Belleville Senators endured a frustrating night at the CAA Arena, falling 3–0 to the Utica Comets.
The contest marked a significant milestone for forward Blake Montgomery, who made his professional debut with the Senators. Having recently signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa following a stellar freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, Montgomery registered two shots on goal in an industrious first appearance.
The opening frame remained deadlocked until the midway point, when former Senator Angus Crookshank broke the tie. Receiving a crisp feed from Lenni Hameenaho, Crookshank utilized his size to cut inside and fire home his 22nd goal of the campaign.
Belleville struggled to find an equalizer in the second period, and the Comets soon doubled their advantage. Matyas Melovsky found the net from a sharp angle at 7:36, sneaking the puck past Senators netminder Kevin Reidler, who was also making his AHL debut. Utica’s dominance was further cemented when Crookshank struck for a second time, finishing a three-on-two rush to record his 23rd of the season and the 100th goal of his AHL career.
Despite a spirited push in the final stanza—with both teams firing 11 shots—the Senators were unable to solve Comets goaltender Jakub Malek. Malek turned aside all 25 shots he faced to record his third shutout of the season. At the other end, Reidler finished his debut with 26 saves on 29 shots.
The Senators now turn their attention to a season-ending home-and-home series against the Syracuse Crunch, starting this Friday in Belleville.
|
