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AHL Belleville Senators

Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Comets, January 8

January 8, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


The set-up

It'll be a while before the Belleville Senators get to play at home tonight as they welcome Utica to town ahead of the Sens' monster 16-day road trip.

The Senators (20-12-2-1) grabbed its first win of the decade last time out as they beat Lehigh Valley 5-3 to remain in fourth place in a tightly packed North Division. Belleville leads Laval by a point for the final playoff spot but trails the leading Amerks by just three points.

Utica (12-17-1-4) is wedged ahead of Belleville as they're second in the North and a single point clear of the Senators. The Comets have lost two straight however while the Sens have points in four straight.

The Sens' 130 goals are the most in the AHL this year.

Roster notes

The leading scorer in the AHL is gone after Ottawa finally recalled Drake Batherson Saturday. His 41 points are tied for the most in the AHL while his 28 assists is a league high.

No official word as to who will start in goal for Belleville but expect it to be Joey Daccord, especially as Filip Gustavsson started last time out.

Jordan Szwarz and Vitaly Abramov are out for the Senators.

Previous history

The two teams have only met once this season so far with Utica getting the 4-3 decision on Dec. 18. Belleville and Utica will see each other a lot as tonight is the first of four games between the two sides in January. Belleville is 7-6 all-time against the Comets.

Who to watch

Rookie forward Alex Formenton has three points in his last two games and is having himself a very nice rookie campaign with 24 points in 33 games. His 15 goals are the second most in the league for rookies, trailing only teammate Josh Norris.

It'd be unfair to mention Belleville's leading scorers without talking about Utica's where Reid Boucher has 41 points this year, tied with Batherson for the league lead. His 21 goals are the second most in the AHL.

Where to watch

Wednesday's game starts at 7pm and can be seen LIVE on AHLTV. Follow the Belleville Sens on Twitter for live updates. Tickets are available.

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

Check out the Belleville Senators Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 8, 2020


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