Inspiring win ends losing streak

The Belleville Senators used a well-rounded effort, including six different goal scorers, to help them beat the Utica Comets 6-3 on Wednesday night and end their five-game losing skid.

It looked like the Sens might be in tough again, with the Comets’ Justin Dowling scoring less than four minutes into the game. But Lassi Thomson would answer back with his second of the season on a wrist shot from the point at 12:18 to tie the game. Utica would get one more late in the period from Graeme Clarke and take a 2-1 lead to the first intermission.

The Comets took a two-goal lead midway through the second, by way of a Chase Stillman marker, but again, Belleville answered back and via a Roby Jarventie tally and one from Matthew Boucher, scored on a mid-air saucer pass from Garrett Pilon to tie the game 3-3. Mads Sogaard made a handful of crucial saves in the period to keep it close before Belleville was able to tie things up.

It was all Belleville in the third, as Angus Crookshank sniped his seventh of the season off a Josh Currie faceoff win.  Pilon would beat Erik Kallgren upstairs on a partial breakaway and then captain Dillon Heatherington found the empty net late in the game, scoring from behind the Belleville goalline.

Fast Facts:

• #9 Angus Crookshank was named the game’s first star
• #19 Matthew Boucher, #22 Garrett Pilon, and #33 Lassi Thomson each had a goal and an assist.
• #34 Roby Jarventie tallied in his first game back from an NHL recall, that saw him miss 10 AHL games.
• #11 Kyle Betts and #12 Boko Imama each had an assist.
• #40 Mads Sogaard made 33 saves on 36 shots against.

Sound Bytes:

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on his team’s response down two goals in the first period:

“Down 3-1 the leadership group took over the bench. Things were said and done by that group, they didn’t quit didn’t go away, they got themselves back in the game and then had an outstanding third.”

Belleville Sens Head Coach Dave Bell on Mads Sogaard’s 33 save performance:

“We don’t even get a chance in the third period without Mads Sogaard earlier in the game. That’s the calibre of goalie he is, he saves our bacon and then the team comes out and has a great third.”

Belleville Sens defenceman Lassi Thomson on the win:

“Obviously after a couple of losses, it was nice to get the win. The boys are pretty fired up. I think we have a great team and as soon as everybody is going, we can do a lot of good things out there.”