Bulls refuse to die
TheRecord.com
Rangers fail to finish off Belleville in OHL championship; Game 6 goes tomorrow at Yardmen
May. 09, 2008
Jeff Hicks RECORD STAFF KITCHENER
This is so not over.
“We’re not done yet,” beamed Belleville Bulls forward Eric Tangradi after last night’s shocking 2-1 victory over the Kitchener Rangers in Game 5 of the Ontario Hockey League finals before 6,773 at the Aud.
No Robertson Cup party ensued at the den of the Memorial Cup hosts.
No jubilant rendition of Sweet Caroline boomed from the biggest Rangers crowd on East Ave. in a decade or more.
Just stunned silence.
Tangradi banged a power-play rebound past Rangers goalie Josh Unice with 6:37 to play to break a 1-1 tie.
Neil Diamond has left the building.
Back to Belleville we go.
The Rangers still lead the series three games to two with a chance to don the OHL crown tomorrow night.
But suddenly, there is doubt.
The Bulls, who got a brilliant 41-save performance from OHL goalie of the year Mike Murphy, are a gutsy bunch.
The Bulls prefer Neil Sedaka.
Breaking up this OHL final is proving hard for Kitchener to do. The Rangers had led 3-0 in the series. They led 3-0 in Game 4 with a sweep looming. The Bulls rallied to win 5-4 in overtime.
Now, there is true tension.
“I don’t know that we can see the top of the mountain yet,” Bulls coach George Burnett said.
“But we’ve taken a step.”
The next step is to force a Game 7 showdown at the Aud on Monday before both clubs prepare to represent the OHL in next week’s Memorial Cup.
Cory Tanaka put Belleville up 1-0 after two periods. Rangers top gun Justin Azevedo tied it early in the third.
Then, Azevedo took a penalty.
Tangradi cashed in the winner.
“I kind of ran into their player,” Azevedo said of his collision with defender Geoff Killing at the Bulls net.
“He fell over his goalie. There’s nothing I can do about the call. I guess I was a little too aggressive.”
The Rangers clearly missed blueline cannon Yannick Weber, who twisted his ankle late in Game 4.
Still, they nearly tied it in the final two minutes. A weak Mikkel Boedker shot hit the stick of Belleville’s Nigel Williams and spun off the post.
“My heart stopped on that one,” Murphy said. Now, Rangers fans are having palpitations. The Bulls are pumped up.
“Nine out of 10 times you win that game,” Rangers coach Peter DeBoer said.
Last night was the 10th time.
Now, it’s nervous time.