game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens prepare to finish preseason at home against Laval October 9, 2022 Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397 The Set-Up: The Belleville Senators will conclude their brief preseason this afternoon, as they host the Laval Rocket at CAA Arena, at 3:00 p.m. While still just an exhibition game, today’s matchup is the last chance for some players on Belleville’s training camp roster to show what they’re capable of, with the Sens set to finalize their 2022-23 roster this week. This is the second preseason game of the weekend for both teams, with the B-Sens coming off a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Marlies on Friday evening, while Laval lost to the Marlies 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Previous History: While the Senators lifetime series with Laval has been a tight one (the Sens post a 29-24-1-2 lifetime mark vs the Rocket), Belleville had the upper hand in 2021-22, with a record of 8-4-0-0. Five of those wins last season came at CAA Arena, with the other three at Place Bell. While this game is just an exhibition contest, it marks the first of three straight between the Sens and Rocket, with the season opener in Laval on Friday October 14, and Belleville’s home opener, presented by CAA, on Saturday October 15. Roster Notes: Head Coach Troy Mann has been forced to make some changes from Friday’s lineup, after Rourke Chartier was recalled to Ottawa and other regular Belleville players (including Jake Lucchini, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and others) are in the process of being reassigned to the American Hockey League. The Sens will go with 11 forwards and seven defenders, with Mads Sogaard set to play the full 60 minutes in net. A full projected lineup will be available prior to puck drop. Who to Watch: Egor Sokolov scored Belleville’s only goal on Friday and will be relied upon to spur the offence, not only this afternoon, but throughout the course of the upcoming season. Other Senators to keep an eye on today include tryout hopefuls Kyle McDonald, Ben Roger and Stephen Baylis, along with Cedric Pare, who played all of last season will Belleville but is still fighting for a spot on this year’s roster. For Laval, veteran forward Danick Martel is perhaps one of the more notable names to dress this afternoon, but Rocket Head Coach JF Houle will also be taking a hard look at some of the Montreal Candiens prospects who are fighting for jobs, including Jan Mysak (2nd round in 2020), Mattias Norlinder (3rd round in 2019), William Trudeau (4th round in 2021) and Miguel Tourigny (7th round in 2022). Follow the action: The Senators will be running a test of the new Belleville Sens Entertainment Network for today’s game, with a free audio stream available by clicking here. Coverage will start at 2:45 p.m. with David Foot and Colin Zappia. Ticket info: Tickets for all games in the preseason series, including tonight against Toronto, the game tomorrow afternoon between Toronto and Laval, and Sunday’s Belleville vs Laval contest, are available via Ticketmaster or at the CAA Arena Box Office. Belleville Sens Season Seat Members already have tickets to all three games.
