game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs Americans – April 9, 2022 April 9, 2022 Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397 The Set-Up: With ten games left in the 2021-22 American Hockey League season, the Belleville Senators face perhaps their biggest game of the campaign tonight, as they welcome the Rochester Americans to CAA Arena. Following their emphatic 4-1 win over the North Division-leading Utica Comets on Friday, Belleville sits in fourth place in the division, with a chance to further solidify a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a victory tonight. On Friday, Andrew Agozzino snapped a seven-game pointless skid with a goal, Jake Lucchini scored his team-leading 20th, while defenders Jonathan Aspirot and Max Guenette also tallied. Filip Gustavsson made 33 saves to earn his seventh win of the season. The Amerks, meanwhile, have slipped out of the playoff picture and are trying claw their way back in, following a 4-3 loss in Laval last night. It’s also Cool 100 Country Night and the Molson Patio Party, with a pregame concert from Prince Edward County’s Caleb Hutton, starting at 6:00 p.m. Previous History: The Belleville Sens hold a 4-1-1-0 advantage in the season series with Rochester, heading into meeting number seven-of-eight this season. The two clubs will wrap their season series, in a makeup game, at Blue Cross Arena next Friday. Belleville’s home record against Rochester this season is 2-1-0-0. Lifetime against the Amerks, the Senators are 13-8-3-0 and 5-4-3-0 in Belleville. Roster Notes: Fans at CAA Arena will get their first look at Senators prospect Viktor Lodin tonight. The 22-year-old from Leksand, Sweden will make his debut, after finishing the Swedish Hockey League season last week and being assigned to the AHL by Ottawa. It’s hoped that Lodin can add some extra offensive punch, after scoring 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 44 SHL games this season. Cole Reinhardt will also return to the Sens lineup after making his NHL debut on Thursday night in Ottawa. Filip Gustavsson will start on back-to-back nights, with Belleville’s scratched list including Jack Doughtery, Rourke Chartier, Chris Wilkie, Cedric Pare, and Kevin Mandolese. Who to Watch: Belleville defenceman Zac Leslie is set to play in his 350th career American Hockey League game tonight. The Ottawa native and former OHL champion with the Guelph Storm, has notched 127 points (24 goals, 103 assists), along with 231 penalty minutes in his career with Ontario, Chicago, Stockton and Belleville. Egor Sokolov has also stretched his point streak to six games, while Scott Sabourin registered his 50th career AHL assist on Friday. The Amerks have four players in the top 20 in the American Hockey League rookie scoring race. JJ Peterka leads that pack with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) in 61 games played. Jack Quinn is fourth with 51 points (23 goals, 28 assists) in 35 games played, Brandon Biro is 15th with 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) in 50 games, and Linus Weissbach is 17th with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 58 games played. Ethan Prow is also fifth in defensive scoring with 41 poitns (nine goals, 32 assists) in 61 games played. Follow the action: Tonight’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be heard on the Belleville Sens Official Broadcast Partner 800 AM CJBQ, with Jack Miller and (Broadcast time is 6:50 p.m.). The game can also be streamed live on AHL TV. Don’t forget to download the Belleville Senators app before game time and follow the Sens social media (@BellevilleSens) for updates. Ticket info: CAA Arena is back to 100% capacity, with no vaccine mandate in place. Other local and provincial COVID-19 guidelines must still be followed, including the wearing of masks inside CAA Arena, unless actively eating or drinking. Tickets for tonight’s game are available via Ticketmaster or the CAA Arena Box Office (open today 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). Tickets for further Belleville Sens home games this season can be purchased through the same methods. Season Ticket Memberships and Flex Packs are also available with more information available at bellevillesens.com. — 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
