Regardless of where the Belleville Bulls end up at the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup, they will leave a lasting impression.
KITCHENER, Ont. -- Just call the Belleville Bulls the 'Comeback Kids'.
Regardless of where they finish at the 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup, the Bulls will leave a lasting impression on hockey fans for their surprising and unforgettable ability to play catch-up.
Belleville twice erased three-goal deficits in the round robin of the tournament against the best the Canadian Hockey League has to offer. The Bulls lost their first come from behind game against the Spokane Chiefs in overtime, while using overtime as a springboard to their last victory on Wednesday over the host Kitchener Rangers.
"We don't plan to go down three goals and come back but when we do, we don't get that worried, we regroup," Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy said.
It might not be the plan but if the scenario plays itself out again, no one will be writing the Bulls off.
There are several reasons why the Bulls have demonstrated the ability to come out fighting when forced into a corner.
First off, as they have demonstrated in both games when trailing by three, confidence is important while they also love momentum. It was clear when the snowball got rolling, it quickly turned into an iceberg. One misplay at a blue line, like the one Rangers forward Mikkel Boedker had on the first goal by Shawn Matthias in Wednesday's win, was the turning point in the game.
However, all the momentum in the world wouldn't have brought them back if not for Murphy. The star goaltender, whose unorthodox style has been the talk of the tournament, is perhaps the biggest reason behind the Bulls success in the Memorial Cup.
Murphy, who was featured by Sportsnet.ca in March, wasn't given much chance on the goals he allowed while facing a barrage of shots. Bulls head coach and general manager George Burnett is thankful for his goaltender's stellar play but was hoping for a more well-rounded defensive effort from his team in Friday's semifinal.
"If we can do anything better it's take the load of Murph for Friday night and make sure he doesn't have to be as busy as he's been in the last two games," he said. "Murph was big and strong like he has been for us all year long for our hockey club. Without him, (Wednesday)'s game is over early. But he gives us that confidence to maybe crawl back in, like he did (Wednesday) and he deserves a lot of credit."
"These guys just keep on trying and we were able to battle back 3-3 and that gave me a lot of inspiration to keep the puck out of the net," Murphy said. "My job is to just keep going after (tying it at) three. Just shut the door because this team, we never stop."
And in doing so, Murphy has given his team the chance to not only get back into the games they trailed, but to keep the 'Comeback Kids' Memorial Cup dreams alive.
