Senators snap road slump with 2-1 shootout win in Cleveland

The Belleville Senators returned to Cleveland for the first time since last season’s playoffs and had a much better result in an early puck drop.

Belleville hung on for a 2-1 shootout win at the Rocket Arena, helping them to snap an eight-game losing skid and take their first meeting of the season with the Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets).

The goaltenders stole the spotlight in the first period. Both Leevi Merilainen for Belleville and Jet Greaves for Cleveland stopped all the shots they saw: 11 for Merilainen and five for Greaves. Belleville’s best chances came on an early power play, the only one of the period, but they were unsuccessful.

The low-scoring affair would continue into the second period, with Belleville eventually breaking the goose egg at 8:21 through an unassisted, shorthanded goal by Jan Jenik. The first-year Senator created a turnover in the neutral zone and stormed down the right side, then snapped his seventh goal of the season up over the left shoulder of Greaves. Belleville took a 1-0 lead to the second intermission despite being outshot 21-16 to that point.

Trey Fix-Wolansky would even things for Cleveland early in the third period, beating Merilainen low off a rebound from a blocked shot, and the Senators would pound a total of 17 shots on Greaves through the rest of the period but couldn’t find a way back in front. Both teams would get a handful of chances in overtime, but again, both goaltenders were perfect, sending the game to a shootout.

Merilainen and Greaves each stopped their first two shooters before Sam Gagner scored for Belleville and Mikael Pyyhtia countered for Cleveland. Jan Jenik would score on the next shot for Belleville, leaving Leevi Merilainen to need a stop against rookie Jordan Dumais to end the game. He wouldn’t need to even stop the puck, as Dumais blew it wide of the net, giving Belleville the 2-1 victory.

With the Syracuse Crunch off, the Senators make up two points in the North Division standings and now trail the Crunch by four points for the division’s final playoff spot. Belleville and Cleveland will clash again on Monday evening at Rocket Arena, with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jeremy Davies finished with four shots on net.
• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni had three shots on net.
• #9 Angus Crookshank fired four shots on net.
• #24 Jan Jenik scored his seventh goal of the season. The unassisted marker was Belleville’s third shorthanded goal of the season. He also added the shootout winner and was named the game’s first star.
• #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 31/32 shots, plus 3/4 shooters in the shootout, for his 11th win of the season. He was named the game’s first star.
• The Senators were 0/3 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 3/3 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill.
• Belleville outshot Cleveland 38-32

Highlights:

Media Availabilities:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the victory:

“I thought it was very important, for a lot of reasons, to get that win. I thought the guys responded well, I thought they played connected, above the puck, and I thought they played inspired to be honest with you. I thought they were all moving their feet, so there were a lot of positives to come out of that.”

Coach Bell on the offensive output with another 30+ shot effort:

“He’s, obviously, a really good goalie and they’re a really good defensive team. You haev to fight for everything you get with these guys and I was pretty proud of our guys to stkate throuhg traffick and skate throuhg bodies. And, you’re going to have to have a pretty good shot to beat Jet Greaves, as you saw.”

Belleville Sens forward Jan Jenik on ending the road losing skid:

“Definitely, this was a great arena and great crowd. It was fun to play here and the win feels that much better. We definitely spoke about how we would have to be ready from the start. I think we did great with that today, so we’ll have to bring that again tomorrow.”

Jenik on the keys to the victory:

“Leevi was unbelievable and I think we just played our game. We stuck with the system, we played for each other, blocked shots, did the little things in the dirty areas and we got the win.”

Up Next:

• Monday, February 24, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Cleveland Monsters – 7:00 p.m. ET (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)
• Wednesday, February 26, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Manitoba Moose – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)
• Friday, February 28, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Manitoba Moose – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena) (Women in Sports Night)
• Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Laval Rocket – 7:00 p.m. ET (Place Bell)

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.

—

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