Pursuing Battalion runs down Bulls 4-1
BELLEVILLE, Ont. – The Brampton Battalion passed a virtual must-win test Saturday night.
Stephon Thorne and Anthony Peluso scored early third-period goals 1:10 apart to spark the Battalion to a 4-1 victory over the Belleville Bulls, drawing the Troops within four points of the first-place Bulls in the race for top spot in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
Cody Hodgson added a late goal and Evgeny Grachev also scored for the Battalion, which got 27 saves from goaltender Thomas McCollum. Hodgson and Grachev also had an assist each, and Scott Tanski contributed two.
The Battalion has a won-lost-extended record of 41-18-2 for 84 points atop the Central Division and holds two games in hand on Belleville, first in the East Division at 42-17-4 for 88 points.
The Battalion, with seven games to play, hosts the Peterborough Petes at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Troops’ magic number for securing the Central title over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors is one. Any point earned by the Battalion or lost by Mississauga makes the Troops the division winners as they have clinched the teams’ season series. The Majors can’t total more wins than the Battalion.
Brandon Mashinter scored for the Bulls, while goaltender Mike Murphy faced 25 shots before a capacity-plus crowd of 3,602.
Thorne broke a 1-1 tie with his eighth goal of the season 5:45 into the third period, slipping the puck home from the right edge of the crease during a scrum.
“The puck was moving in like slow motion,” said Thorne. “I was just hoping it would go in, and it did. I’m just glad we got the win.”
Peluso, returning from a suspension, beat Murphy over the left shoulder with a screened drive from the right-wing circle. It was Peluso’s 15th goal of the season and sixth in 20 games since a trade from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The Battalion had to kill three minor penalties the rest of the way, with Hodgson scoring his 34th goal off a two-on-one rush with Grachev at 16:20 just as a penalty to Tanski expired.
Grachev opened the scoring at 7:45 of the first period, taking a pass from Tanski and beating Murphy with a 45-foot shot off a rush. It was Grachev’s team-leading 36th goal, breaking the Battalion rookie record set by Raffi Torres in 1998-99.
Mashinter tied it at 11:59, seven seconds after a Bulls power play ended. He stepped out of the right-wing corner and, delaying slightly, wired a shot from the circle. Mashinter’s 30th goal was assisted by Luke Pither and Nick Pageau.
Peluso and P.K. Subban received coincidental roughing penalties for a shoving session at Murphy’s crease at 17:53, and the Battalion went to a four-skaters-on-three power play at 19:00 when Shawn Lalonde was whistled for hooking.
The Troops applied good pressure through the final minute but couldn’t take advantage as Belleville fended off the likes of Hodgson, Matt Duchene and Josh Day.
The Battalion survived Bulls pressure for much of the second period, being outshot 10-2 in the frame before Subban was called for crosschecking at 15:56. Duchene appeared to beat Murphy on a power-play shot from the right side after the puck rebounded off the end boards.
Referees Brad Beer and Matt Parlette were reluctant to go to video review, although Hodgson asked them to do so and they eventually had a chat at the timekeeper’s bench. Video showed the puck deflected off Murphy’s left arm and then off the junction of the crossbar and left post.
Peluso and Subban each received three minors through the first 40 minutes, including the coincidental roughing infractions.
Battalion scratches were Kyle Pereira, Cameron Wind and Derek Gregorack. Belleville scratched Robert Stellick, Marc Cantin and Andy Bathgate.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: The crowd included a busload of Battalion supporters from the Booster Brigade … The Battalion went 0-for-5 on the power play. Belleville was 0-for-9 … The Troops are 16-14-1 on the road. The Bulls are 26-6-0 at home … The Battalion went 8-4-0 in February … Opening Battalion line combinations included Hodgson centring Peluso on left wing and right winger Jason Dale, Duchene skating between left winger Grachev and right winger Tanski and Thomas Stajan centring left winger Matt Kang and right winger Andrew Merrett. Craig Moore centred left winger Thorne and right winger Sam Carrick … Grachev has the second-most points ever recorded by a Battalion rookie. He has 36 goals and 31 assists for 67 points in 53 games, trailing the club rookie record of 71 points, on 22 goals and 49 assists, set by Jason Spezza in 1998-99 … Hodgson has a five-game points streak during which he has scored two goals and added seven assists for nine points … With an assist on Thorne’s goal, Stajan has a four-game points streak in which he has two goals and two assists for four points … Peluso returned after serving a two-game suspension incurred for a game misconduct last Saturday night in a 6-3 loss to the host Owen Sound Attack … The Bulls honoured centre Cory Tanaka, who set a record for career OHL games played in a 3-2 victory at Brampton last Sunday. Tanaka, who has played 332 games, broke Cody Thornton’s mark of 328 with Belleville and Sault Ste. Marie from 2002-03 through 2006-07 … In the other previous games in the season series, the Battalion downed the visiting Bulls 7-1 on Nov. 9, while Belleville won 3-1 at home Feb. 11.
