BRAMPTON, Ont. – Rookie goaltender Charlie Graham made 35 saves for his first Ontario Hockey League victory as the Belleville Bulls defeated the Brampton Battalion 3-2 Thursday night, handing the Troops their first regulation-time loss in 13 games.

Adam Payerl, Luke Judson and Joseph Cramarossa scored for Belleville, which snapped a five-game losing streak and moved its won-lost-extended record to 22-17-1 for 45 points, second in the East Division, one point ahead of the Peterborough Petes, who fell 2-1 to the visiting Kitchener Rangers.

Cramarossa scored what proved to be the winning goal at 6:38 of the second period when his centring pass from below the goal line in the right-wing corner deflected off Sam Carrick’s left skate and between Battalion goaltender Matej Machovsky’s legs, ending his night.

Barclay Goodrow and Patrik Machac scored for the Battalion, 23-11-7 for 53 points, first in the Central Division. The Troops had gone 9-0-3 since their last loss in regulation time, a 4-0 setback to the host Sudbury Wolves on Dec. 2.

Machovsky allowed three goals on six shots before being relieved by Keegan Wilson after Cramarossa’s goal made it 3-1. Wilson produced 20 saves the rest of the way before a crowd of 1,752.

“Our start was good,” said Battalion coach Stan Butler, whose charges have three losses in their last four games, including one in a shootout and one in overtime. “But the thing that disappointed me the most was the third period. We’re down 3-2, we’re in our own rink and we should have been a lot hungrier.

“Obviously, for timely scoring, we needed a goal there and we did have a couple of chances, but we didn’t take advantage of it.”

Said Butler: “I have to give Graham credit. The kid came in here and made all the saves he needed to make. I didn’t think we created a lot of traffic and, other than two or three guys, we didn’t put a lot of pressure on him.

“There are no easy games in this league. We’ve had to work hard to get where we are and, if we want to stay where we are, we’re going to have to work that much harder.”

Wilson bolted to the bench for a sixth attacker with 1:05 left, and the Troops stormed the Belleville net. Machac, at the top of the crease, redirected a Marcus McIvor point shot at 19:44, but the puck slid between Graham’s pads without reaching the goal line.

Machac pulled the Battalion within one with his ninth goal of the season at 16:36 of the second period, tipping the puck home from the crease after pressure in the slot. Philip Lane, who drew an assist on the goal with Brett Mackie, started the play by driving to the net from the right corner.

Wilson’s best save may have come in the first minute of the third period when he slid across to kick out a one-timer by Brendan Gaunce. Carrick fed Machac from the left wing on a two-on-one break, but Graham slid across to deny Machac’s one-timer with the left pad.

Goodrow opened the scoring at 5:22 of the first period, converting an odd-man rush with Ian Watters. Watters took the puck from defender Jason Shaw inside the Belleville zone and passed to Goodrow, who made a quick move to slide the disc between Graham’s legs.

The goal was Goodrow’s 19th, tying him with Carrick for the team lead.

Payerl replied at 9:31, surprising Machovsky with a wrister from the right circle after the puck was exchanged several times on the nearby boards.

Judson struck 1:10 later, deftly redirecting Jordan Mayer’s right-dot shot from the lip of the crease after Shaw’s original shot glanced off McIvor’s skate.

The Battalion scratched Spencer Abraham, Brandon Robinson and Andreas Tsogkas. Belleville scratches were Malcolm Subban, Adam Bignell, Mack Lemmon, who marked his 17th birthday, and Carter Sandlak.

The Battalion visits the Oshawa Generals at 7:35 p.m. Friday. The game can be seen live in Brampton on Rogers Cable 10 and in Bolton, Caledon and Orangeville on Rogers Cable 63.

BATTALION NOTEBOOK: The Battalion was 0-for-1 on the power play. Belleville went 0-for-2 … The Troops, whose previous loss at home was a 2-1 decision via shootout Dec. 1 to Kitchener, are 12-6-2 at the Powerade Centre. Belleville is 9-10-1 on the road … Graham, 16, played his third OHL game. He was a seventh-round choice in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection from the Don Mills Flyers minor midgets … Since a 4-2 Battalion win at Belleville on Jan. 1, the Bulls acquired forwards Cramarossa and Mayer in separate trades with the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Cramarossa joined Belleville on Jan. 4 for second-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 OHL Priority Selections, while Mayer was dealt Monday for a third-round choice in 2013 … Opening line combinations included Carrick centring left winger Watters and right winger Goodrow, Machac pivoting left winger Mackie and right winger Lane and Jamie Lewis skating between left winger Mitchell Porowski and right winger Matt MacLeod. Connor Jarvis centred left winger Alex O’Neil and Derek Froats on right wing … Froats, acquired in a trade Monday with the Kingston Frontenacs, played his first game with the Troops … McIvor returned after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain suffered in an off-ice workout … Carrick had a career-high 11-game points streak snapped. He registered nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points during the run … Lane and Payerl squared off in a spirited tilt at 1:48 of the second period, while Froats and Shaw fought four seconds after Machac’s goal … Battalion defenceman Jordan Auld and members of Brampton Hockey were honoured as Tim Hortons scholastic players of the month for December.