Hodgson breaks deadlock as Sens come back to down Phantoms 3-2

The Belleville Senators had to dig deep to pick up some important playoff points, but they were able to get the job done on home ice again, defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers) 3-2 at CAA Arena on Friday night.

Early penalty troubles plagued Belleville to start the game, with the Sens having to kill off five disadvantages in the opening period and the fourth would cost them. Defender Ethan Samson got in behind his Belleville counterparts on a Lehigh Valley rush, took a feed from Nikita Grebenkin and beat Malcolm Subban. The 1-0 scoreline held up to the end of the frame, with Belleville being outshot 11-4.

Belleville had the only goal of the second period to square the game after 40 minutes. Sens’ leading scorer Stephen Halliday got a friendly bounce off the post and past Cal Peterson at 5:04 for his 16th goal and 44th point of the season. The goal was assisted by Tyler Boucher and Filip Roos, tying the game 1-1.

The Phantoms took an early third-period lead when Elliot Desnoyers was able to put one past Subban. Still, the Belleville netminder sharpened up and made a handful of superb saves to keep Belleville in the game and eventually push in front. Rookie defenceman Djibril Toure’s seeing-eye wrist shot from the right point found a hole upstairs on Peterson at 10:38 of the third, and then Hayden Hodgson would redirect-in a low shot from Filip Roos about one and a half minutes later. Hodgson’s fifth goal of the season would stand up to be the game-winner.

With a Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning) win, a shootout loss by the Cleveland Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets), and a regulation loss by the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs), the Senators still sit outside the North Division playoff places, but are two points back of the Crunch in the fifth and final spot, and five points back of Cleveland and Toronto, in fourth and third respectively.

The Senators will face the Marlies tomorrow night at CAA Arena in the finale of the 2024-25 Battle of Ontario, with limited tickets still available.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• The Senators went 7 for 8 on the Viewtech Window & Door Penalty Kill, and 0 for 4 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play
• #30 Malcolm Subban was named the game’s first star, stopping 32 of 34 shots
• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni had four shots on goal.
• #9 Angus Crookshank played in his 200th AHL game and had three shots on goal.
• #16 Tyler Boucher registered his fourth assist of the season.
• #22 Garrett Pilon set a new career high with his 30th assist of the season, and has scored points in back-to-back games
• #33 Djibril Touré scored his second goal of the season
• #34 Stephen Halliday scored his 16th goal of the season
• #42 Hayden Hodgson scored his fifth goal of the season, the game-winner

Highlights:

Postgame Availabilities:

Sound Bytes:

#42 Hayden Hodgson on the team’s performance:

“Top to bottom, everybody was focused, everybody played well. It’s a tough game to stay in with all those penalties, but we stayed focused, stayed determined, and we got the result that we wanted.”

Assistant Coach Stefan Legein on Malcolm Subban’s standout performance:

“He was huge. That blocker save he made late in the game, his ability to just calm it down; he’s such a calming presence for our guys. Our goalies have been great for that this year. There were a few moments in the game when we were kind of struggling, and he kept us in it and gave us a chance to tie it up and then get the lead, so hat’s off to him, it was a huge performance at a huge time of the year.”

Up Next:

• Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Toronto Marlies – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)
• Wednesday, April 2, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Syracuse Crunch – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)
• Friday, April 4, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Rochester Americans – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Community Heroes Night presented by Bell)
• Saturday, April 5, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Rochester Americans – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Faceoffs and Fossils Night)

Tickets for all 2024-25 Belleville Sens home games are now on sale via Ticketmaster, by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com, or at the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena during select hours.

Fans looking for details on other ticketing options can click the following links for more on  becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for a group experience. More information on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages is available by visiting the Belleville Sens website or emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com.

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