Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens host Phantoms looking to snap back into playoff contention

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Mar.28/25 vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers)

The Set Up:

A lot can change in a week, especially during the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoff chase, and the Belleville Senators have seen and felt those changes over the past seven days. Belleville entered last week within striking distance of fourth place and visions of third not far on the horizon but could only collect a pair of points over three games. And a loss to Cleveland mid-week leaves the Senators still two points out of contention with under a dozen games to play. On the bright side, as fast as things can turn the wrong way, they can also improve quite quickly, and the Senators still control their own playoff destiny heading into their pair of games at home this weekend. Victories over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tonight and the Toronto Marlies tomorrow would keep Belleville right in the thick of the race for fourth and fifth place in the North, especially if they can get some help by way of losses by Syracuse and Cleveland, who Belleville trails by two points and six points, respectively.

Previous History:

A meeting between Belleville and Lehigh Valley is a rare occasion on the American Hockey League schedule with the two teams typically only seeing each other twice a season, and the Phantoms scoring a 3-2 victory over the Senators at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA, back in mid-January. Tonight is only the 14th matchup with Lehigh Valley in Belleville’s franchise history, with the Senators holding a record of 6-6-1-0, and 4-2-0-0 at CAA Arena.

Roster Notes: 

The Senators got two significant additions back on the blue line on Wednesday against Cleveland, with both Donovan Sebrango and Filip Roos returning from their respective injuries. Goaltender Mads Sogaard also returned to practice earlier this week. As of this morning, there have been no transactions announced between Belleville and Ottawa, and no other additions to the team’s injured list which includes forwards Jamieson Rees and Zack MacEwen. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with full lineup details ahead of game time via the Belleville Sens social channels (@BellevilleSens).

Who to Watch:

Cole Reinhardt was the only Belleville player to score on Wednesday, tallying for the 13th time this season. The Irricana, Alberta native is two goals away from his career high of 15 in a season and eight assists away from his career high of 23 in a campaign, while also sitting just shy of his career high in points (34), which he set last season. Angus Crookshank plays in his 200th career AHL game today and becomes the fifth player to hit the double-centruy mark for Belleville, including Reinhardt, Egor Sokolov, Max Guenette, and Lassi Thomson. When it comes to facing the Phantoms, both Jan Jenik and Wyatt Bongiovanni scored in Lehigh Valley back in January.

There are no Phantoms carrying significant point streaks into tonight’s game, but there are a couple of notable players on the roster, including defenceman Helge Grans who had a goal and an assist against the Senators earlier this season. The Phantoms roster also includes a couple of familiar faces to local junior hockey fans, like former Kingston Frontenacs standout Zayde Wisdom and former Peterborough Petes star J.R. Avon. Wisdom has 29 points in 59 games with Lehigh Valley this season and had 107 points over three seasons in Kingston between 2018 and 2022, while Avon has collected 16 points in 54 games with the Phantoms this season and had 143 points in 184 games with his hometown Petes, winning an OHL title in 2022-23.

At the Rink:

Tonight is the Belleville Sens annual Pride Night spreading the message that “hockey is for everyone”! CAA Arena gates will open at 6:00 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early and browse the LGBTQ+ vendors market around the concourse, to find some great products and engage in some meaningful conversations. Representatives from Bay of Quinte Pride and Northuberland Pride will also be on hand to take part in the ceremonial puck drop and share more information about their respective organizations.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from CAA Arena, in Belleville, Ontario. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:50 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 Belleville Sens home games through the 2024-25 season 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 can click the following links for more information on becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for a group experience. For more details on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages, visit the Belleville Sens website or email tickets@bellevillesens.com.

The full Belleville Sens 2024-25 regular season schedule is available here. 

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.

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