Belleville Senators Set Season High with Seven-Goal Win in Syracuse
The Belleville Senators accomplished a feat no other AHL team had managed this season: scoring a goal on the ice in Syracuse. They not only broke that streak but also secured a 7-4 victory against the Crunch.
First Period: Early Syracuse Lead and Belleville Response
Syracuse struck first when Cooper Flinton scored on a rebound past Leevi Merilainen just over five minutes into the game. Belleville quickly evened the score on the power play, with Arthur Kaliyev netting his second goal of the season on a one-timer from the right circle, assisted by Stephen Halliday.
About four minutes later, Wyatt Bongiovanni scored his fourth goal of the season, giving Belleville their first lead of the night with a score of 2-1 after the opening period.
Second Period: Rapid Scoring Pace
The second period saw a flurry of goals, with four scored within the first 6:05 minutes. Syracuse tied the game quickly with Jakob Pelletier capitalizing on another rebound opportunity. The Senators responded almost immediately as Bongiovanni scored his second goal of the match with a precise wrist shot.
Xavier Bourgault then extended Belleville's lead by scoring his fourth goal of the season on another power play at 4:52 into the period.
"The Belleville Senators did something on Saturday night that no American Hockey League team had done yet this season: score a goal in Syracuse."
Belleville’s offensive surge demonstrated their scoring prowess and broke Syracuse’s home defense stronghold.
Author’s summary: Belleville Senators delivered a dominant offensive performance, scoring seven goals to clinch a rare victory on Syracuse ice and break a season-long scoring drought.