Belleville Sens defend home ice with 3-2 win over Marlies at CAA Arena

The Belleville Senators continued their strong run of play on home ice on Friday night, outlasting the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) 3-2 at CAA Arena in round eight of their ten-round Battle of Ontario season series.

Leevi Merilainen stopped a season-high 37 shots, with Jan Jenik, Angus Crookshank and Wyatte Wylie all scoring in consecutive games, to help Belleville keep pace with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning) and Cleveland Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets), who were also victorious on Friday and lead the Sens by two points for the final two playoff spots in the AHL’s North Division.

As the entire season series has been so far, the first period was feisty and competitive, with both teams finding the net twice. Reigning Howie’s Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week, Jan Jenik picked up where he left off after registering eight points (one goal, seven assists last week). The first-year Senators, acquired in an offseason trade for Egor Sokolov, got the puck behind the net and snuck his way out front to tuck it past Dennis Hildeby for his 10th goal of the season about five minutes in. Toronto countered at 11:19 with a power play deflection from Jacob Quillan, but Belleville would get in front again. Angus Crookshank was left alone in the high slot, and he ripped a low wrist shot by Hildeby to reinstate the Belleville lead, score his 22nd of the season, and set a new Belleville Sens franchise goals record with the 77th of his career. However, Toronto got one more before the end of the frame when Nick Abruzzese’s pass went off Topi Niemela’s skate and past Leevi Merilainen.

The teams would trade power plays and scoring chances in the second period, with Belleville eventually cashing in on a weird play at 14:35 after killing off a two-minute-long two-man advantage. Wyatte Wylie flipped a puck towards the Toronto net from the right point, and a crowd in front took the view away from Hildeby, who could do nothing but watch it trickle by him and over the goal line. It was 3-2 Belleville after 40 minutes, with the Marlies outshooting the Senators 23-21 to that point.

Toronto put a barrage of shots on Merilainen in the third, but the “Finnish Firewall” turned aside all 16 he faced, and the Senators hung on for the win.

The Sens and Marlies will tangle again on Saturday afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum, with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop, with coverage on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network and AHLTV on FloHockey beginning at 3:50 p.m. The Senators return home to CAA Arena to host Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, and again on Wednesday night.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jeremy Davies picked up his 31st assist of the season and is on a three-game point streak (two goals, two assists).
• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni returned from an eight-game injury layoff and registered his ninth assist of the season.
• #9 Angus Crookshank scored his 22nd goal of the season and franchise record 77th of his career, passing Egor Sokolov to take over the Belleville Sens all-time scoring lead. He also has points in three straight games (three goals).
• #11 Jorian Donovan assisted on the Crookshank tally, his eighth helper of the season.
• #14 Tristan Robins picked up his third assist as a Senator and 14th of the season, putting him on a three-game point streak (three assists).
• #17 Zack MacEwen had a game-high six shots on goal.
• #24 Jan Jenik scored his 10th goal of the season and is on a three-game point streak (two goals, seven assists).
• #35 Leevi Merilainen made a season-high 37 saves to collect his 14th victory of the season.
• #38 Wyatte Wylie scored his fourth goal of the season.
• #42 Hayden Hodgson notched his sixth assist of the season.

Sound Bytes:

Angus Crookshank on entering the Belleville Senators record books:

“At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be able to call myself a record holder without my teammates that I’ve played with over the past three years, so I’m very thankful for them, and hopefully I can score a few more down the stretch.”

Head Coach Dave Bell on the team’s resilience:

“I think it’s been infectious, to be honest with you, I think the bench gets riled up when we get shot blocks, it’s great, that’s what you have to do to win. And everybody’s doing it – Stephen Halliday had a big block in the second period, and that’s not his game, but he sees a Jan Jenik and a Max Guenette go out and do it, and they want to be part of that – give them full marks for that.”

Highlights:

Media Availabilities:

Up Next:

• Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Toronto Marlies – 4:00 p.m. (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
• Sunday, March 23, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Cleveland Monsters – 3:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Next Gen Game)
• Wednesday, March 25, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Cleveland Monsters – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)

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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