Sports stats



AHL Belleville Senators

Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Bears, April 5

April 5, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


The set-up

The Belleville Senators will look to rebound from defeat tonight and keep their playoff hopes alive when they host the Hershey Bears for the only time this season.

Belleville (35-28-3-5) dropped to fifth place in the North Division after defeat to Syracuse Wednesday and coupled with Cleveland winning in Laval, the Sens now sit a point behind the Monsters, who still have one extra game to play.

Hershey (39-23-3-4) sit third in the Atlantic Division and hold a seven-point cushion for a playoff spot. The Bears, like Belleville, also went on a 17-game point streak earlier this year.

The Sens are 21-9-1-3 at home this season while the Bears are 16-14-2-3 on the road.

Roster notes

The Sens signed two blueliners in Trenton Bourque and Kelly Summers Thursday but don't expect either to be in the line-up tonight.

With Marcus Hogberg starting Wednesday, and with Belleville hosting Cleveland Saturday, there's a possibility that Filip Gustavsson gets the nod tonight but with the Senators deep in a playoff push, don't be surprised if Troy Mann runs Hogberg out there again.

Andrew Sturtz, Cody Goloubef, Erik Brannstrom, Jim O'Brien, Max Lajoie and Morgan Klimchuk are out for Belleville.

Previous history

The Sens are 1-1-0-1 all-time against Hershey. The Bears will forever be linked to the Sens as Belleville's first ever win in franchise history came in Hershey. Belleville lost the only contest so far this season 3-2 in a shootout on Feb. 3.

Who to watch

Russian speedster Vitaly Abramov has five points (two goals) in his 13 games with Belleville since being acquired from Columbus as he continues to create offensive opportunities.

A member of the 2018 Capitals Stanley Cup winning team, Devante Smith-Pelly has been with Hershey since Feb. 21 where he's played in 15 games tallying 11 points (six goals). He has 101 points in 395 career NHL games.

Where to watch

Friday's game starts at 7:00pm and can also be seen on AHLTV. Fans can also watch tonight's contest at Shoeless Joe's in Belleville.

The radio broadcast on CJBQ 800 begins at 6:50pm with Jack Miller on the call and Paul Svoboda on colour.

Check out the Belleville Senators Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Belleville Senators Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central