Late tie forces overtime as Senators Fall 4–3 in Toronto

The Belleville Senators continued their short road trip around Lake Ontario as they arrived in Toronto to take on the Marlies in an afternoon matchup, falling 4-3 in overtime.

The opening frame saw both sides take their fair share of penalties, though the Senators were the first to get on the scoreboard. A stretch pass from Lassi Thomson found the stick of Mark Duarte, who showed great patience and scored five-hole for a 1-0 lead. Belleville added another toward the end of the period, as Dennis Gilbert and Xavier Bourgault combined to set up Arthur Kaliyev for his team-leading nineteenth goal of the year, making it 2-0.

The second period saw the Marlies get on the board and cut the margin to one. Jacob Quillan buried his fifth goal of the season, with Travis Boyd feeding him on a cross-crease pass for a 2-1 match.

In the final twenty minutes, Toronto continued to build momentum and tied the contest. Reese Johnson’s work in the offensive zone helped set up Cedric Pare, who walked in and beat Mads Søgaard five-hole to even the game at 2-2. The scoring touch remained with the Marlies as they took the lead later in the period. A strong keep-in at the blue line by Logan Shaw found the blade of Bo Groulx, who scored his first goal of the game to put Toronto up 3-2.

The Senators did not go quietly, as with under two minutes remaining, the game was knotted once again. A low-to-high passing sequence from Xavier Bourgault and Dennis Gilbert led to a point shot from Lassi Thomson that beat Artur Akhtyamov, tying the game at 3-3 and sending it to overtime.

Belleville generated chances in the extra frame, but Toronto was able to secure the extra point and close out the game. A slick passing play started by Jacob Quillan and Vinni Lettieri was finished off by Matt Benning for his first goal of the season, sealing a 4-3 final. Even in the defeat, Mads Sogaard was a standout for Belleville, turning aside 26 of 30 shots and giving the Senators a chance to battle back and earn a point.

The Senators will finish up their three game set tomorrow against these same Marlies back at CAA Arena to wrap up before the holiday break for a 3:00 p.m. start.

After the break Belleville starts back up on the 26th of December on the road versus these same Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) with puck drop scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.

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