Special teams shine, but Senators come up short against Laval 4-3

The Belleville Senators played their last game of the 2025 calendar year as they squared off against the Laval Rocket, losing in a close battle, 4-3.

The Rocket got off to a quick start, putting multiple shots on net early, though the Senators struck first on the power play. Arthur Kaliyev’s pass found Olle Lycksell, who walked in and fired from the top of the circle, creating a rebound for Xavier Bourgault, who potted his tenth of the season to give Belleville a 1-0 lead. Laval did not let the lead last long, as they earned a power-play chance of their own. A high-to-low passing play started by Joshua Roy found Alex Belzile, who pulled the puck inside and finished on his forehand to tie the game at 1-1.

The second frame saw a quick tally hit the board, with the Rocket taking the upper hand. A dump-in by David Reinbacher allowed Laurent Dauphin to pick up the puck and use his body to connect with Belzile for his second of the game, making it 2-1. Belleville answered back later in the period, once again on the man advantage. Philippe Daoust netted his ninth goal of the year after strong work by Olle Lycksell and Arthur Kaliyev to open up space, knotting the contest at 2-2.

To start the third, Laval’s quick start to the period helped them regain the lead. A blocked shot off the blade of Belzile caromed behind the net and was picked up by Sean Farrell, who fed Dauphin for a snappy shot that beat Mads Sogaard, giving the Rocket a 3-2 edge. Laval added another just over halfway through the final twenty minutes. After generating multiple chances, Jared Davidson buried one on a one-timer from William Trudeau and Filip Mesar to widen the margin to 4-2. The Senators were able to add to their total with under two minutes remaining. Deep down low in the Laval zone, Wyatt Bongiovanni and Kaliyev combined to set up Bourgault for his second goal of the afternoon. The late push proved to be too little, too late, as that third goal would be the final tally, and the contest ended with a 4-3 final score.

The Senators and Rocket will not have to wait too long to reignite this passionate battle again as both sides see each other on January 14th inside Place Bell for a 7:00 p.m. start and their eighth matchup of the season.