Senators trounce Islanders to kick off back-to-back with Bridgeport

On Friday night, the Belleville Senators triumphantly returned home, routing the Bridgeport Islanders (the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders) 6-1 in their first game at CAA Arena since February 28.

The win helps the Senators keep pace with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning), who trail by two points for the North Division’s final playoff spot, with one game in hand and 16 left to play in the regular season.

Belleville made a pair of first period power plays pay off as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Angus Crookshank notched the first, his 20th of the season, tapping the puck in from low slot off passes from Zack MacEwen and Garrett Pilon. Tyler Boucher would snap a low shot off the post and past Jakub Skarek about nine minutes later. The Sens outshot the Isles 10-8 in the frame.

The Senators would extend their lead midway through the second after killing off the remainder of a first period penalty and another two early Bridgeport man advantages in the frame as well. Jan Jenik laid a perfect pass back to Belleville all-star defenceman Jeremy Davies, who blasted his 10th of the season by Skarek at 9:31. Jorian Donovan and Daylan Kuefler would square off in a late-period tilt as well, with the Sens rookie blueliner holding the advantage and scoring the takedown.

It was more of the same for the Senators in the third, with Max Guenette sniping the top corner at 1:34, Keean Washkurak counting at 4:24, and Xavier Bourgault scoring on a breakaway, fresh out of the penalty box, at 15:52. A little prior to that, the Islanders did break Leevi Merilainen’s shutout bid, when Jack Randl scored knocked in a rebound on the doorstep for his first career AHL goal.

The Senators and Islanders will clash again on Saturday night as they round out their four-game season series with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop at CAA Arena.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jeremy Davies scored his 10th goal of the season.
• #9 Angus Crookshank scored his 20th goal of the season and has registered three consecutive 20-goal seasons.
• #13 Xavier Bourgault scored his seventh goal of the season and had an assist.
• #16 Tyler Boucher scored his fourth goal of the season.
• #17 Zack MacEwen picked up two assists and was named the game’s third star.
• #21 Max Guenette scored his eighth goal of the season.
• #24 Jan Jenik tied a franchise record with five assists in the game and was named first star.
• #27 Keean Washkurak scored his ninth goal of the season.
• #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced and was named the game’s second star.
• Belleville went 2/3 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 7/7 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill.

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the effort:

“I”m never satisfied, I’m a grumpy guy. But, you know what, to get six goals is good and the energy was good. There are still some puck management issues I’d like to clean up as we build our game towards the playoffs. But, it’s nice to get one where you’re not biting your nails at the end of the game. It was a nice win.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the special teams performances:

“Going two for two (on the power play) in the first period really set the tone for us and put them on their heels. And as I said to the guys afterwards, seven penalty kills is great, but seven penalty kills is also not great, so lets not take seven penalties. But, both special teams did a good job tonight.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Jan Jenik’s play:

“It’s awesome. They call him ‘the octopus’ because he blocks everything and I learned that he doesn’t bruise. But, five assists, he was feeling it and it’s great to be rewarded with a stat that people read about, because you don’t hear about the shot blocks.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the message heading into tomorrow’s rematch:

“Don’t get comfortable. We can be better. They’ve got pride over there and will want to have push back after a game like that. They won in Laval (earlier this week), it was a tough game tonight, so they’ll have pushback tomorrow.”

Highlights:

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Up Next:

• Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Bridgeport Islanders – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (St. Patrick’s Day Game)
• Friday, March 21, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Toronto Marlies – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)
• Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Toronto Marlies – 4:00 p.m. (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
• Sunday, March 23, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Cleveland Monsters – 3:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Next Gen 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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