Gabriel Pizza Gameday Build-Up: Senators start New York road trip with stop in Rochester

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 @ Rochester Americans (AHL affiliate: Buffalo Sabres)

The set-up:

The Belleville Senators are set to play seven of their next eight games away from home, and that stretch begins tonight with their first visit to Rochester to face the Americans at the Blue Cross Arena. The Sens have alternated wins and losses following their three-game win streak near the end of October and are looking to find that same consistency while jockeying for position in the North Division, which is as competitive as always. The Amerks have also dropped a gear since rattling off five straight wins not long ago, including a 4-1 victory in Belleville. Rochester has dropped three of its last four games, most recently a 2-1 defeat in Hershey against the Bears last Sunday.

Previous History:

Belleville and Rochester have already met once this season, with the Amerks taking a 4-1 win at CAA Arena a couple of weeks ago, and they’ll play seven more times, including tonight. Phil Daoust was the only Senator to score in that game, while Devon Levi turned aside 23 of 24 shots for the Amerks. The Belleville loss sees their lifetime record against Rochester fall to 27-18-5-1 over 51 meetings. On the road, over 25 visits to Blue Cross Arena, the 16-8-1-0. are

Roster Notes:

The Senators are dealing with some injurie woes as they embark on this road stretch. Goaltender Mads Sogaard and rookie defenceman Matt Andonovski are still dealing with longer-term ailments, while captain Garrett Pilon and forward Tyler Boucher were both hurt during last weekend’s three-in-three stretch and are not available tonight. The Senators are waiting for updates on their timelines. With those bodies out, Belleville has signed forward Mark Duarte to a professional tryout. Duarte took part in Belleville’s training camp and preseason in October and has registered five points (three goals, two assists) over nine games with the Senators’ ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans. Full lineup details will be available via the Sens social media channels (@BellevilleSens) about half an hour ahead of puck drop.

Who to Watch:

Xavier Bourgault (two assists), Jan Jenik (two assists) and Arthur Kaliyev (two goals) each have points in back-to-back games, with Bourgault registering points in five of the last six games, and eight of 12 he’s dressed in this season. Kaliyev has scored in four of six games he’s appeared in, while Jenik has picked up a point in two of three games since returning from an injury at the start of the season. Should Hunter Shepard get the start for Belleville tonight, he’ll be worth a look as well. The veteran netminder has stopped 113 shots over his last three games.

First-year Amerks’ captain Zach Metsa is riding a three-game point streak (two goals, three assists) into tonight’s game, while forward Trevor Kuntar has three goals over his last two games. Victor Neuchev was held pointless in Rochester’s previous game against Hershey, but has found the scoresheet in seven of 13 games this season, as has Jake Lecsyshyn, whose three-game point streak was snapped on Sunday. 

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight is set for 7:05 p.m. ET from the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial in Rochester, New York. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:55 p.m. ET with David Foot and can be seen on AHLTV on FloHockey or heard free on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network.

Ticket Info:

Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games in the first half of the 2025-26 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster or at the Belleville Sens Box Office located inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre. Details on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge Program, and more can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website. 

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