Senators edged by Monsters in matinee nail-biter at CAA Arena

Another matchup between the Belleville Senators and Cleveland Monsters has come and gone, and yet again, it ended with a final score of 2-1, though this time, the Senators were on the wrong end of the result.

Cleveland came into CAA Arena on Sunday afternoon and edged out Belleville, keeping the Senators four points back of them in the North Division standings. A Belleville win would have put the Sens ahead of the Monsters, and into the fifth-and-final playoff spot in the North Division, but with the loss, the Sens will stay in sixth. The Monster’s win helps them hop over the Syracuse Crunch and into fourth place, with the Crunch holding a two-point lead over Belleville.

Cleveland opened the scoring at 9:13 of the first period when Jordan Dumais finished off a pass from Rocco Grimaldi and beat Leevie Merilainen for his third goal of the season. Belleville would counter via a Tyler Boucher power play goal at 15:41, assisted by Max Guenette and Stephen Halliday, to even things after 20 minutes.

There was no scoring in the second, and the game-winner would come just shy of seven minutes into the third. Monsters’ all-time leading scorer Trey Fix-Wolansky barrelled down the right wing side and put the puck past Merilainen for his 21st of the season. The Senators would put 29 shots on Jet Greaves at the other end, including 11 in the third period, but couldn’t solve him more than once.

The Sens and Monsters will battle again on Wednesday Night at CAA Arena, with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop, in what becomes a must-win game for the Senators on their push for a third Calder cup Playoff berth in franchise history.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni registered four shots on goal.
• #16 Tyler Boucher scored his fifth goal of the season.
• #21 Max Guenette picked up his 14th assist of the season.
• #22 Garrett Pilon had a team-high five shots on goal.
• #34 Stephen Halliday picked up his 28th assist of the season.
• #35 Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 of 26 shots he faced.
• The Senators outshot the Monsters 29-26.
• Belleville was 1/4 on the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and 2/2 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill.

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the result:

“I didn’t like our start, I thought we were sloppy and there were too many odd-man rushes and turnovers. I thought as the game went on we got better and it was two really good goalies battling it out, both teams exchanged some pretty good chances.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Leevi Merilainen’s play:

“He has a really good game, every game. He’s an elite goalie, but so is Jet Greaves and both made unbelievable saves all night long.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Belleville’s discipline:

“We were way better. Not as many penalty kills helps get more guys on the ice, so we need to continue that trend.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on the upcoming rematch with Cleveland on Wednesday:

“We need to clean up some things. We’ll give the guys a day off tomorrow after the three-in-three, but we’ll look at the tape, clean up a few things, adjust some things, and hope for a better fate on Wednesday.”

Highlights:

Media Availabilities:

Up Next:

• Wednesday, March 25, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Cleveland Monsters – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)
• Friday, March 28, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)
• Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs. Toronto Marlies – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena)

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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