coach Andrew Campbell can be seen here.
Belleville will get right back at it Saturday for their season finale against the Crunch, wrapping up their home-and-home series in Syracuse. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Upstate Medical University Arena.
