The Belleville Senators broke out the broom as they swept their New York road trip, beating the Syracuse Crunch 4-1.
It did not take long for this game to get going, with the Senators striking first under two minutes in.
Newly signed Mark Duarte buried his first career AHL goal, beating Ryan Fanti on the first shot of the game to make it 1-0.
Belleville’s scoring touch continued on the power play late in the period. A quick faceoff win and crisp puck movement from Stephen Halliday and Carter Yakemchuk set up a net-front jam goal for Xavier Bourgault, extending the lead to 2-0.
The second period saw the Crunch generate several chances with thirteen shots on net, though Senators goaltender Jackson Parsons kept the door closed and preserved the 2-0 lead heading into the third.
The closing 20 minutes saw Belleville add another to the scoresheet early. Hard work along the boards by Philippe Daoust and a cross-ice pass from Halliday to Arthur Kaliyev helped extend his goal streak to five games and push the Senators’ lead to 3-0.
The Crunch finally solved the Senators just under four minutes later on a two-man advantage. Mitchell Chaffee and Declan Carlile set up a Dylan Duke one-timer, cutting the margin to 3-1.
The Senators would add an empty-net cushion courtesy of Duarte, pushing the score to 4-1 and sealing the victory.
The Senators will have to wait a while for this rivalry to heat up again, as both sides will meet on February 6th for the first half of a home-and-home series, starting at Upstate Medical University Arena for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Belleville returns home on Wednesday, hosting the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) at CAA Arena for the team’s first ever school day game at 10:30 a.m.
