Sens fall to Marlies in final visit to Toronto

The Belleville Senators were back on the ice after some time off to take on the Toronto Marlies on the road, dropping in a 6-1 final.

It took almost the entire period to see a goal, though the Marlies were the first to hit the back of the net. A scramble play in front, created by Marc Johnstone and Michael Pezzetta, saw Reese Johnson poke home his fifth of the year to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

The second frame saw the Marlies continue to push offensively. Borya Valis and Alex Nylander added their names to the scoresheet with assists on Jacob Quillan’s goal, as he beat Hunter Shepard five-hole to make it 2-0. Not long after, on the power play, Toronto kept chipping away. Quick passing and strong board work by the Marlies led to Quillan scoring his second of the contest off a rebound from a Vinni Lettieri shot, extending the lead to 3-0.

Later in the period, the Marlies added two more. The first came on a slick pass from Alex Nylander to Noah Chadwick, who buried his second of the season to make it 4-0. The second was a heads-up play by Henry Thrun, who flipped the puck ahead to Johnstone. Johnstone used his body well to fend off Arthur Kaliyev and scored to extend the contest to 5-0.

The Senators would finally break up the shutout bid, cutting into the lead. A pass to the front of the net by Philippe Daoust found Xavier Bourgault, who buried his thirteenth of the season to make it 5-1.

The third period featured a single tally, and it came from Toronto. Quillan completed the hat trick off a set up by Chadwick and William Villeneuve, to seal a 6-1 final.

The Senators get right back to it against these same Marlies tomorrow for the second game of their triple contest weekend at home inside CAA Arena, for Indigenous Communities Night with game time at 7:00 p.m.