Story by Belleville Senators
The Belleville Senators wrapped up their back-to-back tonight, facing off against the Utica Comets, falling 4-2.
The first period went scoreless as both sides tried to establish dominance on the puck. Utica edged Belleville in shots, holding a 10-6 advantage heading into the middle twenty.
In the second period, the Comets took control of the scoreboard, opening the scoring at the 8:36 mark. A rush into the Senators’ zone saw Zach Gallant and Marc McLaughlin combine to set up Shane Lachance for his first goal of the year, giving Utica a 1-0 lead.
The Comets continued to push as their special teams came up big. While shorthanded, Lenni Hameenaho picked up an assist as McLaughlin joined in on the scoring, extending Utica’s lead to 2-0. The Comets kept up the pressure, adding their third consecutive goal.
On the power play, Hameenaho found the back of the net, with Riley Tufte and Topias Vilen picking up the assists to make it 3-0. The Senators responded with a power-play goal of their own. Phil Tomasino and Kasper Halttunen helped set up Ryan Suzuki for a late-period marker, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Early in the final frame, Belleville hammered home their second goal of the game. A play down low from Christian Kyrou to Halttunen saw him step back up into the middle of the circles and feed Samuel Bolduc, who scored his first goal of the season to make it a 3-2 contest.
Later in the period, the Comets restored their two-goal lead on the power play. Scoring his second goal of the night, Hameenaho sealed the win for Utica, beating Jackson Parsons, while Matyas Melovsky and Vilen picked up the assists to bring the final score to 4-2.
The Senators will face the Comets again on Wednesday, November 11th, this time on the road at NBT Bank Arena. The second meeting of the season between the two teams is set for 6:00 p.m. in Utica, New York.
Belleville will have some time to rest and regroup, as the team will not play again until Friday, October 16th for Belle-Vegas Night, when the BSens take on the Laval Rocket (AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at CIBC Place.
