(B-Sens forward Igor Sokolov pursues the the puck in Game 1 of the Calder Cup “play-in” round. with files from David Foot)
With a 3-0 lead in the third period things were looking good for the Belleville Senators….until they weren’t.
Rochester scored three straight to take the game to overtime where Arttu Ruotsalainen ended it at 16:54 of extra time to give the Americans a 4-3 victory in Game 1 of their best of three Calder Cup play-in series.
Belleville opened the scoring at 7:26 of the first period as Cole Reinhardt scored the first playoff goal in franchise history, capitalizing on the Senators’ first shot of the contest after taking a feed from Egor Sokolov.
The Senators extended their lead to 2-0 later in the frame through veteran defenceman Dillon Heatherington who made no mistake finding the back of the net with one minute left to play in the period after he was left alone in the high slot.
The middle stanza saw Belleville continue their strong play on both the offensive and defensive side of the puck. Filip Gustavsson did his part to keep the Senators in front, making 14 saves in the period. Rourke Chartier marked his return to the lineup after missing six months with a broken finger making it 3-0 by beating Aaron Dell with a nifty move.
In the third period, the high-flying Rochester attack came to life, tallying three times on six shots.
Coach Troy Mann was asked if it was a heartbreaking or frustrating loss.
The Senators outshot the Americans 10-7 in overtime where Mann thought they deserved a better outcome.
The series comes to Belleville for Game 2 on Friday night at 7:05. Game 3 if necessary will be played Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock at the CAA Arena.
