Senators snag one point in overtime loss to Manitoba

The Belleville Senators returned home from their four-game road trip, and while they couldn’t extend their home winning streak to five games, they did stretch their home point streak to six games and overall point streak to three games.

Belleville was beaten 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday night by the Manitoba Moose (AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets) at CAA Arena, despite goals from Wyatt Bongiovanni (against his former team) and Belleville captain Garrett Pilon.

The Senators got on the board quickly and early, with former Moose forward Wyatt Bongiovanni tapping in a rebound against his former club just two minutes into the game. Bongiovanni was acquired from the Moose in a trade at last season’s deadline and signed with the Senators again for the 2024-25 season. Belleville would hold the lead for a little over 16 minutes before Djibril Tourè was penalized for hooking. On the ensuing power play, Manitoba’s leading scorer and Jets’ top prospect Brad Lambert snapped a wrist shot past Malcolm Subban to tie the game 1-1 after the first. Belleville outshot the Moose 13-7 in the period.

It took just about the whole second period, but Belleville would eventually climb in front with a late power play goal. The Sens had to kill off two earlier advantages and had two of their own, which they couldn’t convert. However, it was “three times a charm,” as Cole Reinhardt, Stephen Halliday and Garrett Pilon combined on a sweet passing play, leading to the Belleville captain scoring his ninth of the season. It was 2-1 Senators after 40 minutes, with Belleville outshooting Manitoba 28-19 to that point.

The Moose tied the game late in the third through a Tyson Empey goal, tapping in a rebound past Subban and Manitoba’s captain Dominic Toninato would drive the net with 15 seconds left in overtime and force a puck past the Belleville netminder as well.

Belleville and Manitoba will round out their four-game season series on Friday night at CAA Arena, on Women in Sports Night.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni scored his 18th goal of the season.
• #10 Zack Ostapchuk registered four shots on goal.
• #19 Jamieson Rees picked up his seventh assist of the campaign.
• #20 Phil Daoust notched his eighth assist of the season.
• #22 Garrett Pilon scored his eighth goal of the year and was named the game’s second star.
• #23 Cole Reinhardt collected his 13th assist, to put him on a three-game point streak.
• #30 Malcolm Subban made 28 saves on 31 shots.
• #34 Stephen Halliday was credited with his 22nd assist and had a team-high five shots on net.
• The Senators outshot the Moose 34-31
• Belleville was 1/4 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 2/3 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill.

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Wednesday’s result:

“I really liked our start, I liked our legs, our energy and our details. But, what we got away from was just a lack of bodies and just got tired. We started with 11 forwards, our guy got a high hit, so now we’re down to 10 players and two of them are ECHL call-ups and we just ran out of gas.”

Coach Bell on his team’s effort:

“It’s unfortunate because the guy spilled their guts out there. Guys that I should have pulled out of the game because they were banged up still kept playing, because we didn’t have an option to not put them in the game. It’s a gutsy point for our guys and I give them a lot of credit.”

Coach Bell on the rematch with the Moose coming up on Friday:

“We’ll worry about the hit (on Bongiovanni) and address it the right way, so we don’t put ourselves in a bad spot. But, more important than that is the two points. So, hopefully we can get some guys rested, maybe get a couple guys back off the injured list and maybe be able to dress a full lineup.”

Highlights:

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Up Next:

• Friday, February 28, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Manitoba Moose – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena) (Women in Sports Night)
• Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Laval Rocket – 7:00 p.m. ET (Place Bell)
• Tuesday, March 4, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 7:05 p.m. ET (Mohegan Arena)
• Wednesday, March 5, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Hershey Bears – 7:00 p.m. (Giant Center)
• Saturday, March 8, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 6:05 p.m. (Mohegan Arena)

Tickets for all 2024-25 Belleville Sens home games are now on sale via Ticketmaster, by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com, or at the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena during select hours.

Fans looking for details on other ticketing options can click the following links for more on  becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for a group experience. More information on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages is available by visiting the Belleville Sens website or emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com.

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