Game Recap Share this Gutsy effort pushes Sens past Pens in overtime November 4, 2023 The Belleville Senators had their toughness and resolve on full display Saturday night, as they ground out a 3-2 overtime win on the road, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins). The Sens arrived in Wilkes-Barre in the early-morning hours, after their loss in Springfield on Friday, but were able to put the short rest and tough schedule. It did seem like the bus legs were having an impact in the first period, as Belleville was outshot 14-6 and the Penguins found the net at 7:24 through an Austin Rueschhoff power play tip-in. But, the Sens would answer back at 17:51 of the second, when Phil Daoust won an offensive zone faceoff to Angus Crookshank, who rifled his second goal of the season past Taylor Gauthier to tie the game. Former Senators Colin White beat Leevi Merilainen with a long wrist shot late in the third, and it looked like the Sens might be in some trouble. Then with the net empty and extra attacker out, Belleville had a flurry of chances around the Penguins net and Garrett Pilon eventually knocked in a rebound, for his second goal in as many nights, to force overtime. Both goaltenders were tested early in overtime and Belleville would break through at 2:19 of the extra frame. Pilon set up Jacob Larsson, after a nice rush down the wing and chance by Crookshank, with the big Swedish defence man burying his second OT winner of the season. Fast Facts: #4 Jacob Larsson has scored both of Belleville’s overtime winning goals this season. He was named the game’s first star #9 Angus Crookshank had a goal and an assist, giving him three points over the weekend (one goal, two assists) #15 Matthew Highmore stretched his point streak to five games with an assist #21 Max Guenette extended his point streak to four games with an assist #20 Phil Daoust had an assist, to give him two points in two games since being recalled from the Allen Americans (ECHL) #22 Garrett Pilon had a goal and an assist, and was named the game’s second star #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 27/29 shots to earn his first AHL win of the season Sound Bytes: Head Coach Dave Bell on his message to the team before the third period: “I told them to stick to what we’re doing. If we stay within our systems and structure it’s going to come. It was really nothing inspiring, just stay with the system.” Alternate Captain Josh Currie on his team’s effort tonight: “It shows a lot about our team. We’ve got a lot of character and a lot of guys in there that aren’t going to quit. I just think that’s a big win for us and we’re going to build on that moving forward. On a back-to-back it’s never easy, with long travel, but I’m proud of the guys and that we were able to pull through” Media Availabilities: Highlights: Next Up: Wednesday November 8, 2023 vs Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 7:00 p.m. Friday November 10, 2023 vs Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets) – 7:00 p.m. (Military Appreciation Night) Sunday November 12, 2023 vs Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets) – 2:00 p.m. (Sunday Funday) 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. The full 2023-2024 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on Twitter: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com
