Leevi Meriläinen made 41 saves in his American Hockey League debut as the Belleville Senators shutout the Toronto Marlies 4-0 on Saturday night at a sold-out CAA Arena.
With the victory, the Senators sit just three points behind the Laval Rocket for the fifth and final Calder Cup playoff position in the North Division.
Belleville would open the scoring just over two minutes into the contest as captain Dillon Heatherington was able to capitalize after Marlies netminder Joseph Woll misplayed the puck behind his net.
Later in the period, the Senators extended their advantage through a Roby Jarventie one-time marker on the power play at the 10:17 mark of the frame.
In the second, Belleville built on their lead as Cole Cassels found the back of the net with a wrist shot from the circle to make it 3-0 after forty minutes of play.
A strong defensive performance from the Senators throughout the final stanza and an empty-net tally from Matthew Boucher helped to secure the hard-fought win.
The Senators return to action tomorrow afternoon when they visit the Marlies, with puck drop scheduled for 4:00 p.m from Coca-Cola Coliseum.