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Bulls Fall 3-1 to Brampton
 Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy made 30 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Brampton Battalion Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena.
The Belleville Bulls were unable to hold a 1-0 third period lead, as they surrendered three consecutive goals in a 3-1 loss to the Brampton Battalion Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena. Brampton scored on the power play with just over three and a half minutes remaining to take the lead en route to their second victory against the Bulls this season. Despite the loss, Belleville still holds a one point lead on the Oshawa Generals for first place in the East Division.
It was the Battalion who got off to a quick start to the game, generating several outstanding scoring chances on Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy. Murphy was excellent during the opening frame to keep Brampton off the scoreboard. The Bulls on the other hand, were unable to generate much offence during the opening twenty minutes and the game remained scoreless. Shots on goal in the first period were 13-6 Brampton.
The Bulls offence started to show more life during the second period and eventually opened the scoring five minutes into the middle frame when Battalion goaltender Patrick Killeen could only get a piece of Nick Pageau’s shot from the high slot. Bryan Cameron earned the lone assist on Pageau’s fourth goal of the season. Murphy continued to play well in goal for the Bulls, as he made several great stops to keep Brampton scoreless through two periods. The Bulls had a glorious chance to increase their lead late in the second period but Killeen stopped Matt Beleskey on a breakaway to keep the game 1-0. The Bulls also enjoyed multiple power plays throughout the first forty minutes but struggled with the man advantage, as they led by a goal heading into the final frame. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Bulls 12-9.
The Battalion were able to tie the score five minutes into the third period when Luke Lynes one-timed a hard shot from the slot past Murphy. Belleville had a terrific chance to go back ahead just a minute and a half later, but Beleskey was stopped by Killeen on a penalty shot to keep the game tied 1-1. Brampton then took the lead on the power play with three and a half minutes remaining in the game when Bobby Sanguinetti fired a wicked shot from the slot past Murphy. The Bulls pressed for the equalizing goal but were unable to beat Killeen. Former Bull John Hughes rounded out the scoring with an empty net goal with just over one minute remaining, as the Battalion skated away with the 3-1 victory. Shots on goal in the third period were 11-11 and overall favoured the Battalion 33-29.
Both goaltenders were outstanding in goal for their respective sides, as Murphy and Killen made 30 and 28 saves respectively. The Bulls power play struggled, failing to score in eight opportunities while Brampton converted once in seven chances with the man advantage. The three stars of the game were Killeen, Murphy, and Sanguinetti. With the loss, the Bulls record drops to 16-7-2-1 while Brampton improves to 14-10-1-2 with the win. The Bulls will now wrap up the weekend Sunday night with a key divisional game against the Oshawa Generals. The next home game for the Bulls is this upcoming Wednesday night when they will play host to the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Game time is 7:15pm at the Yardmen Arena and tickets are available at the Bulls Box Office.
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