Trudeau Takes Save Lead In First Career Shutout

With a 36-save performance on Saturday night in Belleville, Philippe Trudeau recorded his first career OHL shutout, taking over the league lead in saves in the process in a 5-0 win.

Trudeau’s last shutout was in October of 2012, where he was first star.  He earned the honours again tonight.

For the time being, Ottawa moves back into a temporary playoff spot.  Belleville falls into a four-point hole in the conference’s cellar.

Charlie Graham made 34 saves for the home side in a losing effort.

Connor Brown scored two goals less than 10 minutes apart in the first period, his fourth and fifth of the season respectively, to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

Sam Studnicka, with a rare powerplay shift late in the opening frame, widened the gap to three.

Ryan Van Stralen gave the visitors a four-goal advantage just seconds into the second, as the team started to go into a defensive shell.

Trudeau put the stamp on his shutout performance with a sprawling save in the third off a deflected point shot from Belleville’s Alex Yuill. 

Dante Salituro put the game away shortly thereafter, his seventh point in four meetings against the Bulls this season.

Ottawa heads to Oshawa tomorrow for a much more challenging opponent in the Generals.

New Captain

The 67's named a "Brendan Bell" their captain for the second time in 11 years on Friday.

While the original Bell, an Ottawa native who also once played for the Senators, plays on the international stage for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, the new Bell takes over a void left by Sean Monahan.

Many expected the captaincy to be given to Ryan Van Stalen, or as a second choice Taylor Fielding, but both of them could be on the trade block.

Assorted Notes

• It took him a while to get into form, as he had a rough first period, but Alex Lintuniemi looked all too comfortable on the international ice.
• Jonathan Duchesne had a play in the first period that could've been a game-changer.  With Belleville's Aaron Berisha on a breakaway, Duchesne dove to knock the puck away without taking a penalty.  Had the play resulted in a goal, the game would've been tied and the momentum would've changed dramatically.
• Connor Graham created a number of chances for himself but was stopped by his last-namesake in the opposing net.