Game Day Build-Up: Senators begin weekend trip to Atlantic Division in Springfield

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Nov.3/23 @ Springfield Thunderbirds (NHL Affiliate: St. Louis Blues)                      

The Set-Up:

After going 2-1-0-1 on their first homestand of the season, including a thrilling two-game set with the division rival Toronto Marlies, the Belleville Senators are back on the road to this weekend. The Sens head back east, to the Atlantic Division again, for their only visits of the season to the Springfield Thunderbirds and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Belleville is looking to continue to build on its identity of being a tenacious club, while also increasing its offence. The Sens have come out of the gate as one of the lower-scoring teams in the league and will need to find the net consistently this weekend, to have a successful trip. Tonight, the Sens look for their first ever win at MassMutual Center, as they try to ground the T-Birds, who have won three straight games, and improved their record to .500, after a slow start to the season.   

Previous History:

Belleville has only ever beaten Springfield once in their history, with an overall record of 1-9-1-0. The Senators did not beat the Thunderbirds over four meetings last season and have never won at the MassMutual Center, in Springfield.

Roster Notes:

The parent club in Ottawa suffered another pair of injuries on Thursday night, with both Ridly Greig and Mark Kastelic going down and both expected to miss a few games. With that in mind, there will surely be some support sent by Belleville, though those transactions haven’t been announced yet. In terms of the lineup in Springfield tonight, the Senators are fully healthy, save for Tyler Boucher, meaning Jiri Smejkal could return to the lineup. The reigning American Hockey League Goaltender of the Month, Mads Søgaard is expected to start in goal. Full lineup information will be available prior to puck drop tonight.

Who to Watch:

Senators forward Matthew Highmore returns to his old stomping grounds tonight. He put up 61 points in 68 games with Springfield last season, before moving to Belleville over the summer. He’s continued to provide that scoring spark for Belleville as well, leading the team with five points after six games played. Meanwhile, Goaltender Mads Søgaard was named the American Hockey League’s Goaltender of the Month for October, after posting a 3-1-0 record, with a 1.73 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. He stopped 135 of 144 shots against in the month.

The Thunderbirds also had a representative in the league’s monthly awards. Forward Adam Gaudette was named AHL Player of the Month for October, putting up 11 points (nine goals, two assists) over eight games. Forward Mikhail Abramov is on a three game point streak (two goals, two assists) and the T-Birds also have a Belleville connection in the crease, with former Bulls’ goaltender Malcolm Subban, now suiting up in Springfield.

Follow the action:

Tonight’s game can be seen on AHL TV and heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. pregame coverage from MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, begins at 6:50 p.m. (ET) with David Foot..

Ticket info:

Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games through January 20, 2024, are now on sale online via the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Tickets for the second half of the season will be available for purchase beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday November 20, 2023, with information on hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, to be released later. 

Fans looking to buy second half tickets can secure those seats now, by purchasing season seat memberships, flex packs,  group experiences or Business Elite memberships. Further information on the Belleville Sens promotional schedule, special events and more, are set to be released in the coming weeks. 

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

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