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Bulls Defeat Gatineau 6-3 for First 2008 Memorial Cup Victory
 Nigel Williams scored once and added two assists in the Belleville Bulls 6-3 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques Monday night in Kitchener.
The Belleville Bulls scored three unanswered third period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques Monday night in Kitchener. The victory levels the Bulls record at 1-1 with one more round robin game to be played Wednesday night against the Kitchener Rangers.
The Bulls got off to a terrific start to the game, opening the scoring eight minutes into the first period just as a Gatineau penalty had expired when Jan Mursak’s shot deflected off a defender and past Olympiques goaltender Ryan Mior. Andrew Self and P.K. Subban assisted on Mursak’s first goal of the tournament. Belleville increased their lead to 2-0 just over two minutes later while shorthanded when Shawn Matthias stole the puck from Mior and slid it past a diving Olympiques defender for his second goal of the tournament. Despite falling behind early, Gatineau continued to work hard and were rewarded with a pair of goals before the end of the period. Hugo Laporte cut the Belleville lead to 2-1 with just over six minutes remaining in the period when his point shot deflected off a Bulls defender and past goaltender Mike Murphy. The Olympiques then tied the score with two minutes remaining in the period when Michael Stinziani one-timed a Darryl Smith pass past Murphy on a two on one rush. Despite four goals in the opening period, both Murphy and Mior made several excellent saves apiece to keep the game tied. Shots on goal in the first period were 17-15 Belleville.
Belleville quickly regained the lead less than two minutes into the second period with the second shorthanded goal of the game when Cory Tanaka took a pass from Matt Beleskey and snapped a shot past Mior from the face-off circle for his third goal of the tournament. The Bulls did press to extend their lead but Mior was excellent to keep the game 3-2. The Olympiques again tied the score nine and a half minutes into the middle frame when Claude Giroux tapped a sensational Paul Byron cross-ice pass past Murphy. Both teams had chances during the remainder of the second period to go ahead but were unable to grab the lead. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Bulls 16-6.
The Bulls pressed hard during the third period to retake the lead but Mior was excellent to keep the game tied. Matthias finally put Belleville ahead for good with seven minutes remaining in the game when Nigel Williams point shot deflected off the Bulls forward and past Mior. Adam Perry also assisted on Matthias’ second goal of the game and third of the tournament. Belleville then got some insurance with just over four and a half minutes remaining in the game when Keaton Turkiewicz tipped Williams’ point shot past Mior. Perry also assisted on Turkiewicz’s first goal of the tournament. Williams then rounded out the scoring two minutes later on the power play when he scored a beautiful goal, making a nice move around a Gatineau defender before snapping a bullet shot past Mior. Shawn Lalonde assisted on Williams’ first goal of the Memorial Cup. Shots on goal in the third period were 14-12 Belleville and overall favoured the Bulls 47-33.
Murphy enjoyed another very strong game, stopping 30 shots in the victory. Mior made 41 stops in a losing effort for the Olympiques. Belleville finished the game one for ten on the power play while Gatineau failed to score in seven opportunities with the man advantage. The Bulls also added two shorthanded goals. The three stars of the game were Matthias, Williams, and Giroux. The victory ensured that Belleville will either play in a tie-breaker game on Thursday or semi-final on Friday. Wednesday’s round robin finale against Kitchener begins at 7:00pm and can be seen live on Rogers Sportsnet.
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