BELLEVILLE, Ontario — In the first-ever matchup between the Belleville Senators and the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Senators notched two first-period goals within one minute to establish an early lead over Grand Rapids that eventually led them to a 5-3 win at CAA Arena on Friday night.
Three times Grand Rapids cut its deficit to one, but Belleville (4-4-0-0) never relinquished control of the game as five different players tallied goals. Despite the addition of Christoffer Ehn and Filip Hronek to the lineup, Grand Rapids (2-5-0-0) struggled to overcome the early deficit, giving up one shorthanded goal and finishing 1-for-5 on the power play.