Belleville Senators fall to Rochester in 8-2 loss on Belleville Bulls Tribute Night

A sold-out crowd, a tribute to history, but a tough result for the Belleville Senators, who dropped an 8-2 decision to the Rochester Americans.

The CAA Arena was packed to the rafters for Belleville’s first sellout of the season, as fans gathered to celebrate the city’s hockey legacy with a Belleville Bulls tribute night. The Senators took the ice in the sharp red, black, and gold Bulls jerseys, filling the arena with smiles and nostalgia.

In the first period, the Senators came out strong, applying pressure in the Americans’ zone. However, early penalties for Belleville were given to Jeremy Davies for tripping and Donovan Sebrango for high-sticking allowing Rochester to have a 5-on-3 advantage.

Rochester’s Isak Rosén struck first at 5:32, taking full advantage of the power play with a shot from the left point. Later in the period, at 11:15, the Americans extended their lead with a long, low shot that slipped past Belleville’s defence.

Belleville’s resilience shone through just 32 seconds later, as Cole Reinhardt scored a slick backhand goal, assisted by Stephen Halliday, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Tensions boiled over at 1:59 with gloves off and headlocks exchanged, earning Rochester’s Josh Dunne and Nikita Novikov penalties for roughing and charging, respectively. Senator Nikolas Matinpalo also received a penalty for roughing but seemed out of defence for his teammates. The Senators earned a power play but couldn’t convert, closing the first period trailing 2-1.

The Senators began the second period with energy but quickly returned on the penalty kill as Garrett Pilon took a delay-of-game penalty. Rochester capitalized with a gritty goal in front, restoring their two-goal lead. Moments later, Rochester hits it right off the goalpost, then scores again, off a rebound.

Belleville’s discipline continued to unravel, with an interference penalty to Oskar Pettersson. The period ended with a ceremonial faceoff and a 5-1 lead for the Americans.

The third period started with frustration for the Senators as Angus Crookshank took a cross-checking penalty right off the faceoff, resulting in a 5-on-3 for Rochester. The Americans made them pay with a backdoor goal, bringing the score to 6-1 at 6:57.

Belleville fought back with a highlight from Davies, who rifled a shot over the shoulder of his former team’s goalie, assisted by Philippe Daoust and Oskar Pettersson. However, penalties continued for the Senators, including a slashing call on Keean Washkurak.

The Americans sealed the deal with a buzzer-beater, scoring with 0.3 seconds left.

Despite the tough loss, the Bulls tribute night was a celebration of Belleville’s rich hockey history.

While the result wasn’t what the Senators or their fans were looking for, Tim Durkin captured the spirit of the night on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network, expressing the community’s pride in its hockey heritage and spotlighting Karl Subban, “Belleville’s Hockey Dad,” who called the city one of the best hockey cities around—a place where dreams come true.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts

• #4 Jeremy Davies notched an assist for his 18th point of the season to take over the Belleville scoring lead
• #20 Phil Daoust collected an assist
• #23 Cole Reinhardt picked up his sixth goal of the season in his return from an NHL recall
• #32 Oskar Pettersson recorded an assist
• #34 Stephen Halliday extended his career-high point streak to eight games with an assist.
• #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 17 of the 22 shots he faced
• #40 Mads Sogaard stopped 9 of the 12 shots he faced in relief of Merilainen in third period

Highlights

Sound Bytes:

Head Coach Dave Bell on the result:

“I think it started right off the hop when we went down 5-on-3. We knew they’re a very offensive team and they like to stretch guys out of the zone and it was important to have our defence not pinch and to have good forward support. I think last night we had nine odd man rushes and that’s too high and then we probably had that many again. So a lack of discipline to play the way we needed to play and with the penalties, you get that result.”

Head Coach Dave Bell on the bigger picture, with the team winning five of their last seven games:

“I thought Wednesday was probably our best game of the year. But you can’t get too big or too confident, or you get humbled pretty quick and that’s what happened to us this weekend. The lack of discipline to stay with the way we played on Wednesday is concerning to me, but the good thing is we have five days before our next two games to get things back on track.”

Media Availabilities:

Up Next:

• Friday, December 20, 2024 – Belleville Senators @ Laval Rocket – 7:00 p.m. ET (Place Bell)
• Saturday, December 21, 2024 – Belleville Senators vs Laval Rocket – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)
• Thursday, December 26, 2024 – Belleville Senators @ Toronto Marlies – 7:00 p.m. ET (Scotiabank Arena)
• Saturday, December 28, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Toronto Marlies – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA 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.

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