Senators Trade Blows Early, Fall, 5-2, to Crunch
AHL Belleville Senators

Senators Trade Blows Early, Fall, 5-2, to Crunch

Published on February 7, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


Belleville Senators' Jan Jeník and Hunter Shepard and Syracuse Crunch's Gabriel Szturc on game night
Belleville Senators' Jan Jeník and Hunter Shepard and Syracuse Crunch's Gabriel Szturc on game night
(Belleville Senators, Credit: Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photorgaphy)

BELLEVILLE, ON - The Belleville Senators were back on home ice to finish off their home-and-home series versus the Syracuse Crunch, falling 5-2.

On their first shot of the game, on the power play, Syracuse was once again the first to break the seal in back-to-back games. Jakob Pelletier moved the puck up to Conor Geekie on the right circle, who scored his thirteenth to give the Crunch a 1-0 lead. The Senators answered back almost seven minutes later. A shot from Jorian Donovan deflected behind the net to Garrett Pilon, whose pass found a streaking Lassi Thomson, burying it short side to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the frame, the Crunch regained the edge. Geekie forced a takeaway and opened up space in the slot, feeding Pelletier, who scored blocker side for a 2-1 advantage. That momentum was short-lived, however, as Belleville responded just forty-two seconds later. After intercepting a pass in the neutral zone, Carter Yakemchuk used his speed to draw defenders in before wrapping the puck around and scoring his fourth goal in four games, knotting the contest at 2-2.

It took nearly the entire second period for another goal, but the Crunch eventually found their third. On a power-play opportunity, Lucas Mercuri and Dylan Duke connected with Gabriel Szturc on the low circle, where he scored his third of the season to give Syracuse a 3-2 lead heading into the third.

Late in the final twenty minutes, Syracuse extended the gap. During a four-on-four sequence, the Crunch broke out on a two-on-one, and Mitchell Chaffee put the puck past Hunter Shepard to make it 4-2. Syracuse added a final tally off the stick of Chaffee, doubling up, for a 5-2 final.

The Senators play the Crunch again about a week and a half later on February 18th for their sixth meeting of the season. It will be another Winning Wednesday back at CAA Arena, with game time starting at 6:00 p.m.

Belleville's next challenge in this four game home stand comes against the Hershey Bears (AHL affiliate of Washington Capitals) next Saturday on the 14th of February. This will be the first meeting of the year between these two with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Fast Facts:

#11 Jorian Donovan added in an assist

#13 Xavier Bourgault put four shots on net

#22 Garrett Pilon recorded an assist

#26 Carter Yakemchuk now has four goals in four games with one tally tonight

#33 Lassi Thomson scored his 13th goal of the year

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

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Belleville Senators' Jan Jeník and Hunter Shepard and Syracuse Crunch's Gabriel Szturc on game night
Belleville Senators' Jan Jeník and Hunter Shepard and Syracuse Crunch's Gabriel Szturc on game night
(Jana Chytilova - Freestyle Photorgaphy)		   



American Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2026


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.

OurSports Central