Errors and misplays cost the Barrie Colts the shot at a win Thursday night, as the potent offence of the visiting Belleville Bulls capitalized for three goals in the third period to pull out of the Barrie Molson Centre with a 5-1 victory in the game and a 2-0 series lead.
A giveaway just over a minute into the final frame led to a three-on-two coming back the other way, that Cory Tanaka finished with a goal that eluded the nigh-impenetrable Michael Hutchinson to make it 3-1.
While Barrie was on the power play in the Bulls zone, another miscue led to a breakaway by one of the most dangerous Belleville snipers, Jan Mursak, who faked out Hutchinson to make it 4-1.
A goal by P.K. Subban at 13:07 of the frame, on the power play, sealed the deal for the visitors.
Coach Marty Williamson was happier with his team’s effort in the first 40 minutes, as the Colts and Bulls were actually tied at 22 shots apiece, and Barrie was down only 2-1.
“We played real good for two periods, then we just made mistakes in the third period. We gave up an early three on two, which they scored on, and then we gave up a short-handed goal and we fell asleep a little bit on that, and basically we had dug our hole by then,” he said.
“Again, I thought we battled well for two periods, and then gave ourselves an opportunity, but against a team like this, you just can’t make mistakes.”
Bulls captain, and Midhurst resident Matt Beleskey said the Colts played a tighter defensive game than they did in the first game of the series, Wednesday night in Belleville, a contest that ended up being a lopsided 7-2 rout for the home side.
“They clogged it up down low and through the middle for us tonight … they took away our time and space. We didn’t get as many shots. Luckily we got a couple of bounces and got a couple of goals off them tonight,” he told Simcoe.com after the game.
“Offence has always been one of our key things this season, and we’ve got big guys stepping up right now and getting big goals at certain times. Right now, we’re rolling pretty good. Hopefully we can keep it going.
“Our depth all season has been one of the main reasons we’re winning and why we finished first in the east, because all four lines can score. We’ve got a lot of guys making plays on the third and fourth line now, and that’s really helping our team out.”
During a pretty even first period, the Bulls opened the scoring at 12:56 of the frame on the power play, as his wrist shot seemed to handcuff Hutchinson.
The lead was extended to 2-0 at 9:43 of the second period, as Keaton Turkiewicz jammed the puck in after a goalmouth scramble.
Captain Tomas Marcinko got the Colts on the board, and brought the 3,242 fans at the Barrie Molson Centre to their feet, beating Belleville goalie Mike Murphy with a fairly simple wrist shot at 15:35 of the second.
The momentum seemed to have tilted back in the favour of Barrie, but the Tanaka goal early in the third squelched it.
The Bulls scored on two of their seven power play opportunities, while Barrie was 0/6. At the start of the playoffs, and again before this Eastern Conference semifinal series started, Williamson was adamant that his charges had to limit their trips to the penalty box.
“We don’t have the depth on the blue line to be able to cope,” he said, adding that the loss of second-year blue-liner Matt Stanisz to a broken foot in the first game has added to a depleted corps already missing veteran Brett Halstead.
Game three of the series is Saturday night at the Yardmen Arena in Belleville at 7:15 p.m., while the fourth game of the series will be played at the Barrie Molson Centre on Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets, visit the Colts website, a link to which is provided.
- Jim Barber is the Sports, Arts and Lifestyles Editor for the Barrie Advance. Contact him at jbarber@simcoe.com.
