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Bulls Fall 4-3 in Overtime to Erie
 Shawn Matthias had a goal and an assist in the Belleville Bulls 4-3 overtime loss to the Erie Otters Thursday night in Erie.
The Belleville Bulls scored twice in the final four minutes of the third period to force overtime, but the Erie Otters scored a power play goal in the extra session to win the game and end their 16 game losing streak Thursday night in Erie. Belleville held a 1-0 lead after two periods of play but three Erie goals in five and a half minutes in the third period gave the Otters the lead and forced the late Bulls comeback attempt. The point earned for the overtime loss does move the Bulls into sole possession of first place in the East Division while still holding a game in hand on the Oshawa Generals.
The two sides played a relatively defensive opening period of play with few quality scoring chances. The Bulls scored the lone goal of the period with just under four minutes remaining when Shawn Matthias broke down the wing and fired a shot over the glove of Otters goaltender Jaroslav Janus. Eric Tangradi and P.K. Subban earned assists on Matthias’ 14th goal of the season. Belleville goaltender Mike Murphy was very solid when called upon during the opening frame, as the Bulls led 1-0 after twenty minutes of play. Shots on goal in the first period were 13-8 Erie.
Erie pressed for the equalizing goal during the opening stages of the middle frame but were unable to put the puck past Murphy, as the Bulls goaltender made several great saves to keep the Bulls ahead. Belleville came on during the second half of the period but could not beat Janus to extend their lead, as the game remained 1-0 heading into the third period. Shots on goal in the second period favoured the Bulls 14-11.
The Otters finally got on a the scoreboard just three minutes into the third period when Ryan O’Reilly won a faceoff and then went to the net where he tipped a Zack Torquato shot past Murphy to even the score. Erie then went ahead 2-1 just two minutes later when Kelly Geoffrey took a Justin Hodgman pass as he drove to the net and made a nice move before sliding the puck past Murphy on the backhand. The Otters finished their offensive outburst three and a half minutes later when Robyn Sertic’s point shot was tipped by Sean Jones in front of Murphy. Despite being down 3-1, it was the Bulls who started to press, as they made Janus make several outstanding saves to hold the Otters two goal lead. Belleville was able to cut the lead in half with four minutes remaining while on the power play when Matt Beleskey was left alone at the side of the net to fire a puck over Janus after showing tremendous patience to outwait the Otters goaltender for his fourth goal in the past three games. Matthias and Shawn Lalonde assisted on Beleskey’s 14th goal of the season. Beleskey is now enjoying a seven game point scoring streak. The Bulls were able to tie the score just 23 seconds later when Bryan Cameron took a Cory Tanaka pass and one-timed a rocket shot from the slot over the shoulder of Janus. Andrew Self also assisted on Cameron’s 10th goal of the season. Belleville then pressed for the go ahead goal in the final minutes of the period but could not beat Janus. Shots on goal in the third period were 21-13 Belleville.
The Bulls took a penalty late in the third period and the Otters made them pay, ending the game on the power play just one minute into overtime when Nick Palmieri skated down the wing and fired a laser shot over the shoulder of Murphy. Shots on goal in overtime were 1-0 Erie but overall favoured the Bulls 43-38.
Both goaltenders had strong games for their respective sides, as Murphy stopped 34 shots in a losing effort while Janus made 40 saves to earn the victory for the Otters. The Bulls finished the game one for four on the power play while Erie scored once in six chances with the man advantage. The three stars of the game were Palmieri, Janus, and Jones all of the Otters. With the overtime loss, the Bulls record moves to 14-5-2-1 while Erie improves to 4-17-1-1 with the win. The Bulls road trip continues Friday night when they travel to Guelph to face the Storm before wrapping up the road trip Saturday in Owen Sound. Next home game for the Bulls is Saturday, December 1 against the Brampton Battalion. Game time is 7:15pm at the Yardmen Arena and tickets for the game are available at the Bulls Box Office.
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