game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Sens and Marlies renew hostilities in matinee at CAA Arena January 14, 2024 Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up Jan.14/24 vs Toronto Marlies (NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs) The Set-Up: A winter storm rolled through Southern Ontario on Friday, cold enough to halt the hottest team in the AHL, as the Belleville Senators fell 8-0 against the Marlies in Toronto. And while temperatures have plummeted and snow is falling, the Battle of Ontario is rising to a boiling point, with a total of 159 combined penalty minutes between the teams in round six on Friday. Today, these provincial rivals meet again at a sold-out CAA Arena for round seven-of-10, with Belleville looking to get back to the form that saw them win seven straight games, plus four already against Toronto this season. Previous History: Even after Friday’s loss in Toronto, the Senators still hold a 4-1-0-1 advantage over the Marlies in the season series. Lifetime against Toronto, Belleville is 36-30-2-4, and 15-17-0-3 at CAA Arena. It’s also the last time the Sens and Marlies will meet until the middle of February. Roster Notes: The Senators will be without forward Roby Jarventie, who was added to the injured list after being hurt Friday against Manitoba. Philippe Daoust is also still out indefinitely with injury as well. Plus, Belleville will also be missing forward Boko Imama, who was suspended three games along with Marlies forward Kyle Clifford, after the pair were involved in a skirmish at the end of the second period on Friday night. Goaltender Mads Sogaard was also recalled to the NHL by Ottawa on Friday, while goaltender Leevi Merilainen was reassigned to Belleville from the Sens ECHL affiliate in Allen, Texas. Full lineup information, including today’s alignment, will be available before the puck drop. Who to Watch: Egor Sokolov continues to be one of Belleville’s top producers against Toronto, registering six points (one goal, five assists) over six games of the season series so far. Matthew Highmore has five points (two goals, three assists) against Toronto this season. On the back-end defenceman Lassi Thomson will play in his 169th career AHL game tonight, tying him with Jordan Murray for most games played by a defenceman in Belleville’s franchise history. Thomson is also just one point back of Murray for tops on the club’s all-time defensive scoring list. The Marlies offence was paced on Friday by Ryan Tverberg, who had four goals, one assist and seven shots on goal in the game. He has a total of six points (four goals, two assists) against the Sens in four games of the season series. Goaltender Dennis Hildeby made 20 saves to blank the Senators and earn his third shutout of the season, in his return from an NHL recall to Toronto. At the rink: It’s Sunday Fun Day at CAA Arena, with plenty of pregame activities for kids and families including colouring and poster-making, a balloon animal artist, a temporary tattoo station and more. Plus, following the game, fans will have a chance to meet some of their favourite Belleville Sens players during a team signing session. A sell-out crowd is expected, so fans should arrive early to make sure they don’t miss any of the pregame fun, or on-ice action. CAA Arena gates will open at 1:00 p.m. Ticket info: Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games for the remainder of the 2023-24 season are now on sale online, via Ticketmaster or the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub, by visiting the Belleville Sens Box Office at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Box Office hours are available by clicking here. Fans can also click the following links for more information on season seat memberships, flex packs, group experiences or Business Elite memberships, or send an email to tickets@bellevillesens.com. Follow the action: Today’s game starts at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and can be seen on AHL TV and heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage from CAA Arena, in Belleville, Ontario, begins at 1:50 p.m. (ET) with David Foot and Tim Durkin. The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. — 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
