Monsters Surge Late to Down Belleville 7-2
AHL Belleville Senators

Monsters Surge Late to Down Belleville 7-2

Published on March 18, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


Belleville Senators defenceman Carter Yakemchuk (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
Belleville Senators defenceman Carter Yakemchuk (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
(Belleville Senators, Credit: Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photography)

BELLEVILLE, ON - The Belleville Senators returned to home ice to take on the Cleveland Monsters, falling 7-2.

The first frame saw the Monsters open the scoring. A one-timer off the stick of Luca Del Bel Belluz got through as he netted his twentieth goal of the season, with assists from Mikael Pyyhtia and Dysin Mayo, making it a 1-0 contest. The Senators tied the game just minutes later, as Arthur Kaliyev set a new single-season franchise record with his thirty-second goal of the year off a quick pass from Xavier Bourgault, evening things at 1-1. Late in the period, Owen Sillinger moved the puck to Luca Pinelli, who fired a perfect shot to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead.

Less than two minutes into the second period, Belleville tied the game again. Another Bourgault pass sent Kaliyev in on a breakaway, where he made a slick move to bury his second of the night and make it 2-2. Just before the midway point, Cleveland capitalized on the power play. Strong puck movement from Luca Marrelli and Sillinger set up Pyyhtia, who scored his second goal of the game to give the Monsters a 3-2 lead heading into the third.

The final period saw the Monsters take control, scoring four goals in the final twenty minutes. Sustained pressure in the Senators' zone allowed Cleveland to work the puck down low, where Hunter McKown sent a cross-crease pass to Del Bel Belluz for his second of the night, extending the lead to 4-2. Zach Aston-Reese added a goal of his own shortly after, finishing from the slot off a feed from McKown to make it 5-2. With less than four minutes remaining, Roman Ahcan broke free and scored into the empty net to extend the lead to 6-2. In the final minutes, Del Bel Belluz completed the hat trick, finishing a pass from behind the net by Pinelli to seal the 7-2 final.

This was the last matchup against the Monsters this season. Belleville finished with a 0-3-1-0 record against Cleveland, which now has the lifetime series at 14-19-1-2 for the Senators.

Belleville will now move on to this weekend as they start the first of a back-to-back this Friday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins). The puck comes down at 7:00 p.m. inside CAA Arena.

Fast Facts:

#13 Xavier Bourgault has points in three straight games with two assists tonight

#22 Garrett Pilon had one assist

#43 Arthur Kaliyev now has the most goals in a single season (33) by a Senator with two tallies tonight

#58 Samuel Bolduc has points in back-to-back games with an assist

The full 2025-26 Belleville Senators schedule can be found here.

Single-game tickets for the second half of the 2025-26 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster or at the Belleville Sens Box Office located inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre. Details on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge program, and more can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website.

Check out the Belleville Senators Statistics

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Images from this story

Belleville Senators defenceman Samuel Bolduc (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
Belleville Senators defenceman Samuel Bolduc (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
(Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photography)		 Belleville Senators defenceman Djibril Touré fights the Cleveland Monsters
Belleville Senators defenceman Djibril Touré fights the Cleveland Monsters
(Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photography)		 Belleville Senators defenceman Carter Yakemchuk (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
Belleville Senators defenceman Carter Yakemchuk (left) vs. the Cleveland Monsters
(Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photography)



American Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2026


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