Weekly Recap: Lengthy road trip still leaves Sens stuck in playoff spot battle

As tends to be the case every season, the battle for playoff positioning in the American Hockey League’s North Division is going to come down to the final weeks of the season and, again, the Belleville Senators are in the thick of the fight. The Senators have returned from another week on the road, where they collected four of eight available points, in matchups with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins), Hershey Bears (AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals), and Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers).

Here’s a recap of the action as the playoff race gets tighter with the regular season finish line in sight.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Belleville Senators – 4 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 1

The Belleville Senators continued their five-game road trip and their week-long stay in Pennsylvania by knocking off one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night, beating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins) 4-1 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Leevi Merilainen stopped a season-high 35 shots, while Zack Ostapchuk, Xavier Bourgault, Hayden Hodgson and Max Guenette all scored.

GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE

Wednesday, March 5, 2025: Belleville Senators – 6 @ Hershey Bears – 2

After a 4-1 win in Wilkes-Barre against the Penguins (AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins) on Tuesday night, six different Senators found the net on Wednesday, as the Sens routed the two-timed defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears (AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals) 6-2 at Giant Center.

GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE

Saturday, March 8, 2025: Belleville Senators – 3 @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 8

Zack MacEwen scored twice, but the Belleville Senators dropped a tough 8-3 road decision to the host Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Saturday night. Despite the loss, the Senators’ 26-20-4-4 record kept the squad two points up on Syracuse for the final playoff spot in the AHL North division.

GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE

Sunday, March 9, 2025: Belleville Senators 1 – @ Hartford Wolf Pack – 4

A late power play goal by the Hartford Wolf Pack broke a 1-1 deadlock, and two empty netters sent the host squad to a 4-1 win over the visiting Belleville Senators on Sunday afternoon.

The loss moves the Sens’ record to 26-21-4-4, and a win Sunday by the tiebreaker-holding Syracuse Crunch moved them just ahead of Belleville for the last playoff spot in the AHL North division, with each team holding 60 points in the standings.

GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE

Highlight of the Week:

Cole Reinhardt helped the Senators skate to a 3-0 lead over the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Bears in Hershey last week. His top-shelf snipe, on route to a 6-2 win, is our highlight of the week!

Transactions:

The Senators saw a handful of transactions last week, including players leaving or joining the organizations at the National Hockey League trade deadline.

Mar.7/25: #10 Zack Ostapchuk – Traded to San Jose (NHL) from Ottawa (NHL)
Mar.7/25: #14 Tristen Robins – Acquired by Ottawa (NHL) from San Jose (NHL)
Mar.7/25: #14 Tristen Robins – Loaned from Ottawa (NHL)
Mar.8/25: #89 Sam Gagner – Released from PTO
Mar.11/25: #35 Leevi Merilainen – Recalled from loan by Ottawa (NHL)

Click here for a full list of Belleville Sens transactions

Statistical Leaders

Points: 40 (15 G + 25 A) 
#34 Stephen Halliday (C) 
Goals: 19
#9 Angus Crookshank (LW)
Assists: 29
 #4 Jeremy Davies (D)
Power Play Goals: 9
#9 Angus Crookshank (LW)
Plus/Minus: +14
#23 Cole Reinhardt (LW)
Penalty Minutes: 113
#42 Hayden Hodgson (RW) 
Goals Against Average: 2.38
#35 Leevi Merilainen (G)
Save Percentage: .910
#35 Leevi Merilainen (G)
Wins: 12
#35 Leevi Merilainen (G)
Shutouts: 3
 #35 Leevi Merilainen (G) 

Playoff Picture:

The Senators head into the weekend with 17 games remaining and are tied at 60 points with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning) for the final Calder Cup Playoff spot in the North. The AHL’s first tiebreaker for playoff qualification is regulation wins, and is held by Syracuse who have 19, compared to Belleville’s 18. Fans can find in-depth information on the playoff qualification races across the league by checking out the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoff Primer, which is updated daily. 

This Week:

CAA Arena is going to be a busy place the next few weeks as the Senators will defend home ice for 10 of their next 11 games. Members of last year’s playoff team have remarked on the atmosphere created inside a packed CAA Arena and 613 Country will be relied upon to help make the Bay of Quinte a tough place for opponents to earn two points. They kick off that stretch with a pair of matchups against the Bridgeport Islanders (AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders) this weekend. The Senators are also hosting a free open practice tomorrow  with CAA Arena gates opening at 9:45 a.m.

• Wednesday, March 12, 2025: Open Practice – 9:45 a.m. (CAA Arena)
• Friday, March 14, 2025: Belleville Senators vs Bridgeport Islanders) – 7:00 p.m. (CAA Arena) (Sens Stampede presented by Cool 100)
• Saturday, March 15, 2025: Belleville Senators vs Bridgeport Islanders – 7:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena) (St. Patrick’s Day Game)

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.

All games can be heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network or seen on AHL TV on FloHockey.

The full Belleville Sens 2024-25 regular season schedule is available by clicking here. 

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