game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens welcome Comets to wave goodbye to 2024 December 31, 2024 Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up Dec.31/24 vs Utica Comets (NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils) The Set Up: It might be hard to believe, but 2024 has officially come and gone and as the Belleville Sens get set to turn the calendar to 2025, the resolution around the dressing room is to get back to how the group was playing off the start of the season push up the North Division standings. The Senators sit in sixth place in the North entering this afternoon’s matinee affair against the Utica Comets, and after skating to a close to .500 record in December, sit about 10 points back of the division’s top teams. This afternoon, they’re up against a Comets team that continues to sit at the bottom of the North and has been struggling to find consistency on both sides of the puck, and like Belleville, has dealt with a lot of roster movement to their NHL parent club in New Jersey, as well. Previous History: This is the second of eight meetings between the Senators and Comets this season and the 40th all-time since Belleville began its American Hockey League run in 2017-18. Belleville picked up the victory in their only meeting with Utica this season, a 5-4 win at CAA Arena in the Home Opener presented by CAA on October 19, 2024. Last season against the Comets, the Senators were after going 5-3-0-0. They’re 20-16-3-0 against Utica in their lifetime and 12-8-1-0 against the Comets on home ice. Roster Notes: None of the five players who were recalled to Ottawa last week have been returned, so forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Cole Reinhardt, defender Nikolas Matinpalo, and goaltenders Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen all remain with the NHL Senators. Jamieson Rees remains on the Belleville injured list and was joined there this week by defenceman Max Guenette. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with lineup details available via the B-Sens social channels (@bellevillesens) before the game. Who to Watch: Rookie defenceman Djibril Touré had a pretty memorable American Hockey League debut, picking up two assists in last Saturday’s game against Toronto. The 6’7’’, 200-pound 21-year-old from Dorval, QC has played most of his first pro season with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL), registering eight points (one goal, seven assists) and a +9 rating over 23 games. He played a 102-game Ontario Hockey League career, split between the Sudbury Wolves and Windsor Spitfires, and before that, spent time in the Ottawa-area CCHL with the Carleton Place Canadians and Hawkesbury Hawks. A pair of Comets are coming off of multi-point outings in their last game, a 3-2 overtime loss at home to Rochester last Saturday. Shane Bowers had two assists, while Xavier Parent had a goal and a helper. Forward Adam Beckman is Utica’s top scorer with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) over 10 games. Selected by Minnesota in the 3rd round of the 2019 NHL draft, Beckman joins the Comets after spending the last three seasons playing with the NHL Wild and their AHL affiliate in Iowa. At the Rink: This afternoon’s game starts at 3:00 p.m. for our 2024 New Year’s Eve Kids Countdown, with CAA Arena gates opening at 2:00 p.m.! Ring in 2025 with a countdown during the game and celebrate the new year with friends and family at CAA Arena! The first 700 younger Sens fans to enter CAA Arena will receive free M&M Minis courtesy of Mars, and fans can take advantage of the club’s New Year’s sale at The Locker Room Store, with 25% off replica jerseys and all 2024-25 merchandise. That deal is available through January 1, 2025, at the Locker Room Store (inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre), the Gate 2 Merchandise Stand inside CAA Arena, or via The Locker Room’s online store, using the promo code “2025”. The U18 Tampa Bulldogs Rugby 7’s team will also be on-hand for a CAA Chuck-A-Puck activation. Follow the Action: Puck drop tonight is set for 3:00 p.m. ET from CAA Arena in Belleville, ON. Broadcast coverage begins at 2:50 p.m. ET with David Foot and Brock Ormond, and can be seen on AHLTV on FloHockey, or heard free on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Ticket Info: Tickets for all remaining 2024-25 Belleville Sens home games are now on sale via Ticketmaster, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena are available here. 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 by booking 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. About the Belleville Senators The Belleville Senators are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators and have been operating in the AHL since the 2017-18 season. The Senators play their home games out of the CAA Arena at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre and have graduated more than 60 players to the NHL since moving from Binghamton, New York. — 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 Watch the Belleville Sens on AHLTV on FloHockey: www.watchtheahl.com
