MacEwen scores twice as Sens drop 8-3 decision in Wilkes-Barre

Zack MacEwen scored twice, but the Belleville Senators dropped a tough 8-3 road decision to the host Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Saturday night.

Despite the loss, the Senators’ 26-20-4-4 record keeps the squad two points up on Syracuse for the final playoff spot in the AHL North division.

Belleville racked up scoring chances early, including a post hit by Cole Reinhardt and a shorthanded breakaway by Garrett Pilon that was narrowly stopped by goalie Sergei Murashov. The Penguins then broke through just under seven minutes in, when a pass to the side of the Sens’ net was hammered home by Rutger McGroarty for a 1-0 lead for the home side.

It was then on a breakaway for Vasily Ponomarev that the Penguins doubled their lead; the Pens forward got a step on a Belleville defender and slipped a backhander home with just over two minutes left in the first.

With just 1:15 left in the frame, though, the Senators responded. Stephen Halliday took a shot from the blue line that Angus Crookshank deflected home for his 19th goal of the season, and Halliday’s 25th helper.

Wilkes-Barre reclaimed a two-goal lead just under four minutes into the second, though, when Ville Koivunen took a pass at the left side and fired a quick wrist shot past Leevi Merilainen to make it 3-1.

But only a few shifts later, Zack MacEwen answered back for Belleville, sniping a similar shot past the glove of Murashov from the right side and pulling the Sens back within one. A couple of minutes later, Tristan Broz beat Merilainen with a wrist shot from the right circle as well, making it 4-2 as the Sens pulled Merilainen for Malcolm Subban.

The change didn’t stem the tide though, as a long point shot by Nikolai Knyzhov found its way in through a crowd just over halfway through the game for a 5-2 Penguins lead.

Only 1:14 into the third, MacEwen notched his second of the game on a quick one-timer from the right side to cut the deficit to 2. But right after the centre ice faceoff that followed, Sam Poulin scored off a rebound off the end wall for a 6-3 scoreline. Poulin then made it 7-3, tallying his second on a backdoor tap-in following a defensive zone turnover by the Sens at the 3:10 mark. He completed the hat trick with six seconds left in the game, slipping home a wraparound to notch the 8-3 final score.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• The Sens outshot the Penguins 35-23 in the game
• Zack MacEwen’s two goals gave him four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last two games
• Max Guenette registered two assists, giving him 13 on the season
• Stephen Halliday scored his 25th assist of the season
• The Sens were 0 for 4 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 1 for 2 on the Viewtech Window & Door Penalty Kill

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Head Coach Dave Bell on the result:

“They didn’t play great in Hershey, but Hershey is a really hard building to play in. And so you take the win and you probably overlook some of the mistakes we did. And we slipped a little bit. But you win a game in a really hard building, so you you let it slide and that’s on me. So it more than slid today and bit us in the butt. So we’ve got to get back to what makes us good.”

Bell on the outlook for tomorrow against Hartford:

“Well, they’ve got lots of rest tonight, so they should be good tomorrow. But, you know what? It’s part of the grind. Everybody does it, and they can’t use it as an excuse. So, we’ve got to go in there, we’ve got to recognize the mistakes we made tonight, and we’ve got to correct them tomorrow.”

Up Next:

• Sunday, March 9, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Hartford Wolf Pack – 5:00 p.m. (XL Center)
• Friday, March 14 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Bridgeport Islanders – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Sens Stampede presented by Cool 100)
• Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Bridgeport Islanders – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (St. Patrick’s Day Game)

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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