Photo: Belleville Senators/AHL
Story by Belleville Senators
The Belleville Senators kicked off another three-in-three weekend, this time on the road against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, earning a commanding 7-3 victory.
The Senators struck early in the first period to set the tone. A pass from Djibril Toure to Oskar Pettersson led to a high shot that created trouble in front, allowing Shane Bowers to clean up the rebound and score his third goal of the season for a 1-0 lead.
Not long after, Belleville struck again. A pass up the ice from Phil Tomasino sprung Ryan Suzuki and Samuel Blais on a two-on-one, with Blais burying his third goal of the season to extend the game to 2-0.
The Senators added another before the end of the opening frame. After Eskild Bakke Olsen got the play started, Tyler Boucher moved the puck up to Scott Harrington, whose shot created a rebound for Boucher to finish. The forward scored his second goal in as many games, giving Belleville a 3-0 advantage.
The second period saw the Penguins get on the board. Just over six minutes in, Ryan Johnson and Daniel Russell combined to set up Tristan Broz for his second goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1. A few minutes later, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton struck again.
As Owen Pickering carried the puck into the offensive zone, it was poked off his stick and fell to Russell, who capitalized to make it a 3-2 game. Belleville regained its two-goal cushion at the 12:21 mark.
A turnover in the neutral zone caused by Pettersson and Lucas Ellinas sent Xavier Bourgault in alone on a breakaway, and he buried his third goal of the season to make it 4-2. The Penguins weren’t finished, however, as their power play found the back of the net.
After moving the puck from low to high, Atley Calvert and Hugh McGing combined to set up Jake Livanavage, bringing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton back within one at 4-3.
Just 30 seconds into the third period, the Senators restored their two-goal lead. Bowers moved the puck to Suzuki, who threaded a pass into the slot for Tomasino to finish, making it 5-3. Just over three minutes later, Belleville added another on the power play.
Samuel Bolduc sent the puck into the corner, where Tomasino collected it and fed Boucher in front. Boucher scored from close range to extend the lead to 6-3. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pulled their goaltender early, but Toure took advantage, finding the empty net with Tomasino and Tomas Hamara picking up assists to seal a 7-3 victory for Belleville.
The Senators will face the Penguins again back in Belleville on Wednesday, December 2nd, for their final meeting of the season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at CIBC Place.
Belleville now faces a quick turnaround as they head into the middle game of its three-in-three weekend, travelling to Hershey to take on the Bears (AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals). The Senators and Bears get underway tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at Giant Center.
