Game Day Build-Up: Sens swing through Chocolatetown, USA to wrap season series with Bears

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Mar.5/25 @ Hershey Bears (AHL Affiliate: Washington Capitals)

The Set Up:

The Belleville Sens have been battling for position in the North Division for weeks now, but the 2025 Calder Cup Playoff push officially begins tonight, with 20 games remaining. The Senators continue their five-game road trip by rolling into Hershey, Pennsylvania tonight for their final meeting of the season with the two-time defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears. Belleville kicked off its penultimate lengthy road trip of the campaign with a resounding 4-1 win against the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre last night, with goals from Hayden Hodgson, Zack Ostapchuk, Xavier Bourgault and Max Guenette, along with a season-high 35 saves from Leevi Merilainen, putting them back even with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning) for the final playoff spot in the North, with a game in hand. The Bears, meanwhile, are fairly well rested after playing just six games in February (compared to Belleville’s 13) and haven’t been in game action since Sunday, when they blanked the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers) 4-0.

Previous History: 

Tonight’s matchup is the finale of the four-game season series between the Sens and Bears, with Belleville holding a record of 1-2-0-0, after falling in Hershey and then splitting a pair of games at CAA Arena, back in January. This is the 16th lifetime meeting between the teams, with the Senators lifetime record against the Bears at 6-8-0-1 and 4-2-0-1 in Chocolatetown, USA. Angus Crookshank has been Belleville’s top performer against Hershey this season with six points (two goals, four assists) over three games, while Hershey’s Alex Limoges has five points (two goals, three assists) over the course of the season series.

Roster Notes: 

There were no transactions announced by the Senators this morning, so any changes to the lineup will, at this point, be made by Head Coach Dave Bell and his staff. Belleville will be without forwards Wyatt Bongiovanni and Jamieson Rees due to injury, while goaltender Mads Sogaard and defencemen Donovan Sebrango are not on the trip. 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:

First-year defenseman Jorian Donovan has been shifting his focus to offence of late, picking up points in back-t0-back games (one goal, two assists), including a pair of assists against the Penguins last night for his first professional multi-point game. Power forward Zack Ostapchuk also scored his first goal since returning from the NHL last night, a short-handed marker that stood up to be the game winner. Forward Xavier Bourgault also tallied last night for Belleville and when he finds the scoresheet, it tends to bode well for Belleville. The Sens are 5-1-0-0 when Bourgault scores and 10-2-0-0 when he registers a point.

There’s at least one Bears player that the Senators haven’t had to deal with much this season that they’ll have to keep an eye on tonight. Third-year forward Hendrix Lappierre has registered a point in six straight games (four goals, eight assists), including a goal and two assists in the Bears’ shutout win over Lehigh Valley on the weekend. He’s only played one game against Belleville this season and picked up an assist. Meanwhile, forward Ivan Miroshnichenko (four goals, one assist) and defender Ethan Bear (one goal, four assists) each have points in their last three games.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight set for 7:00 p.m. ET from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 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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