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Bulls Defeat Colts 5-1 to Continue Win Streak
 Bryan Cameron scored twice in the Belleville Bulls 5-1 victory over the Barrie Colts Thursday night in Barrie.
The Belleville Bulls extended their winning streak to a season high six games with a 5-1 victory over the Barrie Colts Thursday night in Barrie. The Bulls controlled the game throughout, never trailing, as they maintain a one point lead over the Oshawa Generals for first place in the Eastern Conference. The game marked the return of Shawn Matthias and P.K. Subban from the World Junior Hockey Championships along with the debut of Adam Perry, who was acquired in a trade on Tuesday.
The Bulls got off to a quick start but could not capitalize on an early four minute power play advantage. Belleville did go ahead on the power play with nine minutes remaining in the first period when Bryan Cameron tipped Nick Pageau’s point shot past Colts goaltender Michael Hutchinson. Eric Tangradi also assisted on Cameron’s 23rd goal of the season. The Bulls went ahead 2-0 with just over six minutes remaining in the period while shorthanded when Matthias stole the puck at his own blueline and broke in alone on Hutchinson. Matthias was unable to beat Hutchinson on the first shot but fired his own rebound past the Colts goaltender for his 20th goal of the season. Belleville found themselves in penalty trouble during the final few minutes of the opening frame, as twice they were down two men for an extended period. However, the Bulls penalty killing was outstanding to preserve their 2-0 lead after one period. Shots on goal in the first period were 15-9 Belleville.
Belleville continued to press in the second period but Hutchinson was strong to keep his team in the game. The Colts were able to cut the Bulls lead to 2-1 midway through the second period on the power play when Alex Hutchings picked up a loose puck at the side of the net and fired it past Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy. Belleville restored their two goal edge with five minutes remaining in the period when Perry made a nice move before dropping the puck back to Cameron for him to one-time past Hutchinson for his second goal of the game and 24th of the season. Matt Beleskey then increased the Bulls lead to 4-1 just over one minute later when he tipped a Nigel Williams point shot past Hutchinson. Pageau also assisted on Beleskey’s 24th goal of the season. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Bulls 11-7, as they led 4-1 heading into the final twenty minutes of play.
The Bulls dominated throughout the final period of play, forcing Hutchinson to make several outstanding stops. Williams rounded out the scoring six minutes into the third period when he took a Jan Mursak pass and wired a low, hard shot past Hutchinson from the high slot. Matthias also assisted on Williams’ eighth goal of the season. While not tested as much as his counterpart in the Barrie net, Murphy played well in goal to stop the Colts from cutting into the lead, as the Bulls skated away with a 5-1 victory. Shots on goal in the third period were 21-5 Belleville and overall favoured the Bulls 47-21.
Murphy enjoyed a solid game in goal for the Bulls, making 20 stops to earn his 21st victory of the season. Hutchinson was also strong in goal for Barrie, making 42 saves in a losing effort. Both teams finished the game one for seven on the power play while Belleville added a shorthanded goal in the win. The three stars of the game were Cameron, Williams, and Hutchings. With the win, the Bulls improve their record to 26-9-3-2 while Barrie falls to 19-20-2-1 with the loss. The Bulls will now travel north to Sudbury to face the Wolves on Friday night before returning home on Saturday to play host to the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Game time on Saturday is 7:15pm at the Yardmen Arena and tickets for the game are available at the Bulls Box Office.
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