Belleville Senators drop their first playoff game against Rochester

The Belleville Senators played their first playoff game in franchise history last night.

The Senators opened their best-of-three series down in Rochester against the Americans.

Rochester snuck by Belleville 4-3 in overtime.

The Senators came out strong to start the game and were on their way to win before Rochester came back with a jump in the third period. The Americans scored three goals in six shots to force overtime.

“You have to give Rochester credit. They kept working and pushing. I thought we were the better team in overtime, and I thought we had the better chances in overtime, but Dell came up big just like Gus came up big during the game. It was a well-played hockey game. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t get the win,” said Belleville Senators head coach Troy Mann, in a statement released by the team.

The Senators will have the home crowd behind them when they host Game 2 on Friday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. The Senators must win Game 2 to force a third and deciding final game on Sunday in Belleville. Game 3 is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m.

The winner of the series will go on to face the top-ranked Utica Comets in a best-of-five matchup.