After playing what Head Coach Troy Mann called their “worst game in two months”, in a loss to the Toronto Marlies on Friday night, the Belleville Senators started out strong, but gave up two four-goal leads and lost 7-6 in overtime.
Jordan Szwarz had a pair of goals, with Josh Norris, Jonathan Aspirot, Vitaly Abramov and Joseph LaBate also finding the net for Belleville.
Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves on 28 shots in the loss.
Mac Hollowell led the Toronto attack with two goals, while Scott Pooley, Mason Marchment, Matt Read, Adam Brooks and Egor Korshkov also scored for the Marlies.
Joseph Woll stopped 30 of 36 shots in the comeback win.
The Senators’ offence came out flying getting two early chances on Woll.
Morgan Klimchuk got stopped on an odd man rush and then Alex Formenton was denied on a breakaway, before they would recalibrate the sights and break out for the game’s first four goals within a span of 6:05.
First a Formenton shot hit the post and Szwarz buried the rebound at 7:39 for his 14th of the year, with Jordan Murray earning the second assist, to extend the defender’s point streak to four games.
Then at 10:27, Norris used Abramov as a screen and beat Woll with a shot up high.
Aspirot deflected an Erik Brannstrom shot past Woll at 12:28 for just his second goal of the year and then Abramov scored for the second time in as many nights at 13:44, to make it 4-0.
Scott Pooley would get one back for Toronto with under 5:00 to go in the period to cut the lead to three.
Belleville Senators defenceman Jonathan Aspirot chases a puck, during a game against the Toronto Marlies at Coca Cola Coliseum, on February 15, 2020. (Photo: Toronto Marlies)
Both teams would trade chances inside the first 5:00 of the second including another excellent pad save by Woll on Rudolfs Balcers, before Gustavsson made an equally impressive stop on a Scott Pooley at the other end moments later.
That save would prove to be important as the B-Sens retook their four goal lead at 6:39
Joseph LaBate jammed in his seventh goal of the season at the near side of the net, with Murray earning his third assist of the game and Parker Kelly also getting a helper.
But Toronto would cut into the lead again, at 9:55 of the period, when Marchment converted a power play goal for his eighth goal in his last four games and again at 18:25 as Mac Hollowell knocked it in on another scramble around the net to make it 5-3 before the end of the period.
Hollowell would bury his second goal just under 2:00 into the third to make it a one-goal game, as he beat Gustavsson with a low shot from the slot.
Belleville’s captain looked to give them some insurance at 7:05 of the frame, as he pounced on another rebound for his second of the night, assisted by Alex Formenton.
But the Marlies would score twice more in the final 2:00 with the net empty to force the extra frame.
One of those goals was courtesy of Read at 17:37, the other was scored by Brooks at 19:44.
The Marlies would end up getting the win just over 1:00 into overtime on a shot from the slot by Egor Korshkov.
Belleville Senators defenceman Hubert Labrie tries to play the puck low around the boards, during a game against the Toronto Marlies at Coca Cola Coliseum, on February 15, 2020. (Photo: Toronto Marlies)
Belleville is back on home ice on Family Day Monday as they welcome the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) for a 2:00 p.m. puck drop at CAA Arena.
800 AM CJBQ’s coverage begins at 1:50 p.m. for Eastern Overhead Doors and Deerhaven Farm and Garden.
You can click here to see the box score from Saturday afternoon.
