Senators edged by Marlies in shootout

The Belleville Senators wrapped up a four-game homestand with another exciting Battle of Ontario on Saturday night, but came out on the wrong end of the result, being edged 4-3 in a shootout by the Toronto Marlies.

It took just 1:40 for the Marlies to open the scoring, as Max Ellis finished a passing play from Kyle Clifford and Joseph Blandisi. Leevi Merilainen was  caught at the wrong side of the net, allowing Toronto to take the early lead. But,  Belleville would answer back with three straight goals from Lassi Thomson, Matthew Highmore and Dillon Heatherington.

Thomson steamed down the right wing side and picked the top short side corner past Keith Petruzzelli at 5:24. Then, Highmore snapped home a wrist shot from the slot, on the power play at 10:40 and Heatherington found the top-right corner from the left wing side at 13:23. Alex Steeves would score Toronto’s only other two goals, at 3:31 of the second period and 1:59 of the third. The Senators had to kill off a penalty in overtime, but still mustered three shots on goal, before having to go to a five round shootout.

Roby Jarventie and Josh Currie both scored on their attempts for Belleville

, while Steves, Nick Robertson and Max Ellis counted for Toronto.

Fast Facts:

• Leevi Merilainen made 32 saves, after being called up from the Allen Americans (ECHL) after Friday night’s game.
• Defenceman Cameron Supryka made his American Hockey League debut, after signing a PTO from the Toledo Walleye (ECHL). He becomes the first Belleville-born player in franchise history to play for the club.
• Dillon Heatherington and Roby Jarventie each scored his first goal of the season
• Max Guenette and Egor Sokolov each had two assists, Guenette was named second star of the game
• Matthew Highmore stretched his point streak to three games with a goal tonight. He’s collected four points over that span (two goals, two assists).
• The Senators went 1/6 on the power play and 6/6 on the penalty kill

Sound Bytes:

Head Coach Dave Bell on the impact of penalties on the game:

“It takes the flow out of the game. I like when we can play four lines, roll them over and play at a high pace. That’s when we’re at our best, so when you get into that situation it stalls out and guys get sitting on the bench, so that was tough. We had a great first period and were up by two, so you’ve got to find a way to either score that next one, or deny them from getting back in the game.”

Defenceman Cameron Supryka on joining the Belleville Senators:

““It’s really exciting. When I got the call last night, I was ecstatic. Even today is my birthday, and to be able to play in front of my family, I couldn’t have asked for a better day. It’s too bad we didn’t get the win, but it was a really good experience and I’m really happy to be here.”

Media Availability:

Highlights:

Next Up:

• Friday November 3, 2023 @ Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues) – 7:05 p.m.
• Saturday November 4, 2023 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 6:05 p.m.
• 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-o0-024 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