The B-Sens Beat: Searching for a full 60 minutes
Another edition of The B-Sens Beat (title workshopable) is here as the Belleville Senators played their first series of back-to-back games of the season, starting on the road in Syracuse against the Crunch and wrapping up Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with a home game against the Utica Comets.
If you missed it, I will be providing updates on the Belleville Senators' 2026–27 season on a sometimes-weekly, more likely biweekly basis, covering some of the key takeaways so far.
This will include overall themes, individual player highlights and assessments, and whatever else comes across during the season.
This week, I'll look at the team's need to play a full 60 minutes of hockey, Djibril Toure's return to the lineup, and Jackson Parsons' first appearance of the season.
Quick results
Saturday, October 10, 2026: Belleville Senators - 3 vs. Syracuse Crunch - 2
Xavier Bourgault scored the game-winning goal with 24 seconds remaining in the third period to secure the victory.
Kasper Halttunen recorded his first goal and assist as a member of the Belleville Senators.
Jonas Johansson made 30 saves on 32 shots in the win.
Sunday, October 11, 2026: Utica Comets - 4 vs. Belleville Senators - 2
Ryan Suzuki and Samuel Bolduc scored the goals for Belleville, with Bolduc getting his first goal of the season.
Jackson Parsons made his first appearance of the season, making 24 saves on 28 shots.
Comets' Lenni Hämeenaho scored two power-play goals in Utica's victory.
Playing the full 60 minutes
It was a tough time for the Belleville Senators to open the floodgates early and produce offensively.
In Saturday's game against the Syracuse Crunch, the B-Sens didn't score until 2:19 into the third period, when Kasper Halttunen scored his first goal as a member of the Belleville Senators to tie the game at one.
From there, the team was able to get going, with Ryan Suzuki scoring a goal on the power play 6:29 into the third.
After a Nick Abruzzese goal less than a minute later, the B-Sens got the game-winner with 24 seconds left off Xavier Bourgault's stick.
Speaking with the team in the postgame scrum, Head Coach Andrew Campbell admitted that for the first 40 minutes, the Crunch were the better hockey team.
"We said going to the third. It's a one-goal game. We haven't played well. If you can find it for 20, we still have a chance here," Campbell said.
"Credit to the guys. They dug in, found a way for 20."
While the B-Sens came away with the win in the end, Campbell noted they had to play a better, more consistent game.
"You can't play 20 minutes and expect to win most nights, so we have to be ready to go from the start tomorrow, and you know, play 60, not 20."
That next game would come the following day as Belleville returned home to CIBC Place to take on the Utica Comets.
Belleville's first goal came 17:15 into the second period after Suzuki tallied another power-play goal.
But that goal came after Utica was able to take advantage of breakdowns that led them to score three goals in the period beforehand, including a shorthanded and a power-play goal.
Coach Campbell said the team had their opportunities, but the breakdowns ultimately cost them.
"There wasn't much going on either way over the course of the game; five-on-five play, we probably had the greater of the chances and looks," Campbell told media after Sunday's game.
"You know, it boils down to special teams. You go minus two on that. You're not going to win many games, and just some unforced errors there in the second period. Focus lapse there for a bit, dug ourselves a hole, and then ultimately it was too big to climb out of."
Kasper Halttunen, who had two points for the B-Sens in that game, reiterated the message of playing a full game.
"We had a bad moment in the second period that cost us the game, and yeah, lost the special teams today, and just gotta play full 60 and keep doing the things that we do,"
"We got a lot of potential in this team, so just gotta get building from that."
Djibril Toure back in the lineup
Djibril Toure made his first appearance of the 2026–27 season on Saturday, after serving a two-game suspension that carried over from the previous AHL season.
Toure's impact was notable not only for the physical presence of the 6-foot-7, 203-pound defenceman, but also for the opportunities he got, including a rare five-shot performance on Saturday against the Crunch.
"Well, (Djibril) has a presence. He's a tough kid. He really cares about the team. He had a good summer, great training camp in Ottawa. He's coming into another season here in Belleville, and he wants to be a player; you know, he brings it every day," Head Coach Andrew Campbell told media after the game against the Utica Comets on Sunday.
Toure enters his third full professional season with the Belleville Senators after signing with the Senators organization as an undrafted free agent back in 2023.
He previously played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Sudbury Wolves and the Windsor Spitfires.
He split his time between the B-Sens and the ECHL's Allen Americans last season, including being a part of the Americans' playoff push.
Coach Campbell says he has liked what he's seen in Toure's progression as a player.
"We just look for him to continue to get better. Yeah, he loves hockey, loves being at the rink, he loves putting in the work. So the progression he's made as an individual player over the last year, two years has been awesome," Campbell told media.
"He's on the upward trajectory, and he's just gotta keep working, and you know, hopefully, it's a nice long NHL career for him down the road."
Jackson Parsons gets his first look of the season
The Belleville Senators got their first look at goaltender Jackson Parsons for the 2026–27 season on Sunday.
Parsons was signed as an undrafted free agent last year, gaining recognition as the CHL's Goaltender of the Year in the 2024–25 season as a member of the Kitchener Rangers.
He became somebody on a lot of people's radars after a strong showing during Belleville's first-ever school day game against the Toronto Marlies back on November 19, 2025.
Since then, Parsons split his time between the B-Sens and the Allen Americans, also being a part of the Americans' playoff push.
Parsons played at home this past Sunday for the first time since December 2025.
He made 24 saves on 28 shots throughout the game against the Comets.
Parsons was put in difficult situations on two of the goals against, with one coming on a 3-on-1 rush and another following a turnover that resulted in a 2-on-1.
Campbell spoke on Parsons' performance.
"No issues with (Parsons). I mean, he hasn't played in a long time. He played in the rookie tournament in Ottawa, and it's a long time between games," Campbell said to media following Sunday's game.
"So no, he was solid. He wasn't the reason we lost the game. That's for sure. So not much he can do on many of those goals off the rush there, but he was solid when we needed him."
Other news & notes
Ryan Suzuki and Phil Tomasino are both currently on three-game point streaks.
Kasper Halttunen was able to break through from being "snake-bitten" on offence, scoring his first goal with the team on Saturday. Following Saturday's and Sunday's games, Halttunen now leads the team in points with four.
As of this posting, Jorian Donovan and Hoyt Stanley have been called up to the Ottawa Senators.
Noticed in Sunday's game that the power play shifted from taking a lot of one-timers in the faceoff circles to trying to finish in the slot. It'll be interesting to see whether that adjustment continues in the coming games or if it was simply a one-game change.
Landen Hookey and Blake Montgomery remain out of the lineup; both are dealing with injuries.
The B-Sens will have a bit of time before going from a back-to-back to three games in three days, starting Friday night at home against the Laval Rocket. They will then play the Toronto Marlies in a home-and-home series, beginning at CIBC Place on Saturday, then at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Sunday. I will be on the call with David Foot for Saturday's game on AHL TV through FloHockey.
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