Hameenaho Scores Twice as Comets Down Sens to Improve to 3-0
Oct 11, 2026Belleville, ON – The Utica Comets made their first trip north of the border on Sunday to take on the Belleville Senators and grabbed another two points in a 4-2 win.
The game featured a fast pace from the drop of the puck despite both teams having played and traveled the night before. The Comets were assessed the first penalty of the game when Xavier Parent was called for hooking at 8:36 of the first but were able to kill it off despite extensive zone time for Belleville. The Comets killed off another hooking penalty later in the period taken by Topias Vilen and did a much better job of limiting Belleville’s chances. The Comets headed to the power play later in the first when Sammy Blais was called for hooking.
The power play carried over into the second period, but the Sens held the Comets off the board. The Comets would eventually strike first for the third straight game at the 8:36 mark when Marc McLaughlin slipped a pass to Shane Lachance who rifled one home from the right circle past the glove to Senators netminder Jackson Parsons for his first of the year to give the Comets a 1-0 lead. Zach Gallant picked up the secondary assist in his Comets debut. A few minutes later, the Comets found themselves on the penalty kill but would strike again when Marc McLaughlin received a dish from Lenni Hameenaho and ripped it past Parsons to make it 2-0 at 12:25 of the second for his second tally of the year. The Comets headed to the power play a bit later in the period and Lenni Hameenaho tipped home a loose puck after Topias Vilen’s shot was initially stopped by Parsons. It was the second straight game for Hameenaho scoring on the power play as the Comets extended the lead to 3-0 at the 15:09 mark with Riley Tufte adding an assist. The Sens eventually got on the board and ended the Comets perfect streak of success on the penalty kill when Ryan Suzuki notched a power play goal with a nice shot over the shoulder of David Rittich from the left circle to make it 3-1 at 17:15 for his second goal of the year.
The Comets headed into the third with a 3-1 lead, but the Senators cut the deficit to one when Samuel Bolduc snuck a shot from the slot past David Rittich low blocker side to make it 3-2 just 1:50 into the third. The Senators pressed to tie the game as the period went on, but Rittich made some big stops. The Comets went on the power play later in the period and Lenni Hameenaho capitalized once again on a one-timer from the left circle to make it 4-2 at 14:14 with Matyas Melovsky and Topias Vilen picking up the helpers. The Comets would prevail to a 4-2 victory, improving to 3-0 on the season.
The Comets outshot the Senators 28-24, while going 2-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Comets are back home this Saturday, October 17th as they get set to host the Laval Rocket at 6 PM. For tickets, please visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.