It took a few games, but the Belleville Senators goal scoring finally came alive on Saturday afternoon, helping the B-Sens to collect a couple of critical points in Laval, with a 5-2 win. The victory splits the two-game weekend set at Place Bell and improves Belleville’s record against Laval this season to 4-5-1-0, with two games left to play in the 12-game season series. The Senators now trail the Rocket by just two points for the final playoff spot in the North Division and hold two games in hand and another pair of meetings still to come.
The Senators, again, were piling pucks on the Laval net from the outset and ended up outshooting the Rocket 14-8 in the period, with two goals getting past Kasimir Kaskisuo. Max Guenette found the net on a long wrist shot from the right side, just past the nine-minute mark of the frame, while Cole Reinhardt tapped in a rebound at 18:58. Laval scored in between those Belleville goals, by way of a Lucas Condotta deflection, the only blemish for B-Sens netminder Kevin Mandolese in the frame.
Belleville struck quickly in the second as well, when Jiri Smejkal broke in and fired a top corner wrist shot by Kaskisuo at 1:22. Oskar Pettersson hammered home a one-timer at 8:54 of the second, to make it 4-1. But Philippe Maillet would cash in on a rebound for Laval a couple of minutes later, to cut the lead to 4-2. The Rocket outshot Belleville 15-8 in the period.
The only goal of the third period came from Belleville’s Jacob Larsson, who capped a four-point night with an empty net goal from close to 200 feet, at the other end of the rink. The victory snaps a four-game skid for the Senators, who are back in action at home next Saturday against Springfield and Syracuse.
The Sens and Rocket will see each other next on Friday April 19 in Belleville and Saturday April 20 in Laval, as they finish up the regular season schedule with a home-and-home set.
Fast Facts:
- #3 Dillon Heatherington had four shots on net.
- #4 Jacob Larsson recorded four points (one goal, three assists), along with three shots on goal and a +3 rating. He was named the game’s first star.
- #18 Josh Currie collected his 15th assist of the season.
- #19 Jamieson Rees collected his first two points a Senator, with a pair of assists, and was named the game’s second star.
- #21 Max Guenette scored his seventh goal of the season.
- #23 Cole Reinhardt scored his seventh goal of the season and had four shots on goal.
- #31 Kevin Mandolese stopped 33 of 35 shots…
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