Game Recap News Release Share this Merilainen shuts the door as Belleville blanks Springfield 1-0 January 24, 2026 The Belleville Senators wrapped up their back-to-back weekend set in Springfield with a 1–0 shutout win over the Thunderbirds. Just over ten minutes into the first frame, Belleville once again opened the scoring. A dump-in by Scott Harrington was picked up along the boards by Garret Pilon, who sent a pass out front to Jan Jenik for his sixth goal of the year and a 1-0 lead. Despite being outshot 16-7, the Senators showed resilience early in this second game of a back-to-back with energy to spare. A scoreless second period saw the Senators continue to pressure the Thunderbirds. Along with generating offensive chances, Belleville took away passing lanes, holding Springfield to nine shots and carrying a 1-0 lead into the third. The final period featured big plays at both ends and came right down to the final seconds. Over the last twenty minutes, the Senators killed two penalties while Leevi Merilainen came up clutch, stopping all 15 shots in the frame and 40 overall to secure the win, a shutout, and a 1-0 final score. This marked the third time this season that Belleville has recorded a shutout, with the other two coming from Jackson Parsons and Mads Sogaard. Belleville will see Springfield again on March 21st to wrap up the two-game season series at CAA Arena, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. The Senators will have just under a week to rest before heading back on the road to open another weekend back-to-back in Cleveland against the Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets) at Rocket Arena, getting underway Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Fast Facts: #11 Jorian Donovan had three shots on net #14 Scott Harrington recorded one assist #22 Garret Pilon had one assist and two shots in goal #24 Jan Jenik scored his sixth of the season #35 Leevi Merilainen saved 40 of 40 for his first shutout of the season #43 Arthur Kaliyev put three shots on net The Senators now have 14 points in their last 8 games This is the third shutout of the season for Belleville Highlights: Post Game Availability: Single-game tickets for the first half of the 2025-26 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster or at the Belleville Sens Box Office located inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre. Details on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge program, and more can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on X: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com
The Belleville Senators wrapped up their back-to-back weekend set in Springfield with a 1–0 shutout win over the Thunderbirds. Just over ten minutes into the first frame, Belleville once again opened the scoring. A dump-in by Scott Harrington was picked up along the boards by Garret Pilon, who sent a pass out front to Jan Jenik for his sixth goal of the year and a 1-0 lead. Despite being outshot 16-7, the Senators showed resilience early in this second game of a back-to-back with energy to spare. A scoreless second period saw the Senators continue to pressure the Thunderbirds. Along with generating offensive chances, Belleville took away passing lanes, holding Springfield to nine shots and carrying a 1-0 lead into the third. The final period featured big plays at both ends and came right down to the final seconds. Over the last twenty minutes, the Senators killed two penalties while Leevi Merilainen came up clutch, stopping all 15 shots in the frame and 40 overall to secure the win, a shutout, and a 1-0 final score. This marked the third time this season that Belleville has recorded a shutout, with the other two coming from Jackson Parsons and Mads Sogaard. Belleville will see Springfield again on March 21st to wrap up the two-game season series at CAA Arena, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. The Senators will have just under a week to rest before heading back on the road to open another weekend back-to-back in Cleveland against the Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets) at Rocket Arena, getting underway Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Fast Facts: #11 Jorian Donovan had three shots on net #14 Scott Harrington recorded one assist #22 Garret Pilon had one assist and two shots in goal #24 Jan Jenik scored his sixth of the season #35 Leevi Merilainen saved 40 of 40 for his first shutout of the season #43 Arthur Kaliyev put three shots on net The Senators now have 14 points in their last 8 games This is the third shutout of the season for Belleville Highlights: Post Game Availability: Single-game tickets for the first half of the 2025-26 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster or at the Belleville Sens Box Office located inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre. Details on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge program, and more can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on X: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com
