game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Senators and Rocket set for three straight at CAA Arena February 17, 2023 Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397 Feb.17/23 vs Laval Rocket (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens) The Set-Up: The Belleville Senators four-game homestand got off to a strong start on Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch, but they’re up against another tough divisional opponent as they try to continue a climb up the North Division standings. The Laval Rocket arrive at CAA Arena for the next three games, riding a three-game win streak, with points in 10 of their last 11 games. The good news for the Sens is that they’ve got a winning record against Laval this season and will look to continue that trend tonight. Previous History: This is the 9th of 12 meetings between Belleville and Laval this season, with the Senators holding a 6-2-0-0 advantage in the season series and a 2-1-0-0 record against the Rocket at home. Tonight is the 65th meeting all-time between the Belleville Sens and Rocket, and the Sens have the upper hand there too, with a 35-26-1-2 record and a 19-10-0-2 mark at CAA Arena. Roster Notes: Coming off his first win behind the bench on Wednesday, Interim Head Coach David Bell won’t make any changes to the lineup tonight. Antoine Bibeau will start in net, backed up by Logan Flodell. Defenceman Xavier Bernard was recalled from the Allen Americans (ECHL) this week, but won’t dress tonight. He and Jarid Lukosevicius will be healthy scratches for the Sens. The Senators also signed 8-year-old Peter Owens to a one-day contract this morning and he’ll take part in the pregame warm-up and opening ceremonies tonight. Injury Report: # Name Pos. Last Game Games Missed Timeline Notes 8 Jayce Hawryluk RW Jan.13/23 vs TOR 8 6-8 Weeks Foot 10 Philippe Daoust C Nov.23/22 @ UTC 29 Season Ending Shoulder 11 Kyle Betts C Feb.4/23 vs ROC 4 Long Term Lower Body 14 Rourke Chartier C Feb.2/23 vs ROC 4 Long Term Lower Body 20 Matt Wedman C Dec.31/22 @ UTC 14 Long Term Lower Body Who to Watch: With a pair of goals on Wednesday, Angus Crookshank has jumped into the team lead in scoring for the Senators. The 23-year-old from North Vancouver, BC, is up to 17 goals, with 11 assists (28 points), dressing in all 47 games this season for Belleville. Veteran forward Cole Cassels is also now riding a four-game point streak (two goals, four assists), while forward Brennan Saulnier has points in back-to-back games (two assists), and defenceman Max Guenette had two assists on Wednesday. The Rocket have two players on three-game point streaks coming into tonight, including defender Tory Dello (three assists) and forward Gabriel Bourque (one goal, three assists). Four Rocket players also have points in back-to-back games, including Joel Teasdale (three goals), Mitchell Stephens (three goals, two assists), Mattias Norlinder (two assists), and Anthony Richard (three assists). Follow the action: Tonight’s game can be seen on AHL TV or heard live on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. (ET) with David Foot and Joel Vanderlaan. Ticket info: Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games are available via Ticketmaster or at the CAA Arena Box Office, with more information on group experiences, promotional packs and more available on the Belleville Sens website.
