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Bulldogs Best In The West Heading Into All-Star Break

January 18, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


The Hamilton Bulldogs (American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) will enter this season's all-star break as the top-ranked team in the Western Conference, and second overall in the AHL with 59 points in 44 games thus far this season. Bulldogs G Cedrick Desjardins and D P.K. Subban will take part in this week's festivities, with both players representing the Canadian All-Stars. Subban will be on the ice for the opening puck-drop, as the rookie d-man was voted as a starter for his squad. Following the mid-season talent showcase, the Bulldogs will play back-to-back road games against two North Division rivals. On Friday, January 22nd, Hamilton will travel to Rochester's Blue Cross Arena to take on the Americans (American Hockey League affiliate of the Florida Panthers) at 7:05 pm. One night later on Saturday, January 23rd, the 'Dogs will take on the Toronto Marlies (American Hockey League affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) at Ricoh Coliseum for a 7:00 pm matchup.

Last week, the Bulldogs managed to salvage a point in three straight losses. Hamilton began the week by falling to the Lake Erie Monsters (American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche) 5-3 on Wednesday, January 13th at Copps Coliseum. The 'Dogs then hosted the Rochester Americans on Friday, January 15th in a goal-filled affair that saw the Amerks stomp-out the Bulldogs' late-game comeback attempt, winning 6-5 after Jeff Taffe scored the shootout game winner. Hamilton then travelled to Grand Rapids one night later on Saturday, January 16th for a meeting with the Griffins (American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings). The Bulldogs' offense could generate only a single tally, resulting in a 3-1 defeat.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 3 vs. LAKE ERIE MONSTERS 5

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Ben Maxwell, Andre Benoit, Ryan White

Lake Erie Goals: Mike Bartlett, Matthew Ford (2)*, Brian Willsie, T.J. Hensick**

Goaltending: Hamilton - Curtis Sanford (L, 22 shots, 18 saves) / Lake Erie - Tyler Weiman (W - 44 shots, 41 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 1-4 / Lake Erie 3-4

Attendance: 2,144

* - Scored one Empty Net goal

** - Game Winner

Friday, January 15th, 2010 - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 5 vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS 6 (SO)

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Brock Trotter (2), Mathieu Darche, Ben Maxwell, Mike Glumac

Rochester Goals: Jeff Taffe*, Mike Duco, Clay Wilson, Michal Repik, Shawn Matthias

Goaltending: Hamilton - Cedrick Desjardins (L, 37 shots, 32 saves) / Rochester - Alexander Salak (W, 32 shots, 27 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 1-3 / Rochester 2-4

Attendance: 7,120

*- Scored in regulation, as well as shootout game-winner

Saturday, January 16th, 2010 - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 1 vs. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3

Copps Coliseum -Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Ryan White

Grand Rapids Goals: Tomas Tatar, Francis Pare*, Cory Emmerton (EN)

Goaltending: Hamilton - Curtis Sanford (L, 24 shots, 22 saves) / Grand Rapids - Daniel Larsson (W, 40 shots, 39 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 0-4 / Grand Rapids 0-2

Attendance: 6,859

*- Game Winner

NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS:

(As of Monday, January 18th)

Rank Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT GF GA

1. Hamilton Bulldogs 44 26 11 3 4 59 .670 140 102

2. Rochester Americans 42 25 15 2 0 52 .619 138 129

3. Manitoba Moose 45 23 17 4 1 51 .567 108 123

4. Abbotsford Heat 45 21 18 3 3 48 .533 121 127

5. Lake Erie Monsters 44 20 20 0 4 44 .500 127 131

6. Grand Rapids Griffins 43 21 21 0 1 43 .500 137 144

7. Toronto Marlies 42 15 20 5 2 37 .440 103 151

BULLDOGS NOTES:

- Bulldogs D Yannick Weber has been named to Switzerland's Men's Ice Hockey Team for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

- G Cedrick Desjardins and D P.K. Subban will take part in the 2010 AHL All-Star Game representing the Canadian All-Stars, with Subban being voted as a starter for the squad.

- The Bulldogs earned their 500th regular season victory with a 3-0 win over the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday, November 28th.

- Hamilton's 59 points are currently five more than any other team in the Western Conference.

