Sens sweep set in Bridgeport with 3-2 comeback win

Wyatt Bongiovanni deflected home the game winner with less than six minutes left in regulation, as the visiting Belleville Senators came back from a 2-0 second period deficit, scoring three straight to down the Bridgeport Islanders 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.

The win swept the weekend series for Belleville, who improved to 9-4-0-4 on the season, just one point back of Rochester for fourth place in the AHL North division, with three games in hand.

Bridgeport’s advantage came courtesy of two fortunate deflections for the home side. First, Calle Odelius’ point shot was deflected in by Liam Foudy at the 10:30 mark of the first. Then, at 5:22 of the second, a Travis Mitchell shot from long range was blockered away by Malcolm Subban, but ricocheted off of a crowd of bodies in front and back into the Senators’ net.

From there, Belleville dominated the remainder of the game, outshooting the Islanders 27-13 over the final two periods and tallying three times.

After a forehand-to-backhand move by Garrett Pilon to get around a Bridgeport defender, the Belleville captain slid the puck through the slot to a charging in Nikolas Matinpalo, who chopped the puck behind goalie Jakub Skarek to get the Sens on the board 12:52 into the second.

Stephen Halliday then tied the game on a bullet of a shot from the left circle, again set up primarily by Pilon, to make it 2-2 with under nine minutes to go in regulation.

Then it was Bongiovanni who played hero at 14:05, when a Wyatte Wylie pass from the right corner found him at the net front for his fourth goal of the season and the dramatic game-winner.

Subban stopped 22 of 24 Bridgeport shots to move his record to 4-3-1.

You can click here to see the full box score.

Fast Facts

• Garrett Pilon scored his 13th and 14th assists of the season, moving him up to 6th overall in the AHL in helpers
• The Sens improved to 6-1-2 on the road; their .778 road win percentage is the second-best in the AHL, behind only Hershey
• Jeremy Davies recorded his 9th assist of the season on Nikolas Matinpalo’s first period goal; his 12 points rank him 9th in the entire AHL in scoring by a defenceman
• Stephen Halliday’s goal extended his point streak to three games

Highlights

Sound Bytes

Captain Garrett Pilon on the team’s comeback:

“It was a huge character win, top to bottom, every single line, every single forward, d-man, goalie, I think there was a lot of heart-to-heart after that last game against Syracuse, guys got called out, myself included, and I think everyone brought out their highest compete level, which is what we needed. The standard has definitely risen for our group.”

“There was a lot of maturity in that game for us. We’re down some goals, and I think we just showed a lot of composure sticking with it, sticking together, and I think our group has definitely grown even just over the last three days.”

Media Availabilities

Up Next:

• Saturday December 4, 2024 – Belleville Senators @ Manitoba Moose – 8:00 p.m. ET (Canada Life Centre)
• Sunday December 5, 2024 – Belleville Senators @ Manitoba Moose – 7:00 p.m. ET (Canada Life Centre)
• Wednesday December 11, 2024 – Belleville Senators vs. Syracuse Crunch – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena)

Ticket Info:

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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