Return Engagement

Going to catch the game on TV tonight and blog as it unfolds. Here's hoping to another great effort by the team tonight. Can Murphy pull off two great performances back to back? We were at the Memorial Cup and saw Mike steal one game and then the total collapse the next. A repeat performance? We can only hope....

7:00: Just settling in with a nice selection from the wine cellar (a little over stated) and watching the pre-game stuff on Rogers from the Yardman. Much chatting about last night's game especially about Murphy who was the goalie of the year.

Their anthem singer is better than ours. The rink isn't full. Must be pretty hoppin' in Belleville on a Saturday night to keep the crowds away (it's not that big an arena).

First Period

19:04 - Mike Murphy bowled over by Corey Cowick. Cowick gets the penalty and the Bulls on are on the PP early. Good kill by the Barber Poles - only a couple of shots through to Perugini.

15:45 - Riley Sonnenburg gets his first OHL regular season goal top shelf when he gets a rebound. Ryan Hanes gets the assists.

14:02 - The TML line (not Toronto Maple Leafs!! They should be so lucky to have such a line!!) but Toffoli, Martindale and Latta are back at it - working hard and drawing a penalty for Ottawa's first PP. And now Belleville's Cantin has just put it over the glass for a delay of game. Now some 5-on-3 for 1:30.

13:11 - Corey Cowick gets his third of the season with a quick shot from the face-off circle. It may have gone in off another player. 2-0 Ottawa with more PP to go! Julien Demers and Michael Latta get the assists.

9:50 - Bellevlle has a good cycle going. They eventually take a shot from the outside by Perugini smothers it. It's the most control they've had all game.

8:50 - These Cogeco guys are interesting. They note that Courchaine is still at his NHL camp - he didn't even make it. And they are reporting rumours of Tavares to Ottawa. I've heard of John going to just about every other team in the OHL but Ottawa was not among them.

4:45 - Ottawa has been dominating and Latta takes a tripping penalty in their offensive zone. A few chances by the Bulls but Perugini stops them. The PK units kept the Bulls to the outside.

:45 - Another PP for the 67s. They keep up the pressure but can't score.

First Intermission

The 67s are really playing well. They are getting the puck deep and controlling it. In their own end, they aren't giving the Bulls much of a chance to set up and Perugini is making the big stops. This time they are on the right side of the goals. For his part, Murphy is still making some pretty good stops. Shots on goal 20 - 9 for Ottawa.

Interview with Demers: thinks the team is faster than in previous years. Strategy is to keep getting pucks to the net and hopefully bury some rebounds. As for the San Jose Sharks, it's like the 67s have taken over. Everything is run precisely, hard and high tempo. Take-away: keep a good attitude.

A quick look at what's happening with the Senators. Nick Foligno gets the tying goal with assists from new guys Winchester and Kuba.

Second Period

20:00 - Ottawa starts continuing the PP from the end of the first. No goal.

18:39 - Latta has a breakaway but Tangradi lifts his stick.

18:13 - Belleville scores. Bryon Cameron gets the rebound and quickly gets it past the post. The Cogeco guys muse whether this will be the start of a hot streak for him.

14:44 - Mike Murphy robs Zanetti on a breakaway out of the penalty box. Ottawa did a great job killing the penalty including Latta playing keep-away from Tanaka killing off time in the Belleville zone.

11:19 - Another PP as Latta is tripped up. Good puck control for the first minute. Murphy makes a big save. This guys is looking to steal another game. Oh Crap! Another short handed goal by Belleville. Shawn Lalonde backhands it off the post on a 2-0n 1 rush. Geez Louise! I need a voo-doo doll of Murphy.

8:ish - (Rogers is not consistently showing the time on the screen) 4-on-4 and Martindale and Toffoli are out against Tangradi and Tanaka. Toffoli to Martindale and Ryan nets his third of this early season! Sean Ryan set it all up from his blue line.

4:45 - Vorobyov is hard to move off the puck. I wonder what he thinks of all this. Kazakastan is a looooong way away from Belleville. Just wait for his long bus ride to Sault Ste. Marie.

:58 - Nick Pageau is called for a hit to the head of Vorobyov while his head was down. The Cogeco guys are incensed as they believe anyone losing his brain bucket with his head down deserves it. The resulting PP is once again dangerous as Tipoff and Lalonde get a rush on Perugini but Chris stops this one. On the transtion Kiriakou sends it out in front from the corner and Julien Demers gets it past Murphy from the high slot with 36 seconds left. Thomas Nesbitt gets the second assist. And Ottawa finishes the period up by two.

Second Intermission

The Bulls had something going there for a bit but Ottawa still dominated the period. 39 - 19 SOGs for Ottawa.

Announcers are interesting creatures. I have found that they often use the same adjectives to describe some players so often, you begin to wonder if that's what their real name is. Tonight for example, they keep saying "OHL-goalie-of-the-year-Mike-Murphy". I've heard the Ottawa guys do it too.

Third Period

18:37 - Belleville seems to be a bit more organized to start the period. Expect to see their shots climb up. They are starting to play a bit more physical. And they're getting it in deeper more often.

15:44 - Ottawa is just dumping it in without following up with much pressure. Are they out of gas?

12:52 - A great poke check by Perugini on Tipoff!!

11:15 - Belleville is playing better this period...or Ottawa is playing less better. There seems to be more time in Ottawa's zone.

7:26 - An excellent save by Murphy point blank from Carnevale after some great cycling and puck control by Ottawa on the PP. Ottawa is now on a 5-on-3 with Tangradi in the sin bin. The Bulls are frustrated and are committing more penalties. Does not look good for them in the final minutes of the period. Ottawa moves in - they have lots of time and are patient. It finally pays off when Thomas Kiriakou is parked on the corner, waits for Murphy to commit and puts it in the net. Latta and Toffoli get the assists.

0:00 - Ottawa delivers Belleville their first loss of the season - on their home ice no less - with another stellar game - this time with goals. Murphy did what he could having faced 51 shots but the rest of the crew didn't do their part. Perugini faced 28 shots. I would expect that Belleville's national rating will drop this week.

Game Stars according to Cogeco:
1. Julien Demers
2. Thomas Kirakou
3. Shawn Lalonde (Belleville)

Game Stars according to Team1200:
1. Ryan Martindale
2. Michael Latta
3. Eric Tangradi (Belleville)

Hardest working 67s: Tyler Toffoli

Click here for the game sheet.