Sogaard stops 26 as Senators top Crunch in Syracuse

The Belleville Senators are back in the win column.

The Sens went into the Upstate Medical University Arena on Friday night and knocked off the division-leading Crunch by a 3-1 scoreline, snapping their six-game slide. It was a hard-earned victory in a historically tough building for Belleville, with tonight’s win being just the fourth in Syracuse in franchise history.

Mads Sogaard was the big story for Belleville, turning away all seven shots he faced in a scoreless first period. He stopped another five in the second, allowing Belleville to take a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Angus Crookshank started the scoring by banging in his 14th of the season, on the power play, at 6:42 of the second period. Lassi Thomson would extend the lead with his fifth of the campaign, less than a minute later, beating Matt Tompkins in the Syracuse net with a long wrist shot from the point. 

Syracuse got aggressive in the third period and pulled the goaltender with about six minutes left, allowing Matt Highmore to slide his seventh of the season into the empty net. Sogaard would stop 14 of 15 shots in the third period, his only blemish being a Maxim Groshev tally shortly after Highmore’s goal.

The Sens and Crunch will faceoff again Saturday in Syracuse, as the teams play their final game before the AHL All-Star Break.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jacob Larsson has recorded an assist in back-to-back games
• #9 Angus Crookshank had a goal, scoring his third in the last two games, along with five shots on net
• #13 Egor Sokolov notched two assists, bringing him to 15 on the season
• #15 Matt Highmore had a goal and an assist. He’s recorded five points (two goals, three assists) over the past two games
• #18 Garrett Pilon had an assist, recording four helpers of his past five games
• #32 Oskar Pettersson made his American Hockey League and North American professional debut
• #33 Lassi Thomson scored his fifth goal of the season and recorded three shots on goal
• #40 Mads Sogaard stopped 26 of 27 shots and carried a shutout streak of 138:47 before allowing a goal in the third period tonight
• The Senators were 1/2 on the power play and 1/1 on the ViewTech Window and Door penalty kill

Highlights:

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Goaltender Mads Sogaard on earning the victory:

“The guys played very, very hard in front of me tonight. It was easy to tell how hungry the boys were to get back in the win column. We knew what was coming and we were prepared for it and I think we did a pretty good job. It was nice to get the win.”

Belleville Sens Goaltender Mads Sogaard on taking confidence from solid performances:

“Whether I’m here, or in Ottawa, it’s just about playing well. Doing the right things on a consistent basis, trusting the process and I think today was a good step in the right direction. It’s about being hungry for more and hungry to get back there.”

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Up Next:

• Saturday February 3, 2024 @ Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 7:00 p.m. ET
• Friday February 9, 2024 vs Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) – 7:00 p.m. ET (Super Friday)
• Saturday February 10, 2024 vs Utica Comets (New Jersey Devils) – 7:00 p.m. ET (Women in Hockey Night)
• Wednesday February 14, 2024 vs Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 7:00 p.m. ET