The Belleville Senators kicked off their seven-game road trip in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Penguins.
The opening period was a mostly quiet affair on the scoreboard, but with under three minutes remaining, Belleville took advantage. Off a turnover in the defensive zone, Xavier Bourgault used his speed to get past Matt Dumba, scoring five-hole to make it a 1-0 contest.
The second frame saw the Penguins respond to knot the game up. A battle low in the Senators’ zone had Avery Hayes swing the puck out front, where it was picked up by Rafael Harvey-Pinard. He spun and fired one of his own, deflecting it in off a stick to tie the game at 1-1.
Through two periods, Leevi Merilainen had stopped 25 of 26 shots, proving to be a key factor heading into the final twenty minutes.
Almost three minutes into the third, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took the lead on an Atley Calvert marker to give the Penguins a 2-1 edge.
However, Belleville’s late push paid off as they evened the game.
Jan Jenik cycled the puck down low, and a heads-up play by Mark Duarte led to a feed in front for Landen Hookey, who fired a quick shot for his fourth goal, sending the game to overtime at 2-2.
It took less than five minutes of extra time for Belleville to close out another tight contest. After sustained pressure by the Penguins, a breakout pass from Wyatt Bongiovanni found Xavier Bourgault, who fed Lassi Thomson for a one-timer that beat Joel Blomqvist, securing a 3-2 victory.
Merilainen made his return to the AHL a successful one with 27 stops to help Belleville win its fourth straight game.
The Senators will continue on this long road trip to Providence for the first game of a back-to-back this weekend at Amica Mutual Pavilion versus the Bruins (AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins) with game time at 7:05 p.m.
