Game Day Build-Up: B-Sens look to stay perfect against Crunch as they wrap busy stretch in Syracuse

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Feb.24/24 @ Syracuse Crunch (NHL Affiliate: Tampa Bay Lightning)                       

The Set-Up:

The Belleville Senators (25-20-2-3) look to wrap up a marathon stretch of seven games in 11 nights with a third consecutive victory tonight, as they finish their three-game road trip this week in Syracuse, against the Crunch (28-15-3-2). Belleville pulled off a persistent 2-1 shootout win in Rochester last night, to sweep their two-game set with the Amerks, paced by a late game-tying goal from Zack MacEwen, shootout goals from Rourke Chartier and Matt Highmore, and a sparkling relief performance in net from Kevin Mandolese. The Sens have moved into third place in the North Division and are up against a Crunch team tonight that sits six points point ahead of them in second and is coming off a 2-1 win over their own last night, on the road in Utica.

Previous History:

The Senators have been stellar against the Crunch this season, skating to a perfect 4-0-0-0 mark, including a pair of wins at home and a pair of wins at the Upstate Medical University Arena, a place where Belleville is just 5-9-2-2 in their lifetime. Overall against the Crunch, Belleville has a 16-15-2-2 mark since joining the American Hockey League in the 2017/18 season.

Roster Notes:

Once again, the only decisions to be made are which of Belleville’s veteran players will have the night off due to the American Hockey League’s veteran rule. There were no transactions for the B-Sens between either the National Hockey League parent club in Ottawa, or their ECHL affiliate in Allen, Texas, overnight.

Who to Watch:

Sens forward and 2023 all-star selection Egor Sokolov has been contributing consistently during the season series with Syracuse. Sokolov has four assists over four games and has been a thorn in the side of the Crunch at times, trying to keep them off their game with his gritty and aggressive play. Fellow big man up front, Zack MacEwen, scored the game-tying goal last night and has four points (three goals, one assist) in five games since returning from the NHL.

Former Wellington Dukes standout Declan Carlile has been showing his offensive flair of late for the Crunch, finding the scoresheet in five straight games (one goal, five assists). He had the game-winning goal for Syracuse at Utica on Friday night, along with three shots on goal and was rewarded with an NHL call up to Tampa Bay on January 4, 2024.

Ticket info:

Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games for the remainder of the 2023-24 season are now on sale online, via Ticketmaster or the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Belleville Sens Box Office at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Box Office hours are available by clicking here.

Fans can also click the following links for more information on season seat memberships, flex packs, group experiences or Business Elite memberships, or send an email to tickets@bellevillesens.com.

Follow the action:

Tonight’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and can be seen on AHL TV and heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage from Upstate Medical University Arena, in Syracuse, New York, begins at 6:50 p.m. (ET) with David Foot.

The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.

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