The Belleville Senators controlled a lot of the play and were arguably the better team for some stretches of Friday night’s game in Grand Rapids, but ran into a hot goalie and couldn’t find the net, falling 3-0 to the Griffins.
Both goaltenders were perfect through the opening frame with Belleville’s Leevi Merilainen and Grand Rapids Ville Husso each stopping eight shots. Husso was loaned to Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint by their NHL parent club, the Detroit Red Wings.
There would be no score through the second stanza either, with Belleville outshooting Grand Rapids 9-5 in the period. Both teams were 0/3 on the power play through two periods.
Jonatan Berggren and Carter Mazur would both score for Grand Rapids in the third, with Berggren also adding an empty-netter and the Senators never were able to beat Husso at the other end. The Sens will get a chance at some payback tomorrow night, when they meet again for their season series finale.
Fast Facts:
- #13 Egor Sokolov led the Senators with four shots on goal
- #31 Leevi Merilainen stopped 20/22 shots he faced
- The Senators were 0/3 on the power play and 4/5 on the ViewTech Window and Door Penalty Kill
- Belleville outshot Grand Rapids 25-23
Highlights:
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