Game Recap Share this Sens drop OT decision to Marlies in first preseason game of 2023-24 October 6, 2023 Despite a solid effort, the Belleville Sens came up on the wrong end of a 2-1 overtime defeat, at the hands of the Toronto Marlies on Friday afternoon. The loss in Toronto opens a brief two-game preseason schedule for the Senators, as the coaching staff and management attempt to whittle down the roster. After a scoreless, back-and-forth, first period, Angus Crookshank would open the scoring at 5:27 of the second frame with his first goal of the preseason for Belleville. The third-year player from North Vancouver, BC, got on a partial break shorthanded and rifled a wrist shot into the top corner, past Toronto netminder Dryden McKay. McKay would be pulled midway through the game, in favour of Viacheslav Peksa. The Marlies answered back at 7:16, of the third courtesy of a Tate Singleton tap-in. Singleton found himself in a fortunate position after a William Villeneuve shot was blocked and came right back to the Marlies blueliner, who saw Singleton open at the side of the empty Belleville net. The teams would trade chances in overtime and Toronto’s Topi Niemela would eventually beat Leevi Merilainen, after sneaking in behind the Belleville defence and finishing off a passing play from Dimitry Ovchinikov and Jackson Berezowski. Belleville’s preseason schedule concludes on Sunday afternoon, when the Sens visit the Laval Rocket. You can hear the game live on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET. Fast Facts: Belleville Goaltender Leevi Merilainen made 22/24 saves in his preseason debut Sens forwards Angus Crookshank, Egor Sokolov, and Garrett Pilon each had a game-high, five shots on goal Sound Bytes: Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on his team’s effort: “The effort was there. There wasn’t a lot of flow with all of the power plays and penalty kills and then in overtime, that’s what happens. The other team gets a break and capitalizes and we got our looks, but they didn’t go in” Media Availability: 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. Further information on the Belleville Sens promotional schedule, special events and more, are set to be released in the coming weeks. The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.
