Bourgault tallies lone Sens goal in 3-1 loss to Laval

A second straight comeback attempt by the Belleville Senators against the Laval Rocket fell just short on Saturday night at CAA Arena, with the visitors taking a 3-1 decision over the host Sens. 

It was just the third regulation loss of the season for Belleville (7-3-0-4), who remain just one point back of Rochester for fourth in the AHL North division, with three games in hand.

Belleville started off the opening period with a few good chances but it was Laval who would open the scoring after the Sens got caught on a line change with Joshua Roy breaking through and putting one past Sens goalkeeper Malcolm Subban to make it 1-0 at the 10:59 mark. 

There would be no more scoring in the first period but it would feature an excellent tussle between Laval’s Florian Xhekaj and Belleville’s Donovan Sebrango with six minutes remaining. Both players would be assessed a five minute major penalty for fighting. 

Things would liven up in the second period with Laval jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead just 20 seconds in with Jared Davidson blazing down the left wing and placing a wrist shot top corner past Subban.

Davidson would get his second goal of the night for Laval to make it 3-0 at the 3:48 mark when he took a past in front of the goal and quickly snapped a shot past Subban which brought a hush over the crowd at the CAA Arena.

The good news is, Belleville would give themselves life at the 7:57 mark when Xavier Bourgault scored his third goal of the season to draw one back for the Sens and make it 3-1. 

Unfortunately, the Sens wouldn’t be able to dig themselves out of the early hole with the final score staying at 3-1 with Laval’s keeper Jakub Dobeš stonewalling Belleville for the majority of the night.

You can click here to see the full box score.

Fast facts:

• Belleville hosted their largest crowd of the season so far with 3477 in attendance. 
• Xavier Bourgault scored his third goal of the season. 
• Zack Ostapchuk had his 7th assist of the season. 
• Malcolm Subban made his sixth appearance for Belleville. 
• Laval outshot Belleville 32 to 19. 
• Belleville went 4-for-4 killing penalties tonight but went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the result:

“I don’t think we had our legs; they travelled the exact same as us, got in at the same time as us last night, so that can’t be an excuse. I thought they did a great job of keeping us to the outside; we didn’t penetrate, and we didn’t get shots.”

Bell on the team’s physical pushback:

“I liked it, but at the same time it’s always the same guys; the Sebrangos and the Washkuraks of the world, that’s part of their job and part of their DNA, but I’d like to see other guys use their grit to take pucks to the net, or get to the inside to find a rebound. It doesn’t always have to be a hit or a fight that shows me that we’re engaged physically.”

Highlights:

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Up Next:

• Wednesday, November 27, 2024 – Belleville @ Syracuse 7:00 p.m. ET – Upstate Medical University Arena.
• Saturday November 30, 2024 – Belleville @ Bridgeport 7:00 p.m. ET – Total Mortgage Arena

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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