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Bull Shutout Battalion 2-0 to Earn Fifth Consecutive Victory
 Parker VanBuskirk made 33 saves to earn a shutout in the Belleville Bulls 2-0 victory over the Brampton Battalion Sunday afternoon in Brampton.
Parker VanBuskirk made 33 saves to earn a shutout in his first start with the Belleville Bulls in a 2-0 win over the Brampton Battalion Sunday afternoon in Brampton. The win is the Bulls fifth straight, as they increase their Eastern Conference lead and finish the season series with a 2-1-0-1 record against the Battalion.
The Bulls found themselves in penalty trouble to begin the game but were able to successfully kill off a lengthy two man Battalion power play to keep the game scoreless. Belleville forechecked extremely effectively throughout the opening frame and forced Brampton goaltender Bryan Pitton to make several great saves to keep the game scoreless. VanBuskirk was also very strong in goal for the Bulls, as the game remained tied 0-0 after one period of play. Shots on goal in the first period were 13-10 Belleville.
The tight checking game continued into the opening portion second period, as both goaltenders played well when called upon to keep the game scoreless. The Bulls were finally able to open the scoring with six and half minutes remaining in the period on the power play when Nigel Williams one-timed a bullet slap shot past Pitton from the point for what turned out to be the eventual game winning goal. Bryan Cameron and Jan Mursak assisted on Williams’ seventh goal of the season. Belleville then went ahead 2-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the period when Tyler Randell banged a Williams pass past Pitton on an odd man rush. Matthew Tipoff also assisted on Randell’s third goal of the season. The Bulls penalty killing remained very solid in the middle frame to keep Brampton off the scoreboard. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Battalion 10-8.
Belleville played a strong defensive third period in which they forechecked very effectively and limited the Battalion to only a handful of quality scoring chances. VanBuskirk was excellent in the period, making several great saves including stopping Cody Hodgson on a shorthanded breakaway with eight minutes remaining in the game. Brampton pressed late when they pulled Pitton, but could not score, as the Bulls skated away with the 2-0 victory. Shots on goal in the third period were 13-8 Brampton and overall favoured the Battalion 33-29.
VanBuskirk was outstanding in goal for Belleville, stopping all 33 shots he faced for his sixth victory of the season and first as a Bull. The shutout was the third of his OHL career. Pitton also played well, making 27 saves in a losing effort for Brampton. The Bulls power play finished the game one for five while Brampton was unable to penetrate a terrific Belleville penalty kill, as they failed to score in seven chances with the man advantage. The three stars of the game were Williams, VanBuskirk, and Hodgson. With the win, the Bulls improve their record to 25-9-3-2, as they now hold a three point lead over the Oshawa Generals for first place in the Eastern Conference. Brampton drops to 23-14-1-2 with the loss. The Bulls are now off until Thursday when they will travel to Barrie to face the Colts for the first time this season. On Friday night, Belleville will be in Sudbury before returning home on Saturday to host the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Game time on Saturday is 7:15pm at the Yardmen Arena and tickets are available at the Bulls Box Office.
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