Senators fall 4-3 to Toronto in round eight of the Battle of Ontario

The Belleville senators were involved in another back-and-forth divisional battle on Friday night but came up on the losing end of a 4-3 result against their nemesis, the Toronto Marlies. It was the eighth of ten meetings between the provincial rivals this season and the final regular season matchup at CAA Arena between the two clubs.

Neither team was able to find the net during an active first period, that saw the Senators outshot 14-7, but both Kevin Mandolese for Belleville and Luke Cavallin for Toronto were perfect through 20 minutes. Belleville’s best chances came via a nice dangle in front of the net by Zack MacEwen and a goal-mouth drive by Rourke Chartier.

Belleville would get off the mark on the power play just over seven minutes into the second period when Tyler Kleven leaned into a one-time slapshot, following a pass from MacEwen. The Sens would extend the lead about three minutes later, when Rourke Chartier finished off a play in front of the net, scoring for the third time in two games. However, Toronto would counter with three unanswered goals before the end of the period, and in about six minutes, via Alex Steeves, Zach Solow and Joseph Blandisi, giving the Marlies a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

The Senators tied the game midway through the third on the power play. Angus Crookshank had multiple chances earlier on in the frame and couldn’t convert, but made no mistake on a rebound at the side of the net on the power play, for his 17th marker of the season. Toronto’s game-winner would come only a couple of minutes later, on a wrist shot from Keiffer Bellows and despite a couple of late power plays, Belleville couldn’t equalize.

The Sens are now headed to Utica where they’ll take on the Comets on Saturday night.

Fast Facts:

• #9 Angus Crookshank had a goal and an assist and is now on a three-game point streak (two goals, four assists). He was named the game’s first star.
• #13 Egor Sokolov had an assist.
• #14 Rourke Chartier scored his third goal of the season and third in two games.
• #15 Matt Highmore had an assist and has points in back-to-back games (two assists).
• #17 Zack MacEwen notched an assist and has three points in two games (two goals, one assist) since being returned from the NHL.
• #18 Josh Currie registered an assist and has points in back-to-back games.
• #25 Tyler Kleven scored his third goal of the season and had a team-high five shots on goal. He was named the game’s third star.
• #31 Kevin Mandolese stopped 33/37 shots he faced.
• #33 Lassi Thomson had a team-high five shots on goal.
• The Senators were 2/7 on the power play and 1/3 on the ViewTech Window and Door penalty kill.

Highlights:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens forward Josh Currie on the loss:

“I thought we had a solid game except for five minutes in the second. We kind of let up and stopped playing, and against a team like that, they’re going to make you pay. They also have a great power play and we have to stay out of the box. They had, I think three power play goals on us, and that was kind of the game.”

Belleville Sens forward Josh Currie on regrouping ahead of Saturday’s visit to Utica:

“You can’t really dwell on it. We’ve got to get on the road for another big divisional game against Utica and our division is really tight, so every game is important. We’ve got to look at some of the things we did wrong, correct them, and start focusing on Utica now.”

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Up Next:

• Saturday February 17, 2024 @ Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) – 7:00 p.m. ET
• Monday February 19, 2024 vs Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals) – 2:00 p.m. ET (Belly’s Birthday Bash)
• Wednesday February 21, 2024 @ Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) – 7:00 p.m. ET
• Friday February 23, 2024 @ Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) – 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday February 24, 2024 @ Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 7:00 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.

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