The Belleville Senators are back on the road to start the first of four straight games against the Utica Comets, coming up short in a 5-3 loss.
Despite a strong start by Belleville, Utica struck first. On a quick rush, Jack Malone cut in and split the defenders, going in alone and scoring five-hole to put the Comets up 1-0. Utica kept the pressure on with two quick goals to extend their lead. The first came on a quick pass from behind the net by Ryan Schmelzer to Shane Lachance, who scored his tenth of the year to make it 2-0. The second goal in the sequence was a point shot from Calen Addison that was deflected in tight by Kyle Criscuolo to put the Comets up 3-0.
The second period brought more of the same play, as the Comets added another to the scoresheet. A long-range shot was tipped by Angus Crookshank onto Mads Sogaard, as Xavier Parent poked it home to make it a 4-0 game. During the middle frame, the Senators were able to outshoot Utica 10-9, generating some chances to cut into the deficit.
The third and final period saw Utica open the scoring with a power-play tally. Off the faceoff, Matyas Melovsky corralled the puck and sent a pass to the side of the net for Angus Crookshank, who put it home to extend the game to 5-0. The Senators did push back, starting with two goals within fifty seconds. A shot from the blue line off the stick of Carter Yakemchuk created a rebound for Xavier Bourgault to pot home his fifteenth, cutting the gap to 5-1. Then, a pass from between the high circles by Scott Harrington set up a one-timer from Lassi Thomson, pulling the Senators within three at 5-2. Belleville added another late in the third. After a hard battle along the boards, Thomson moved the puck up to Landen Hookey for a quick shot, and Bourgault tipped it in for his second of the night to make it 5–3, which stood as the final score.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Senators, as these same Comets head to CAA Arena Saturday February 28 for game two of the four-game set, with puck drop at 7:00 p.m.
See the game highlights here.
