The Belleville Senators can be forgiven if they are still in a “New York State of Mind” at practice today.

The club pushed over the .500 mark last week thanks to a sweep of three Empire State clubs last week. Belleville moved their record to 8-6-1 and the Sens find themselves just three points back of the North Division leading Laval Rocket 15 games into the 2025-26 American Hockey League season.

Belleville bested Rochester, Utica and Syracuse in that order to bring home all six points.

Following the capper–a 4-1 win in Syracuse Saturday night–Sens Skipper Dave Bell said the upstate road trip took its toll.

“Pretty exhausted,” Mr. Bell said after the game as to how his charges were feeling. “Guys were banged up and injured and I wasn’t sure right up to puck drop who was going to be available but give full credit to the guys for gutting this out.”

Belleville will need to continue their road warriors ways. After hosting the Toronto Marlies for their first annual school day on Wednesday morning, the club travels to Laval this weekend to tangle with the Rocket. Belleville then jets off to Manitoba to go Moose hunting November 25 and 26.

The Sens finally return home at the end of the month for a two game set versus Providence November 29 and 30.

Promising Debut

Belleville got on the score sheet early and never looked back in their win over the host Crunch. Recently signed forward Mark Duarte endeared himself to his new mates at the 1:45 mark of the first by intercepting a lame duck pass inside the blueline and roofing a backhand try over the right shoulder of Ryan Fanti on the first shot of the game to make it 1-0 Belleville.

Mr. Duarte had a good training camp with the Senators but got caught up in a numbers game.

The Hamilton, ON native signed with the Allen Americans of the ECHL. He’s come back to Belleville on a Professional Try Out agreement and seems eager to stay in the Bay of Quinte if his game against the Crunch is any indication.

Belleville went to work on the powerplay later in the frame and Xavier Bourgault would light the lamp at 14:21, stuffing a puck underneath Mr. Fanti to make it 2-0 Belleville.

After a scoreless second in which Belleville was outshot 13-2, the Senators struck early in the third on the powerplay.

This time, it was Stephen Halliday spotting a wide open Arthur Kaliyev at the top of the right circle. Mr. Kaliyev made no mistake, blasting a one timer past Mr. Fanti 31 seconds into the final frame to extend Belleville’s lead to 3-1. For Mr. Kaliyev, it was his fifth goal in as many games and that ties a franchise record set by Drake Batherson back in 2019.

Belleville goaltender Jackson Parsons was outstanding in the Senators crease, making 34 stops on the night. His only blemish in the contest was a Dylan Duke powerplay goal that was set up by former Wellington Duke Declan Carlile in the fifth minute of the third.

Belleville iced this one late and Mr. Duarte bookended the scoring by firing a puck from inside his own blue line into a vacated Crunch cage to make the final 4-1.

Coming up Clutch against the Comets

On Friday, Belleville needed a big third period and some skill in the shootout to get past the pesky Utica Comets 4-3.

Down 2-0 into the third period to the last place Comets, Belleville finally figured out Utica starter Nico Daws when Mr. Bourgault danced along the Comets goal line and tucked a backhander through the five hole just 45 seconds into the final stanza.

Bellville brought it back to square under five minutes later when Landon Hookey tipped a Jorian Donovan point shot past Mr. Daws for his first AHL goal.

The Senators looked to have finally figured out the Comets when they pushed ahead for the first time thanks to Mr. Kaliyev’s 7^th of the year at 15:17 but the Comets came streaking back 41 seconds later with Brian Halonen beating Senators starter Hunter Shepard to make it 3-3.

After a scoreless overtime where Mr. Shepard came up big with 10 saves over the five minute frame, the game went to a shootout. Both clubs scored in the opening round. After that mini offensive explosion, the opposing netminders combined to make seven straight stops before starry defender Wyatt Bongiovanni took the ice as the final shooter in Round Five. ‘Bonjo’ meandered to the middle of the ice in front of Mr. Daws and beat the Utica goalie low to grab the extra point and help Belleville escape the Adirondack Bank Center with the win.

All in versus the Amerks

On Wednesday night in Rochester the Senators shot out to a 4-0 lead and outlasted the Amerks 6-4.

Jamieson Rees, Phillipe Daoust, Mr. Kaliyev and Mr. Bongiovanni all beat Rochester starter Devon Levi in the opening 41 minutes. However, a disastrous three minutes almost undid Belleville’s offensive work in the middle part of the third.

Goals from Carson Meyer, Anton Wahlberg and Riley Fiddler-Schultz in a span of 2:20 made it a 4-3 Belleville lead.

But before any further doubt could settle into the minds of the visitors, Mr. Kaliyev fired a dagger at the 9:39 mark of the third. Mr. Daoust picked up a well earned assist after creating a turnover in the Americans’ zone and teed up Mr. Kaliyev for the eventual game winning tally.

Rochester managed to get back to within a goal in the final five minutes but Jan Jenik’s first of the year into an empty net made it a 6-4 final.