Oct.26/22 @ Laval Rocket (Preseason)
Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397
The Set-Up:
Coming off their most disappointing weekend of the season so far, which saw them lose twice at home to the defending Eastern Conference Champion Springfield Thunderbirds, the Belleville Senators are looking to reset as they begin a three-game road trip in Laval tonight. The Senators weekend losses saw them score just four times in total, after notching 15 goals through their first trio of games, while giving up a pair of shorthanded markers, with Head Coach Troy Mann saying he didn’t think his team was prepared for the urgency that Springfield brought into the mini-series. The Rocket, meanwhile, have struggled a bit out of the gate, despite making a trip to the Eastern Conference Final against Springfield last season. Laval is just 1-3-1-0 to start the year (with two of those losses coming against Belleville) and lost both games on their recent eastern road trip, 2-1 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 5-2 at Bridgeport.
Previous History:
This will already be the third meeting of the season between North Division rivals Belleville and Laval, with the Senators earning victories in both of those contests, 6-5 in overtime at Place Bell on October 14 and 6-3 back at CAA Arena the following night. Lifetime against the Rocket, Belleville is 31-24-1-2, with a 13-15-1-0 record in Laval.
Roster Notes:
There’s more mixed news on the injury front for Belleville. The good news is that forward Ridly Grieg is expected to return to the lineup tonight and goaltender Mads Søgaard should start either Friday in Milwaukee, or Saturday in Rockford. However, veteran forward Jayce Hawryluk (who has two goals and three assists over his first five games) has been sidelined for four-to-six weeks with a wrist injury, while fellow forwards Cedric Pare (one-to-two weeks, upper body) and Phil Daoust (two-to-four weeks, shoulder) will miss time as well, as will goaltender Antoine Bibeau (one-to-two weeks, groin). With that in mind, the Senators have called up a pair of forwards in former ECHL Rookie of the Year Matthew Boucher from the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) and former NCAA Conference Student Athlete of the Year Kyle Betts from the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL). Kevin Mandolese will start in goal for Belleville, with the Senators also expected to bring Logan Flodell on this three-game road trip.
Who to Watch:
Senators forward Egor Sokolov has yet to score this season (which is not…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Belleville Senators – Feed…