Halliday scores in overtime as Belleville Sens bite back at Bears

The Belleville Senators were able to bite back at the defending Calder Cup Champions on Friday night, knocking off the Hershey Bears 4-3 in overtime at CAA Arena and returning the favour after a loss in Chocolatetown, USA, last week.

Despite Belleville looking like the stronger team out of the gate, Hershey would strike twice to start the scoring. Matt Strome netted his fourth goal of the season, beating Mark Sinclair at 5:48, followed by Nickey Leiverman’s first American Hockey League goal at 13:38. Belleville would break the goose egg at 15:13 when Jamieson Rees walked out from behind the goal line and popped his second of the season over the shoulder of Clay Stevenson. That lead lasted about three and a half minutes until Mike Vecchione beat Sinclair five-hole for his 10th of the campaign. Oskar Pettersson would get one back for Belleville before the period ended, beating Stevenson high for his fourth goal of the year to make it 3-2 Bears after 20  minutes.

Angus Crookshank scored the only goal of the second, evening the game at three by finishing off a sweet passing play from Stephen Halliday and Sam Gagner on the power play at 16:31. Despite winning the period; the Senators were outshot 11-5 in the frame.

There would be no scoring in the third period, with the Bears outshooting Belleville 7-6, sending the Senators to overtime for the ninth time this season and it would take just one minute and 40 seconds of the extra frame for the Senators to seal the win. Halliday took a pass from Filip Roos, walked into the high slot and wired his ninth goal of the season home to give Belleville the victory.

The win improves Belleville’s record on the season to 16-13-1-4 and 7-7-1-2 on home ice. The Senators and Bears will tangle again tomorrow night at CAA Arena, with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop, for their third of four meetings this season.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts

• #7 Kris Myllari notched his first American Hockey point with an assist
• #9 Angus Crookshank scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season and had four shots on goal. Crookshank has points in four straight games (two goals, two assists), has scored in back-to-back games and has five points in his last six games (three goals, two assists).
• #11 Jorian Donovan collected his third assist of the season
• #19 Jamieson Rees scored his second goal of the season and added his fourth assist
• #22 Garrett Pilon had three shots on goal in his return from a week-long injury layoff
• #31 Michael Simpson stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief, playing 41:40
• #32 Oskar Pettersson scored his fourth goal of the season and picked up  his fifth assist
• #34 Stephen Halliday scored for the ninth time this season, notched his 17th assist and had three shots on goal
• #45 Mark Sinclair stopped 6/9 shots on goal before leaving the game after the first period
• #48 Filip Roos was credited with his seventh assist of the season on the overtime-winning goal
• #89 Sam Gagner picked up an assist in his Belleville Sens debut, after signing a professional tryout with the club on Friday morning
• The Senators were 1/3 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 3/3 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill
• Shots on goal were even 27-27 between the two clubs

Highlights:

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Belleville Senators forward Sam Gagner on the win:

“I thought we played really well and we carried the play for large portions of the game. We made some mistakes to kind of give them some life, but I thought for the most part we had a really strong game. A lot of guys really stepped up, the crowd was great, there was a lot of good energy, so it was a good win for us.”

Belleville Sens forward Sam Gagner on first impressions of the team in Belleville:

“I grew up with assistant coach Stefan Legein who runs the power play and I played in Arizona with the other assistant coach, Andrew Campbell, so it’s funny how it all works out. But, it’s a great group of guys, at times makes me feel old, but it gives you life being around a group that’s trying to get better. And, while I’m here, I’m going to help in any way I can to help those guys improve. Everyone wants to be in the NHL so as much as I can help guys get better and make it to that level, that’s what I want to do.”

Belleville Sens forward Jamieson Rees on his group’s effort to battle back:

“We just kind of stuck with our game plan. We played them hard and got pucks in deep, and when you play hard and you’re on the forecheck, it’s hard to play against and you wear them out. That’s how we’re going to beat that team.”

Belleville Sens foward Jamieson Rees on his goal and his developing chemistry with Oskar Pettersson:

“We played hard down low, we kept rimming the puck and cycling it and they got running around and lost coverage. We were able to get out front and bang one home. Me and Oskar are roommates, so we’ve got a bit of roommate chemistry going on right now.

Up Next:

• Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Hershey Bears – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)
• Wednesday, January 29, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Hartford Wolf Pack – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)
• Friday, January 31, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Utica Comets – 7:00 p.m. (Adirondack Bank Center)
• Saturday, February 1, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Utica Comets (7:00 p.m.) (CAA Arena)

Ticket Info:

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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