PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - Pat Daley had a goal and an assist to lead the Peterborough Petes to a 3-1 win over the Belleville Bulls in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday.
Daley broke a 1-1 tie 4:16 into the third period and Zack Kassian added insurance five minutes later as the Petes (16-21-0-2) snapped a four-game losing streak.
It was the Petes' first regular season win against the Bulls in 11 games dating back to Dec. 9, 2006.
Tony Romano's 20th goal of the year gave the Petes a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The win moved the Petes two points ahead of the Niagara IceDogs for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.
"We wanted to start the second half of the season off on the right foot," said Daley. "This was big, especially for the younger guys, to start the second half off on the right foot and get that confidence back."
Jason Missiaen turned in a solid 33-save effort for the Petes.
"Obviously, you want to start the second half with a win," said Missiaen, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick. "We're going on a road trip (Friday to Sudbury and Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie) and we wanted to start off with a win."
Shawn Lalonde had the lone goal of the second period for the Bulls (24-12-2-2). Mike Murphy made 31 saves in a losing cause.
Bulls coach/GM George Burnett said his club has played "just OK" in the absence of P.K. Subban and Eric Tangradi, who are playing for Canada and the United States, respectively, at the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.
"I don't point the fingers too often," Burnett said, "but we have some veteran guys who are playing like they are waiting for our guys to come back. They're not taking charge and making people better around them. I think that was the difference. We did a lot of standing around watching them skate."