For the first time in franchise history, the Belleville Senators have advanced past the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The B-Sens moved on with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the arch-rival Toronto Marlies, in front of a boisterous crowd over more than 4,000 fans at CAA Arena.
Boko Imama got the fans on their feet just 2:21 into the first period, taking a pass from Jacob Larsson and snapping a wrist shot past Dennis Hildeby. The Senators carried the play through the first period and outshot Toronto 8-3, with Mads Sogaard unbeaten through 20 minutes.
Toronto would draw even exactly a minute into the second period, by way of a Marshall Rifai point shot. But Belleville answered back through Josh Currie, who stuffed his second of the playoffs over the goal line. While not called a goal on the ice, the decision was reversed after a bit of a review by the officials. A minute after that, Rourke Chartier one-timed home a pretty saucer pass from Angus Crookshank to give Belleville a two-goal lead. The Marlies would shrink the lead back to one before the end of the period, after former Belleville captain Logan Shaw skated into the Belleville zone and fired a shot past Soggard.
The only goal of the third came from Toronto’s Matteo Pietroniro, as he blasted a point shot by Sogaard to tie the game, assisted by Shaw. But Belleville would get the last laugh, with Garrett Pilon scoring the overtime winner just 2:17 into the extra frame, assisted by Stephen Halliday and Imama.
The Senators move on to the AHL North Division Semi-Final and will take on division’s regular season winners, the Cleveland Monsters.
Fast Facts:
- #4 Jacob Larsson had an assist and has points in back-to-back games (three assists).
- #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni picked up an assist and has points in back-to-back games (three assists).
- #9 Angus Crookshank picked up his first point of the playoffs with an assist.
- #12 Boko Imama scored his first goal of the postseason and added an assist.
- #13 Egor Sokolov collected his first point of the playoffs with an assist. He also had three shots on net.
- #17 Stephen Halliday collected his first career playoff points, with a pair of assists.
- #18 Josh Currie scored his second goal of the playoffs and had a game-high four shots on goal.
- #22 Garrett Pilon scored the overtime winner for his third goal of the playoffs.
- #25 Tyler Kleven picked up his first assist of the playoffs.
- #40 Mads Sogaard stopped 18 of 21 shots to earn his second win…
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