By Patrick King, Sportsnet.ca

Mike Murphy never has to look far for motivation.

The starting goaltender for the Ontario Hockey League's Belleville Bulls merely has to look down at the three words inscribed on the back of his yellow and red Vaughn blocker: No regrets. Succeed.

"I know the chance (to be a starter) doesn't come that often and a year like this with the team I have in front of me, I don't want to have any regrets and want to succeed," he said.

If the strategy sounds familiar, it's because Murphy got the idea from Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. Roy was known for his many quirks, which included talking to his goal posts, skipping over blue lines and writing messages on the back of his blocker.

For a goaltender who has had to prove himself countless times, the message also helps Murphy push himself to avoid complacency now that he is a starter. Since nothing has come easily for the native of Inverary, Ont., he plays with a chip on his shoulder which resembles that of his favourite player - Boston Bruins starting goaltender Tim Thomas.

Murphy said he admires Thomas' style, resiliency and attitude. Thomas played in nearly every professional league from the East Coast Hockey League to the Finnish Elite League before finally becoming a starter in the National Hockey League. Thomas' demeanor has always been that of a goaltender who will ignore the critics when everyone wants to write him off.

"I think I can relate to him a lot," Murphy said. "A lot of people didn't believe in him but he never gave up on his dream."

Neither has Murphy. Heading into this season, the undrafted 19-year-old needed to prove himself to his team to earn the starting job. After star goaltender Kevin Lalande moved on to professional hockey, Bulls head coach and general manager George Burnett needed to choose between Murphy and up-and-comer Edward Pasquale.

While Pasquale, Murphy's junior by one year, is regarded as one of the top young goaltenders in the league, it didn't take Burnett long to make his decision.

"Murph took the ball and ran with it after the first 10 or 12 games," he said. "It was tough not to have him in there every night."

Murphy's emergence gave Burnett the opportunity to add depth and experience to his roster by trading Pasquale for veterans Jan Mursak, Nigel Williams and Parker Van Buskirk in a December trade with the Saginaw Spirit.

"A lot of people were talking about Kevin Lalande moving on and the goaltending being a question mark (before the season)," Bulls defenceman P.K. Subban said. "Within a few games it definitely wasn't a question mark anymore and he solidified himself as the No. 1 here."

Murphy also has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the league. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Murphy leads the league in goals-against average and save percentage. He has even surprised himself.

"It's better than I expected, but I worked really hard off the ice in the summer," he said.

In addition to adding muscle over the summer, Murphy improved the technical aspects of his game with the team's goaltending consultant, Sebastien Farrese. Burnett said Murphy's dedication towards improving is a representation of his competitiveness.

"In practice, he gets angry when guys are scoring on him," Subban said. "Sometimes No. 1 goalies come to the rink and they don't think they have to perform hard and that's not Murph at all. He's there competing every practice and he's always working hard.

"When you look at his numbers the stats don't lie."

Neither does the team's success in the standings. Belleville has clinched the Eastern Conference title, guaranteeing home ice through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Although Murphy is more comfortable talking about team success, Subban and Burnett weren't shy when asked how much of their success is due to their goaltender.

"I can't remember the last time Murph had a bad game," Subban said. "It's definitely the case where he's making a good team great."

"We've had a good season in front of him but he's given us a chance to win every night," Burnett added.

As for their chances when the playoffs get started next week, Burnett is comfortable knowing he has one of the league's best in arguably the most important position.

"He's done nothing to give us any reason to believe he can't lead us to a long, deep run in the post-season," he said. "Every time he's been questioned, he has stepped up to the plate and raised his game."