B-Sens offence dominates in 6-2 blowout win in Syracuse

An offensive explosion at Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse propelled the visiting Belleville Senators to a 6-2 win over the host Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night.

Donovan Sebrango scored a memorable no-look backhand goal as part of a two-point night, while leading scorer Cole Reinhardt tallied four points in the win, which moved Belleville to 4-1-0-3 on the season.

Belleville opened the scoring just under four minutes into the game as the hot start to the season for Cole Reinhardt continued. His latest goal came courtesy of Donovan Sebrango firing a puck off the rush that Syracuse goalie Matt Tomkins saved; however, the rebound pinballed around the crease, and Reinhardt jammed it home for his team-leading fourth of the season.

After tallying an assist on that opening goal, Angus Crookshank doubled the lead for the visiting Sens when he spun at the side of the net and slid a point blank shot by Tomkins to double the Belleville lead on the team’s first power play of the game.

With just over two minutes left in the opening frame, the Sens made it a 3-0 game off the rush when a perfect cross-ice pass by captain Garrett Pilon found Nikolas Matinpalo, who fired home a top shelf shot from the right circle, his first tally of the season.

A busy second period began with a Syracuse breakthrough just under two minutes in, when a wide point shot by the Crunch produced a wraparound opportunity for Milo Roelens, who swept the puck by Leevi Merilainen to get the home side on the board.

But Belleville responded in kind just over two minutes later, when Donovan Sebrango scored a highlight reel marker. Taking a pass from Reinhardt, Sebrango spun in the slot and backhanded the puck between his legs and by Tomkins to reclaim a three-goal Belleville advantage.

A minute later, Keean Washkurak dropped the gloves with Syracuse’s Joel Teasdale in a brief fight that brought both benches to life, but failed to stem the Senators’ momentum.

Belleville scored early in the third, just over a minute in, when Matthew Highmore backhanded home a rebound of a Maxence Guenette shot, notching his first of the season and claiming a commanding 5-1 Sens lead, matching the team’s season-high for offensive output.

Crookshank then set the team’s new season-high when he hammered home a one-timer in the slot off a perfect setup from Reinhardt to make it 6-1. Syracuse drew closer with a power play goal from Derrick Pouliot with 20 seconds left, notching the 6-2 final score.

You can click here to see the full box score.

Fast facts:

• The Senators handed Syracuse their first home loss of the season
• Five Senators had multi-point nights, with Cole Reinhardt notching a goal and three assists, Angus Crookshank scoring two goals and one assist, Garrett Pilon tallying three helpers, Donovan Sebrango scoring a goal and an assist, and Jeremy Davies assisting twice.
• Both teams had a single power play opportunity, with both teams converting
• Goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 29 of 31 Syracuse shots, pushing his record on the season to 4-1-2

Sound Bytes

Defenceman Donovan Sebrango on his highlight reel no-look goal:

“I got a puck, and it kind of bounced in a weird spot, and it was more of a panic, maybe a little bit of ‘let’s just get it to the net’, but it went in, and I’m just happy it went in.”

Assistant coach Andrew Campbell on the team’s performance:

“All twelve forwards, all six D, and Leevi obviously, I think it was a complete team effort out there; just really impressed with the effort the group brought for the full sixty minutes. Guys were making the right decisions all night whether it was with the puck or without the puck; we were getting pucks behind them, we were sticking to the structure, and every guy was competing.”

Sebrango on the team’s effort:

“That’s what we can do when we play a full sixty. We’ve been talking about it; since we started playing, I don’t think we’ve played a full sixty, and tonight we proved that we can be a heck of a team when we do.”

Highlights:

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Up Next:

• Friday November 8, 2024 – Belleville vs Laval (7:00 p.m. ET – CAA Arena) (Military Appreciation Night)
• Saturday November 9, 2024 – Belleville vs Laval (7:00 p.m. ET – CAA Arena) (Loyalist College Student & Alumni Night)

Ticket Info:

Tickets for all games through the first half of the 2024-25 Belleville Sens season are now on sale via Ticketmaster, by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com, or at the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena during select hours.

Fans looking to get a head start on locking up tickets for any game on the schedule can do so now by becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for a group experience. More information on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages is available by visiting the Belleville Sens website or emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com.

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