Belleville Sens scoring touch returns in 5-2 victory to split weekend set in Laval

It took a few games, but the Belleville Senators goal scoring finally came alive on Saturday afternoon, helping the B-Sens to collect a couple of critical points in Laval, with a 5-2 win. The victory splits the two-game weekend set at Place Bell and improves Belleville’s record against Laval this season to 4-5-1-0, with two games left to play in the 12-game season series. The Senators now trail the Rocket by just two points for the final playoff spot in the North Division and hold two games in hand and another pair of meetings still to come.

The Senators, again, were piling pucks on the Laval net from the outset and ended up outshooting the Rocket 14-8 in the period, with two goals getting past Kasimir Kaskisuo. Max Guenette found the net on a long wrist shot from the right side, just past the nine-minute mark of the frame, while Cole Reinhardt tapped in a rebound at 18:58. Laval scored in between those Belleville goals, by way of a Lucas Condotta deflection, the only blemish for B-Sens netminder Kevin Mandolese in the frame.

Belleville struck quickly in the second as well, when Jiri Smejkal broke in and fired a top corner wrist shot by Kaskisuo at 1:22. Oskar Pettersson hammered home a one-timer at 8:54 of the second, to make it 4-1. But Philippe Maillet would cash in on a rebound for Laval a couple of minutes later, to cut the lead to 4-2. The Rocket outshot Belleville 15-8 in the period.

The only goal of the third period came from Belleville’s Jacob Larsson, who capped a four-point night with an empty net goal from close to 200 feet, at the other end of the rink. The victory snaps a four-game skid for the Senators, who are back in action at home next Saturday against Springfield and Syracuse.

The Sens and Rocket will see each other next on Friday April 19 in Belleville and Saturday April 20 in Laval, as they finish up the regular season schedule with a home-and-home set.

Fast Facts:

• #3 Dillon Heatherington had four shots on net.
• #4 Jacob Larsson recorded four points (one goal, three assists), along with three shots on goal and a +3 rating. He was named the game’s first star.
• #18 Josh Currie collected his 15th assist of the season.
• #19 Jamieson Rees collected his first two points a Senator, with a pair of assists, and was named the game’s second star.
• #21 Max Guenette scored his seventh goal of the season.
• #23 Cole Reinhardt scored his seventh goal of the season and had four shots on goal.
• #31 Kevin Mandolese stopped 33 of 35 shots he faced to earn his ninth victory of the season. He was named the game’s third star.
• #32 Oskar Pettersson scored his second goal of the season.
• #39 Jiri Smejkal scored his ninth goal of the season.
• #52 Nikolas Matinpalo recorded his eighth assist of the season.
• The Senators were 0/1 on the power play and 1/1 on the View Tech Window and Door Penalty Kill.

Highlights:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens defenceman Jacob Larsson on his team’s response from Friday’s loss:

“It’s massive, I think everyone played a really good game and it was a team effort. Yesterday we weren’t happy, we played decent too, but couldn’t put the puck in the net. Today, it felt loose for us and we got five goals, so that’s awesome. We’re just going to keep building on this.”

Belleville Sens forward Jacob Larsson in the importance of the victory:

“The standings are super tight, but I feel like we can beat any team in our division. Every game now is going to be very important and feel like a playoff game every time. We have a good feeling in the group right now, so we just have to keep working, have a good practice week and get after it next weekend.”

Belleville Sens goaltender Kevin Mandolese on the win:

“It was a great team win. It’s nice to see the resiliency of this team through the ups and downs of the season. I have full confidence in this team, that we’ll make a good playoff push and get in the playoffs. It shows that in a back-to-back, you stick to your structure and just trust the process, we’re a good team and we can compete with anybody.”

Media Availabilities:

Up Next:

• Friday April 5, 2024 vs Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues) – 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday April 6, 2024 vs Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 7:00 p.m. (Country Night presented by Cool 100)
• Wednesday April 10, 2024 @ Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 7:00 p.m.
• Friday April 12, 2024 @ Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) – 7:05 p.m.
• Saturday April 13, 2024 @ Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) – 5:05 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 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 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.

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