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Bulls Finish Preseason with Third Tie
 Belleville Bulls goaltender Edward Pasquale made 33 saves in a 1-1 tie with the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena.
The Belleville Bulls wrapped up their exhibition schedule with a 1-1 tie against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena. The tie gives the Bulls a 0-3-3 preseason record. The story of the game was the Bulls inability to capitalize on the power play, as they failed to score on fifteen chances with the man advantage.
The two sides played a scoreless first period, as neither side could capitalize on multiple power play opportunities. Both Edward Pasquale and Wayne Savage were strong in goal for their respective sides, as the shots on goal were 13-7 Mississauga in the opening frame.
The second period was very similar to the first with neither side being able to generate much offence. The Bulls had seven power plays during the period but were unable to penetrate the Mississauga defence. Defenceman Geoff Killing came the closest to opening the scoring when he hit the goal post on the power play late in the middle frame. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Majors 9-4.
Belleville finally opened the scoring two minutes into the third period when Stephen Johnston snapped a quick shot from the faceoff circle that beat Savage. Marc Cantin and newly acquired Brendan Taylor assisted on Johnston’s third goal of the preseason. The goal extended Johnston’s point streak to six games, as he led the Bulls in preseason scoring with six points. The Majors were able to tie the score eight and a half minutes into the final frame on their first shot of the period when Kyle Neuber’s quick shot from the faceoff circle eluded Pasquale. The Bulls enjoyed three more late power plays but were unable to break the deadlock, as the game finished 1-1. Both Pasquale and Savage made several key saves throughout the second half of the third period to keep the game tied. Shots on goal in the third period were 12-11 Mississauga and overall favoured the Majors 34-22.
Pasquale enjoyed a strong game in goal for Belleville stopping 33 shots in the tie while Savage was also solid, making 21 saves for the Majors. The Bulls finished the game scoreless in fifteen chances with the man advantage, while Mississauga failed to score in four power play opportunities. The tie moves the Bulls exhibition record to 0-3-3 while the Majors move to 2-0-3. The Bulls are now off until Friday when they begin their regular season schedule in Kingston against the Frontenacs before hosting the Oshawa Generals in their home opener on Saturday. 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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