Smejkal scores twice in Senators 3-2 loss to Manitoba

A strong, late-game effort and a couple of goals from Jiri Smejkal weren’t enough to help the Belleville Sens catch the Manitoba Moose on Friday night, as they dropped a 3-2 decision at CAA Arena.

After a scoreless first period, Manitoba got on the board with a power play marker from Nikita Chibrikov at 7:13 of the second, followed by third period markers from Wyatt Bongiovanni (also on the power play at 4:39) and C.J. Suess, about a minute after that. Smejkal would tally twice for Belleville, with both of his goals coming around a minute apart as well.

The first was a sweet toe-drag and wrist shot, blowing the puck past Thomas Milic from the left circle, with assists to Egor Sokolov and Angus Crookshank. The other, following a pretty cross-crease pass from Boko Imama, with the goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker. Garrett Pilon would earn the second assist on that play.

The Senators are back in action on Saturday night when they welcome the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Hockey Fights Cancer Night presented by Magna Autosystems.

Fast Facts:

• #9 Angus Crookshank had an assist, giving him points in three straight games.
• #12 Boko Imama has points in consecutive games, with a goal on Wednesday and an assist tonight.
• #31 Kevin Mandolese stopped 31/34 shots.
• #39 Jiri Smejkal recorded the first multi-point game of his American Hockey League career.

Highlights:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens alternate captain Josh Currie :

“It’s a mental game, but you just gotta keep working and grinding through the mud, and things are going to start to go our way. We’ve got to be persistent, keep doing the things that make us successful and not get frustrated.”

Media Availabilities:

Next Up:

• Saturday, November 18, 2023, vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers) – 7:00 p.m. (Hockey Fights Cancer)
• Saturday, November 25, 2023 @ Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) – 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 26, 2023 @ Bridgeport Islanders (New York Islanders) – 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 29 @ Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) – 7:00 p.m.

Ticket Info:

Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games through January 20, 2024, are now on sale online via the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Tickets for the second half of the season will be available for purchase beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 20, 2023. The Belleville Sens Box Office hours can be found by clicking here. 

Fans looking to buy second-half tickets can secure those seats now, by purchasing season seat memberships, flex packs,  group experiences or Business Elite memberships.

The full 2023-2024 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.

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