Game Day Build-Up: Senators visit Utica to begin home-and-home with Comets as All-Star Break nears

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Jan.31/25 @ Utica Comets (AHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils)

The Set Up:

The Belleville Senators have just two games left before the American Hockey League’s all-star break, and both games will provide an opportunity to make one last first-half push up the North Division standings. Belleville’s win at home over Hartford on Wednesday has them just six points back of the final playoff spot in the North, with a handful of games in hand on the teams they’re chasing, as they get set for a home-and-home set with the Utica Comets, that starts tonight at Adirondack Bank Centre. And, as important as it is for Belleville to gain points and chase the teams above them, they’ll also have a chance this weekend to put some more ground between them and the last-place Comets, who have turned things around from their slow start and are just as hungry to begin a climb up the ladder in the second half.

Previous History:

This is Belleville’s second visit to Utica this season and their fourth matchup overall. The Senators have yet to lose in regulation to the Comets in 2024-25, holding a 2-0-1-0 record, with a 1-0-0-0 mark on the road and 1-0-1-0 at home. Lifetime against the Comets, Belleville is 21-16-4-0, with a record of 9-8-2-0 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica. The eight-game season series continues tomorrow in Belleville, with the remaining three games in the season series to be completed by the end of February.

Roster Notes:

In a significant addition up front earlier this week, Cole Reinhardt was returned to Belleville from the National Hockey League Senators, where he’s dressed in 12 games this season and picked up two points (one goal, one assist). With Reinhardt returning, the Senators loaned forward Jake Chiasson back to the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). No other transactions have been reported as of this morning, but you can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with lineup details available via the B-Sens social channels (@bellevillesens), ahead of game time.

Who to Watch:

As mentioned above, Cole Reinhardt returned with a vengeance on Wednesday, getting back into the Belleville lineup for the first time since mid-December and scoring the overtime-winning goal against Hartford. The fifth-year pro from Irricana, Alberta, is averaging over a point per game in the AHL this season with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 14 games. He’ll tie Egor Sokolov for the Belleville Sens franchise lead in games played (240) tonight. Meanwhile, Angus Crookshank extended his points streak to six games (three goals, six assists), and Stephen Halliday stretched his point streak to four games (three goals, two assists). All-Star defenceman Jeremy Davies also had four assists on Wednesday against the Wolf Pack. He and Wyatt Bongiovanni each have points in back-to-back games.

The Comets have been led through the first half of the season by lumbering winger Nolan Foote. The son of longtime NHL-er and current Vancouver Canucks assistant Coach Adam Foote, leads the Comets in scoring to this point in the season with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 34 games. The 24-year-old, who won a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship, has three points (one goal, two assists) in three games against Belleville this season and has also dressed in 25 career games with the Comets’ NHL parent club, the New Jersey Devils, with two of those appearances coming this season.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop today is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Adirondack Bank Center, in Utica, New York. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. ET with David Foot, 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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