The Belleville Senators dug quite a hole for themselves to climb out of over the month of December, falling to 6th in the division while playing four or five games more than any other team in their division. In January, the team got some much needed reinforcements with the return of Tyler Boucher and Carter Yakemchuk from injury, along with the return of Stephen Halliday from Ottawa.
Over the last two weeks, the team has gone 4-1-1. While they’ll need regulation victories to get back into the playoff race – three of those four wins game in OT/SO – any points are valuable to generate positive momentum and stay in the playoff race.
January 9th: Belleville Senators @ Toronto Marlies(6-1 L)
A Friday night game, the first of a three-in-three, and it was a real burn the tape kind of game with no redeeming qualities. Hunter Shepard got the start and gave up 5 goals on 20 shots – a very 2025-26 Sens goalie statline – with Jackson Parsons getting relief duty in the third period, stopping five of six shots. This game featured the return of Tyler Boucher, after missing two months with an injury and he didn’t look out of place, firing three shots on net and laying some big hits. Lassi Thomson took some bad penalties and Xavier Bourgault broke Toronto’s shutout bid late in the second with his 12th goal of the season.
January 10th: Belleville Senators vs. Toronto Marlies(6-3 W)
The rematch between the two teams at CAA Arena went much better as the home team once again put up six. Stephen Halliday returned to the BSens lineup after Lars Eller was activated off of IR in Ottawa and made his presence felt, scoring a goal and dominating on the top line. Tyler Boucher added an assist and Philippe Daoust had a two point night as the BSens played a much tighter game than the previous night. Arthur Kaliyev added two goals to increase his league lead in points and Xavier Bourgault was all over the ice, chasing down the Marlies forwards and creating a number of turnovers. In net, Jackson Parsons got the start and did what he needed, stopping 26 of 29 for a solid outing.
January 11th: Belleville Senators vs. Rochester Americans(6-5 OTL)
This game was Belleville’s third game in three nights and was James Reimer’s one and only game in Belleville. He… let in some bad goals, souring an otherwise good performance from the BSens skaters in a tough overtime loss. The usual suspects were at their best, with Stephen Halliday leading the top line, getting four shots and two assists (including this beauty below).
Sick dish by Stephen Halliday 👀 pic.twitter.com/bVWDEFEEiJ
— SensCentral (@SensCentral) January 11, 2026
Lassi Thomson had a phenomenal game, joining the rush multiple times, scoring twice and getting five shots on goal. Philippe Daoust had another two point game, continuing his career year, and Arthur Kaliyev added another goal to his league lead. The BSens played a pretty disciplined game, with a 3/3 performance on the penalty kill.
January 14th: Belleville Senators @ Laval Rocket(3-2 W)
The broken record was finally fixed as the BSens went into Laval and came out with a win in overtime. Tyler Boucher made his mark on the game by scoring the opening goal and getting the primary assist on the second goal. Lassi Thomson had another strong offensive game, getting five shots on goal and scoring the overtime winner. Jan Jenik had the best game I’ve seen from him this season, scoring a goal and making some strong defensive reads, including some key blocked shots. Mads Søgaard got the start and played very well, stopping 25 of 27 shots to earn his first win in two weeks.
January 16th: Belleville Senators vs. Rochester Americans(5-4 W)
Compared to last time out, the BSens flipped the script on the Americans – with a stellar 5/5 penalty kill performance that stymied any opportunity by Rochester’s powerplay to get set-up in their zone. Jorian Donovan had a strong game, adding two assists and helping to sustain offensive zone pressure multiple times. Tyler Boucher scored another goal, Stephen Halliday had two helpers, and Arthur Kaliyev had an assist alongside an overtime winning marker to add to his league-lead. Hunter Shepard had a rebound performance – four goals on 30 shots – to get the win.
January 18th: Belleville Senators vs. Utica Comets(5-4 W)
We’ve remained consistent all year that Utica is the worst team in the North Division, and that remains true. Playing in Ottawa, the BSens put on a show for the fans at the Canadian Tire Centre, outshooting the Comets 30-23 and scoring some pretty goals. This game saw the return of Carter Yakemchuk from injury and he made his presence felt, assisting on Keean Washkurak’s goal (below), while continuing to refine his game defensively. Xavier Bourgault tied his career high in goals, and Lassi Thomson extended his point streak to four games. Arthur Kalivev scored his 26th goal and recorded his 46th point. The only shaky Senator? Mads Søgaard had a rough game, who kept the Comets in the game by letting in four goals on 23 shots. On the flip-side, A hat-tip to Comets goaltender Nico Daws for his seven (!) save overtime performance before Belleville put the game away in the shootout.
Yakemchuk with a sweet assist in his return to Belleville
byu/Last-Classroom-5400 inOttawaSenators
Notes & ObservationsTyler Boucher is back and he’s Coming in Hotâ„¢, with five points in the five games since his return. He’s looked dangerous and strong in most of the games he’s played this year. While I don’t think he’ll ever live up to his 10th overall draft selection, he’s putting together his best season as a pro in the final year of his ELC, setting up a possible return to pro hockey next year. That’s all you can ask for with how the last few years have gone for him; let’s hope he can keep it up. Both Stephen Halliday and Xavier Bourgault deserve to be up in Ottawa with their play in Belleville so far this season. Halliday looked strong on the fourth line in Ottawa and is clearly a top line talent in Belleville. I hope he gets a spot on the parent club down the stretch or, at the very least, every chance to make the team to start next season. Bourgault is a machine in Belleville, shooting at every opportunity while playing very aggressively on the forecheck. The former first-round pick has done enough in my eyes to warrant being re-signed and auditioned for a depth role in Ottawa either later this year or next year.Stats:
Skaters
Goalies