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The Belleville Senators will head out on the road all tied up in their American Hockey League best-of-five playoff series against the Cleveland Monsters.
The Monsters, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ top farm club, won Friday’s game at Belleville’s CAA Arena, with Cole Clayton scoring 4:06 into overtime, not long after the Senators couldn’t capitalize on a power play. The series is now tied 1-1. Game 3 will be Wednesday in Cleveland.
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The Senators, Ottawa’s farm team, took a 1-0 lead 2:05 into the game on a Wyatt Bongiovanni goal. Stephen Halliday, a 2024 Hobey Baker Award nominee who signed with the Senators out of Ohio State in late-March, continued to be a difference-maker, with an assist on the opening goal. He led Ohio State in both assists (26) and points (36), while ranking second in goals (10).
Asked about Halliday by TSN 1200 Friday morning, Belleville coach David Bell said: “”He’s getting better every game. It’s hard to come out of junior or college to jump into the American League in training camp. This guy had to do it 60 games into a season. He’s found his footing. He’s learning to play against bigger guys. It’s nice to watch.”
After Belleville’s Mads Sogaard made a great stick save, Tyler Angle knocked the rebound into the net nearly eight minutes into the first period.
Cleveland’s Owen Sillinger rang a shot off the post with about six minutes remaining in the period.
With Cleveland goalie Jet Greaves caught behind the net, a strong forechecking effort by Boko Imama paid off and he passed to Cole Reinhardt, who scored with 4:40 left.
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The Monsters tied it when Jake Gaudet fought off a check and stuffed the puck past Sogaard with 3:21 left. A bit less than a minute later, Belleville’s Angus Crookshank hit the post.
Imama took a silly roughing penalty for punching a Columbus player in the back of the head with 45 seconds left in the first. With his team short-handed, Sogaard made a great leg save in the final couple of seconds. He made another great pad save 26 seconds into the second period.
With Sogaard down, Josh Dunne made it 3-2 3:38 into the second period.
Halliday, with his first AHL goal, tied the game on the power play near the midway point of the third period.
Crookshank was pulled down when it looked like he was breaking free with eight minutes left, but there was no penalty called.
Asked about how close Sogaard is to playing full-time in the NHL, Bell said: “I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a goalie. He’s really close. The size, the compete in him. He’d be the first to admit, the wear and tear is something he’s still working on. He’s ticking off some more boxes here in the playoffs.”
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