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Bulls Force Game Seven with 6-3 Victory over Kitchener
 Matt Beleskey scored twice and added an assist in the Belleville Bulls 6-3 victory over the Kitchener Rangers Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena.
The Belleville Bulls forced a game seven in the Rogers OHL Championship Series with a 6-3 victory over the Kitchener Rangers Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena. The Bulls scored three unanswered third period goals en route to the victory. The series now shifts to Kitchener for game seven on Monday night.
The Bulls got off to a quick start, firing numerous shots on Rangers goaltender Josh Unice in the opening moments of the game. Unice was excellent to keep the game scoreless during the opening half of the first period. Kitchener was able to open the scoring with seven minutes remaining in the first period when Justin Azevedo snapped a low, hard shot between the pads of Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy on a Rangers odd man rush. Belleville was quick to respond, tying the score with four and a half minutes remaining in the period when Cory Tanaka missed the net on a breakaway but picked the loose puck up behind the Kitchener goal. Tanaka then fired that puck in front before it deflected off Unice’s stick and into the net. P.K. Subban earned the lone assist on Tanaka’s eighth goal of the playoffs. Nigel Williams put the Bulls ahead 2-1 with two minutes remaining in the period when he fired a bullet shot over the glove of Unice from the face-off circle. Bryan Cameron assisted on Williams’ seventh goal of the playoffs. Murphy then made some terrific saves late in the period on a Kitchener power play to preserve the Bulls 2-1 lead. Shots on goal in the first period were 14-12 in favour of the Rangers.
Belleville quickly increased their lead to 3-1 just over one minute into the second period when Eric Tangradi fired a rebound off the end boards past Unice. Keaton Turkiewicz and Matt Beleskey assisted on Tangradi’s seventh goal of the playoffs and fourth in as many games. The assist extended Beleskey’s point streak to 19 games. The Bulls then ran into penalty trouble, taking three consecutive minor penalties during the period. Kitchener’s power play made them pay, pulling to 3-2 just over six minutes into the period when Azevdeo snapped a hard shot past a screened Murphy from the slot. Alex Dzielski then tied the score with just over two minutes left in the period on the power play when his point shot deflected off two Bulls defenders and past Murphy. Shots on goal in the second period were 12-11 Kitchener, as the game was tied 3-3 heading into the final twenty minutes of play.
The Bulls retook the lead a minute and a half into the third period while enjoying a two man power play advantage when Unice could only get a piece of Beleskey’s slap shot from the face-off circle. Subban and Tangradi assisted on Beleskey’s 11th goal of the playoffs. Belleville pressed hard to extend their lead but Unice was excellent to keep the score 4-3. Adam Perry gave the Bulls some much needed insurance with just over five minutes remaining in the game when he fired a loose puck past Unice after Jan Mursak’s original shot had been blocked. Tanaka also assisted on Perry’s seventh goal of the playoffs. Kitchener pressed hard during the final few minutes of the game especially on a late power play but Murphy was sensational to preserve the victory. Beleskey then rounded out the scoring with just over one minute remaining in the game when he fired the puck into the empty Rangers net. Tanaka assisted on Beleskey’s team leading 12th goal of the playoffs. Shots on goal in the third period were 15-12 Belleville and overall finished 38-38.
Murphy was excellent in goal for the Belleville, stopping 35 shots in the victory while Unice was also solid, making 32 saves in a losing effort for Kitchener. The Bulls finished the game one for five on the power play while the Rangers converted twice in six opportunities with the man advantage. The three stars of the game were Beleskey, Tanaka, and Azevedo. Game seven of the series will be played in Kitchener at 7:30pm on Monday. Saturday’s crowd of 3,707 was the largest at the Yardmen Arena this season. The Bulls finished the season with a combined regular season and playoff record of 37-6-1-1 on home ice.
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