Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens look stay hot against Rocket as five-game road trip begins in Laval

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Mar.1/25 @ Laval Rocket (AHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens)

The Set Up:

The Belleville Senators weren’t home for long between lengthy road trips, but they made the most of their two games at CAA Arena this week, taking three-of-four points from the Manitoba Moose and moving themselves back into a North Division playoff spot for the first time in the calendar year. The Sens got multi-point games from four different players, along with a sparkling performance in goal from Malcolm Subban in Friday’s win, and with a Syracuse loss, now lead the Crunch by one point with a game in hand. They’ll roll into Laval tonight looking to build off their 7-3-3-0 performance in February and start this week-long, five-game swing with a victory over one of their most bitter rivals, as the Rocket try to protect home ice and their playoff positioning over a five-game stretch at Place Bell.

Previous History: 

Tonight’s matchup is number seven in the 10-game season series between Belleville and Laval. The Senators improved their record against the Rocket this season to 3-2-0-1 and their lifetime mark to 47-34-2-4, with an emphatic 5-0 victory in their last meeting, on February 12th at the Canadian Tire Centre. Belleville is 1-1-0-0 at Place Bell this season and 22-20-1-0 in Laval in their lifetime. The Sens attack against the Rocket this season has been led by captain Garrett Pilon, who has six assists over the first six games of the season series, while Laval has been paced by Joshua Roy with seven points (two goals, five assists) in six games against Belleville this season.

Roster Notes: 

The Senators will be without Wyatt Bongiovanni, Xavier Bourgault, Tyler Boucher and Mads Sogaard again, due to injury. Forward Hayden Hodgson sits the last game of his four game suspension tonight, from last week in Cleveland, while defender Donovan Sebrango’s six-game ban from an incident on February 17 has now been served. Full lineup details will be available before the game via the Belleville Sens social channels (@BellevilleSens). 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:

A pair of Belleville depth players and a pair of the “usual suspects” have been chipping in nicely this week. Jamieson Rees and Phil Daoust each have points in back-to-back games (one goal, two assists), including some key goals last night against Manitoba. The Senators are 4-0-0-0 when Rees scores. Meanwhile, Cole Reinhardt continues to tear up the AHL when he’s not up with Ottawa, picking up another goal and six shots on net last night, extending his point streak to four games and putting him on a point-per-game pace, after 23 games played with Belleville this season. Stephen Halliday extended his point streak to three games with another assist last night.

While he’s known more for doing damage physically, Laval’s Florian Xhekaj is one of two Rocket players carrying four-game point streaks into tonight’s contest. The 20-year-old rookie has five points (three goals, two assists) over that span, and is also among the AHL leaders in penalty minutes (128). Sean Farrell is also on a four-game streak, with seven points (two goals, five assists).

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Place Bell, in Laval, Quebec. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. ET with David Foot and Tim Durkin, 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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