Belleville Sens season ends with North Semifinals loss to top-ranked Monsters

It was do-or-die for the Belleville Senators entering game four of the North Semi-Finals, trailing the Clevland Monsters 2-1 in the first to three series.

Once again, the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was rocking on Friday night. More than 12000 fans were in attendance and given a reason to cheer early.

Less than two minutes into the game, Marcus Bjork snuck one by the Senators starting goalie Leevi Merilainen, who was getting his first taste of Calder Cup Playoff action after Mads Sogaard was ruled out earlier on Friday.

The B-Sens would respond well later on in the first period. On the power play, Stephen Halliday would continue his dominating run by slotting his second goal of the playoffs past Cleveland starting goalie Jet Greaves. The goal would be good for Halliday’s ninth point of the playoffs. The score would be tied at one heading into the second period.

While the effort was evident from the Senators, luck was not on their side in game four. Belleville would throw 17 shots on the net in the second frame but could not find the twine. At the other end, Owen Sillinger would score his second goal in as many games, putting the Monsters up a goal heading into the third period.

Once again, Belleville would outshoot the Monsters in the third period. The B-Sens threw everything they had with the season on the line at Cleveland, even calling a late timeout to try and draw up the perfect play. Unfortunately, the only goal of the period would come from the home team. Justin Pearson would slide the puck into the yawning cage and seal a game four and series victory for the Cleveland Monsters.

After winning game one of the North Semi-Finals, The Senators would lose three straight at the hands of the Monsters, ending what was a special 2023/24 campaign.

The Belleville Senators want to thank all of the fans who supported the team throughout the season. It was a historic and unforgettable year, and we can’t wait to see everyone for the start of the 2024/25 season.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jacob Larsson added another assist to his playoff total on Friday night, bringing his final total to five.
• #13 Egor Sokolov also recorded an assist on Friday after throwing seven shots on goal in game three.
• #17 Stephen Halliday extended his point streak to five games after his goal in game four. Halliday finishes his Calder Cup Playoff run with an impressive nine points (2G 7A).
• #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 27 of 29 shots in his Calder Cup Playoffs debut.

Highlights:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the Game 4 defeat:

“I thought our guys played extremely well and I’ve got to give their team a lot of credit as well. They played extremely hard, extremely physical and Jet Greaves is an unbelievable goaltender. Our guys weren’t bad, he was just really good. Our guys gave it everything they had, they played their best and it just wasn’t there for us.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the growth of his team from the start of the season:

“They came a long way. There were a lot of firsts this year. A lot of first pro games, a lot of first NHL games, a couple of first NHL goals, first playoff series win, so I think a lot of good things happened and there was a lot of growth. I truly believe that we’ve set a new standard for the organization around the league, that we are a playoff team.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Leevi Merilainen’s performance in Game 4:

“He was unbelievable. He gets a goalie interference goal, and a kicked in goal, and an empty net goal, so it’s not on Leevi. He’s got ice in his veins. You tell him he’s playing, it doesn’t phase him, he works like a pro and dog in practice, so it’s not surprising that he had that performance. It’s really nice for the organization to see that he’s going to be pushing Mads moving forward. It was an excellent performance by him.”

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Up Next:

The Senators 2023-24 season has officially come to an end with Friday night’s loss. The team will return to Belleville on Saturday, with player exit meetings likely taking place early next week. A full recap of the season will be available this week on the Belleville Sens Podcast, with further updates throughout the offseason available through the Club’s social media channels (@BellevilleSens).

Ticket Info:

Fans looking ahead to next season can get information via the following links on, 2024-25 season seat memberships or 2024-25 Business Elite memberships, as well as via the Belleville Sens website, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com.