Belleville’s Teddy Bear Toss night ends in 4–1 loss to Cleveland

After a brief break, the Belleville Senators were back on the ice, hosting their annual Teddy Bear Toss against the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday night, dropping this one 4-1.

An early man advantage for the Monsters got the first period going and produced the game’s opening goal. Quick movement along the blue line by Stanislav Svozil led to Will Butcher feeding Jack Williams on the doorstep for his fifth goal of the year, making it 1-0. Cleveland continued to apply pressure in the offensive zone as they extended the lead. Butcher picked up his second assist of the night by moving the puck to Corson Ceulemans, who buried a one-timer to make it 2-0.

It took some time before the bears flew, but the Senators were able to get on the board. A power-play goal off the stick of Arthur Kaliyev, with assists from Carter Yakemchuk and Wyatt Bongiovanni, cut the deficit to 2-1 in this division battle. The Monsters answered right back, scoring less than a minute later. Pressure deep in the Senators’ end allowed Dumais to tap in his first of the game, as Luca Pinelli and Luca Del Bel Belluz combined to set him up and restore the two-goal edge at 3-1.

The final frame saw Cleveland increase their cushion. Off a three-on-one rush, Ceulemans and Justin Pearson worked the puck over to Hudson Fasching, who deflected in his second of the season to seal a 4-1 final.

Belleville’s battle with Cleveland continues in late January, as both sides face off in a back-to-back set starting on the 30th inside Rocket Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Senators return to the ice tomorrow for a 3:00 p.m. afternoon start, as the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders) come to town to wrap up the season series at CAA Arena.