Reinhardt returns to score OT winner on a wild Wednesday at CAA Arena

It was a wild Wednesday Night at CAA Arena as the Belleville Senators came back twice from a two-goal deficit to knock off the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers) 6-5 in overtime. Six different Senators found the net, and Jeremy Davis had four assists, while Michael Simpson picked up his third AHL win in goal.

It was another game where Belleville had to work from behind early, as the Wolf Pack got on the board just 20 seconds in. Hartford veteran Alex Belzile hammered a shot off the pads of Belleville netminder Michael Simpson, and Simpson’s former Ontario Hockey League teammate with the Peterborough Petes, Brennan Othmann, fired one past him to make it 1-0. But Belleville would tie the game by way of a Stephen Halliday power play goal at 9:50. Dylan Roobroeck would beat Simpson on a two-on-one at 11:11 to put the Wolf Pack ahead 2-1 after 20 minutes.

The Wolf Pack would extend their lead to two goals inside seven minutes of the second period. A shot from the point took a wild bounce off the end boards, and Dylan Roobroeck knocked in his eighth goal of the season to make it 3-1 Hartford. Belleville battled back to tie the game with a couple more power play goals, first from Jan Jenik, banging his sixth of the season past Dylan Garand, and then Angus Crookshank’s team-leading 16th, lifting a backhand rebound over Garand, following a point shot from Sam Gagner. However, the tie would only last less than a minute and a half. Jaroslav Chmelar got loose on a breakaway, off a strange bounce in the neutral zone and scored his sixth of the season to put the Wolf Pack back up by a goal at the end of two periods.

In a case of deja vu, Hartford scored early in the third as well, when Alex Belzile wired a wrist shot past Simpson off an offensive zone faceoff win, just 25 seconds into the period to make it 5-3. The Senators got back within a goal just about a minute later, after Simpson made a breakaway save on Anton Blidh at one end, and Wyatt Bongiovanni got sprung on a breakaway of his own, firing his 15th of the campaign past Garand. And, the Senators would tie the game less than two minutes after that, when Oskar Pettersson capitalized on a turnover by Garand who found himself sliding out of position and Pettersson tapped in his fifth of the season to send the game to overtime.

It took just 16 seconds for the Senators to win the game, with Cole Reinhardt beating Garand with a hard, low, shot, ending the night with his seventh goal of the season in his return from a lengthy NHL recall.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts

• #4 Jeremy Davies was credited with four assists and now has 154 points in his American Hockey League career. He was named the game’s second star.
• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni scored his 15th goal of the season and added his fifth assist. He was named the game’s first star.
• #6 Donovan Sebrango dressed in his 200th American Hockey League Game
• #9 Angus Crookshank extended his point streak to six games by scoring his team-leading 16th goal of the season and 10th on the power play.
• #19 Jamieson Rees and #21 Max Guenette each had a team-high four shots on goal.
• #22 Garrett Pilon picked up two assists and had four shots on goal.
• #23 Cole Reinhardt scored the overtime winner, his seventh goal of the season, in his first game with Belleville since December 14, 2024.
• #24 Jan Jenik scored for the sixth time this season before leaving the game in the third period with an apparent injury.
• #27 Keean Washkurak picked up his fifth assist of the campaign.
• #31 Michael Simpson stopped 22 of 27 shots to earn his third win.
• #32 Oskar Pettersson scored for the fifth time this season.
• #34 Stephen Halliday stretched his point streak to four games by scoring his 11th of the season.
• #42 Hayden Hodgson collected his third assist.
• #48 Filip Roos was credited with an assist, his eighth of the year.
• #89 Sam Gagner notched his second assist as a Senator and also had four shots on goal.
• The Senators were 3/5 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 3/3 on the View Tech Window and Door Penalty Kill.

Highlights:

Media Availabilities:

Sound Bytes:

Assistant coach Stefan Legein on the power play’s recent success:

“I think it’s just the ten guys putting in the work. We spent a lot of time in the last few weeks trying to get it back on track. We had a good start to the season, kind of went through the ebbs and flows of the year, had a bit of a down-tick, and the last few games we’ve been really able to find our structure.”

Legein on Jeremy Davies’ four-assist night:

“He’s riding the wave quite well. He’s rewarded with an all-star appearance, tonight he had four assists, that’s what we need him to do. We need him to drive the offence from the back end. He’s an important part of our team; it’s nice to see him step up, he’s been playing a lot of big minutes lately. We’ve had guys coming and going from the lineup, hurt and in Ottawa, the guys on the back end have stepped up. Some of them are playing 26-27 minutes regularly.”

Davies on his banner season so far:

“I’ve gotten a bit more of an opportunity on the offensive side of things. Super thankful for [Ryan Bowness & David Bell] bringing me in, a great group of guys, a really skilled and hard working group of hockey players that’s excited to come to the rink every day.”

Up Next:

• Friday, January 31, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Utica Comets – 7:00 p.m. ET (Adirondack Bank Center)
• Saturday, February 1, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Utica Comets – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)
• Sunday, February 2, 2025  – AHL All-Star Skills Competition – 9:00 p.m. ET (Acrisure Arena – Coachella Valley)
• Monday, February 3, 2025 – AHL All-Star Challenge – 9:00 p.m. ET (Acrisure Arena – Coachella Valley)
• Friday, February 7, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Rochester Americans – 7:05 p.m. ET (Blue Cross Arena)

Ticket Info:

Tickets for all 2024-25 Belleville Sens home games 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 for details on other ticketing options can click the following links for more on  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.

—

Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com
Engage with the Belleville Sens on Twitter: @BellevilleSens
Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens
Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens
Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com