Game Day Build-Up: Senators begin busy month at home vs Lehigh Valley

Nov.4/22 vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers)

Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397

The Set-Up:

With the month of October and a tough two-loss road trip to the Midwest United States in the rear-view mirror, the Belleville Senators (3-4-1-0) are turning their focus and looking ahead to some quality time at home this month. The Senators kick off their 10-game November schedule tonight against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-4-1-0) at CAA Arena, for the first of eight home games during the month. Belleville will be looking to use their home ice advantage to help them climb back up the North Division standings, after losses in Milwaukee (4-2) and Rockford (8-2) last weekend, saw them fall out of the division’s top spot. The Phantoms come into Belleville having lost their last three games and are trying to break out of a scoring slump as well. Lehigh Valley is among the lowest-scoring teams in the AHL, coming into the game with just 17 goals for, over their first seven games played.

Previous History:

Belleville hasn’t had too much trouble with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms over the course of their history, especially recently. Belleville has a 5-3-0-0 record overall against Lehigh Valley, beating the Phantoms in both of their meetings last season, by a combined score of 8-2. Belleville’s record against the Phantoms at CAA Arena is 3-1-0-0, with a 2-2-0-0 mark at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA. After tonight, the Senators and Phantoms won’t clash again until March 11, 2023.

Roster Notes:

The Senators have added a couple of American Hockey League veterans to the roster this week, with six players still out due to injury. Forward Cole Cassels has re-joined the team on an AHL contract for the rest of this season, after starting the year in Sweden. The former Oshawa Generals standout, and OHL and Memorial Cup Champion, has played 55 games for Belleville between 2019 and 2021, with eight goals and 17 assists. The Sens have also added former AHL Rookie of the Year and MVP Cory Conacher on a professional tryout. It’s hoped that the Burlington, ON native, who has 330 points in 354 career AHL games, will be able to add some offensive punch, with players like Roby Jarventie (week-to-week, knee), Viktor Lodin (week-to-week, ankle), Phil Daoust (week-to-week, shoulder), and Jayce Hawryluk (week-to-week, wrist) all out of the lineup. Antoine Bibeau (week-to-week, groin) and Jonathan Aspirot (month-to-month, offseason shoulder…