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Quick Start Helps Bulls to 6-1 Victory over Majors
 Jan Mursak recorded a goal and two assists in the Belleville Bulls 6-1 victory over the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors Friday night in Mississauga.
The Belleville Bulls scored on their first two shots of the game en route to a 6-1 victory over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors Friday night in Mississauga. The Bulls led 2-0 just two and a half minutes into the game and never allowed the Majors to get any closer. The win is the third straight for the Bulls, as they have now won both meetings with the Majors this season.
Bryan Cameron opened the scoring for the Bulls on the power play just one minute into the first period when he spun and fired a low shot between the pads of Majors goaltender Chris Carrozzi. Jan Mursak and Nick Pageau earned assists on Cameron’s 21st goal of the season. The Bulls then increased their lead to 2-0 just over a minute and a half later when Stephen Blunden was able to tap a perfect cross-ice pass from Andy Bathgate on an odd man rush past Carrozzi. Matthew Tipoff also assisted on Blunden’s second goal of the season. Bathgate’s assist was his first point as a Bull. Following the goal, Carrozzi was replaced in the Majors net by Anthony Grieco. The goaltending switch did seem to energize the Majors, as they generated more offence for the remainder of the period. The Bulls on the other hand, were unable to test Grieco much but did play solid defence to keep their 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Shots on goal in the first period were 10-3 Mississauga.
The game was delayed six minutes into the second period when a hit by Eric Tangradi broke a pane of glass at the Hershey Centre. Following the delay, neither side could generate much offence, and when they did, both Grieco and Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy were solid in goal for their respective sides. Belleville was able to extend their lead to 3-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the second period on the power play when Eric Tangradi beat Grieco with a rebound from a Pageau point shot. Mursak also assisted on Tangradi’s 18th goal of the season, as the Bulls led 3-0 after two periods of play. Shots on goal in the middle frame favoured Belleville 10-8.
The Majors were able to cut the Bulls lead to 3-1 on the power play just under six minutes into the third period when Justin Larson was able to bang a loose puck through the pads of Murphy from the front of the Belleville net for his second goal of the season. Mississauga pressed to cut into the lead further, but Murphy was strong to preserve the two goal lead. The Bulls then extended their lead back to three goals with eight and a half minutes remaining in the game when Mursak beat Grieco with a hard wrist shot from just inside the blueline that seemed to surprise the Majors goaltender. Tangradi earned the lone assist on Mursak’s seventh goal of the season and first as a Bull. Belleville went ahead 5-1 with three and a half minutes remaining in the game when Kyle Tront finished a pretty three way passing play with linemates Luke Judson and Stephen Johnston for his third goal of the season. Keaton Turkiewicz rounded out the scoring just 42 seconds later when he beat Grieco with a hard wrist-shot from the slot. Andrew Self and Shawn Lalonde assisted on Turkiewicz’s 17th goal of the season. Shots on goal in the third period were 14-5 Mississauga and over favoured the Majors 32-18.
Murphy enjoyed another excellent game in goal for the Bulls, making 31 saves to earn his 19th victory of the season while Carrozzi and Grieco combined to make 12 saves in a losing effort for Mississauga. The Bulls power play enjoyed a strong game, finishing two for three while the Majors converted once in four chances with the man advantage. The three stars of the game were Mursak, Tangradi, and Larson. With the win, the Bulls improve their record to 23-9-3-2 and remain one point behind the Oshawa Generals for first place in the Easter Conference while holding a game win hand. The Majors drop to 18-18-1-0 with the loss. The Bulls will now return home to face the Brampton Battalion on Saturday night. On Sunday, the Bulls will make the return trip to Brampton. 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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