- The 'Dogs have the second-lowest number of regulation losses in the league, having suffered defeat just 11 times when overtime or a shootout was not necessary.

- Hamilton's 0.670 points percentage is currently second best in the AHL.

- Bulldogs C David Desharnais is currently riding a five-game point streak that has seen the Quebec native dish out eight assists for eight total points. Desharnais is currently tied for 3rd in the AHL with five game winning goals, and tied for 13th in the AHL with six power play goals. Desharnais is currently the 'Dogs second-leading scorer and ranks 15th in the AHL with 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points in just 30 games played this season.

- Hamilton's AHL Canadian All-Star G Cedrick Desjardins was recently named the AHL's Goalie of the Month for his stellar play throughout December. Desjardins won all eight games he appeared in, posting three shutouts to go along with a 1.16 GAA and a 0.949 SV% for the month. He also managed to set a Bulldogs franchise record in December for individual shutout streak. Desjardins went 212 minutes and 37 seconds without letting a single puck get past him. The New Brunswick native now boasts the 2nd-best goals against average in the league at 1.81 (best among goalies with over 1,000 minutes played), the 5th-best save percentage at 0.929 (3rd-best among goalies with over 1,000 minutes played), and leads the league with five shutouts on the year. Desjardins is also tied for 5th in the league with 17 wins on the year.

- Bulldogs C Brock Trotter tied a career-high by scoring four points in the Bulldogs' latest triumph, a 5-2 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, January 9th. Trotter potted his first-career hat trick and added an assist to lead the Bulldogs to their fourth straight victory. The Brandon, Manitoba native is currently on a six-game point streak during which Trotter has scored seven goals and five assists for 12 points. Overall, Trotter currently leads the 'Dogs in goals (18), is tied for the team lead in assists (24), and leads the squad with 42 points, which also puts him in a tie for sixth in the AHL's scoring race. Trotter is also second on the Bulldogs, and tied for 10th in the league with a +17 rating thus far this season.

- Bulldogs rookie D P.K. Subban is currently tied for 6th among all AHL defensemen and tied for 1st among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring with nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 43 games played this season. Subban's nine goals put him in a tie for the second-most in the league by a defenseman. The Rexdale, Ontario native also sits in a tie for 2nd in the league with a +22 rating.

- 'Dogs LW Mathieu Darche is currently tied for 6th in the league with four game winning goals, and tied for 8th in the AHL with 127 shots on net this season.

- Hamilton D Andre Benoit and C Ben Maxwell are both currently tied for 13th in the league with 12 power play assists apiece thus far this season.

UPCOMING GAMES:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22ND - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ ROCHESTER AMERICANS

7:05 PM EST - BLUE CROSS ARENA - ROCHESTER, NY

- This will be the seventh of ten meetings between the North Division rivals this season

- In their last meeting on January 15th, the Bulldogs and the Americans gave the 7,120 fans at Copps Coliseum a night to remember, scoring a combined 10 goals in regulation, with the visitors taking a 6-5 decision on Jeff Taffe's shootout game-winner

- Overall, the Dogs are 2-3-0-1 against Rochester thus far this season

- The Americans currently occupy the second spot in the North division with a 25-15-2-0 record and 52 points, seven points behind the first-place Bulldogs

- In 2008-2009, Hamilton earned a 5-3-0-0 record in eight games against the Americans, with two of the five Bulldogs victories coming after a shootout.

- The Bulldogs' all-time record against the Amerks currently sits at 54-63-7-0-3

- C Jamie Johnson (17-21-38) is leading the Rochester attack with 17 goals and 21 assists in 40 games played this year

- There are a total of seven Ontario natives on the Americans roster: C Chris Taylor (Stratford), LW Michael Duco (Toronto), C Shawn Matthias (Mississauga), D Michael Caruso (Mississauga), D Peter Aston (Toronto), D John de Gray (Richmond Hill), and C Jamie Johnson (Port Franks)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23RD - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ TORONTO MARLIES

7:00 PM EST - RICOH COLISEUM - TORONTO, ON

- This game will mark the fifth of twelve meetings between the North Division rivals this season

- The Bulldogs and Marlies last faced-off against each other over the Holidays, with the hometown 'Dogs giving their fans a late Christmas present, defeating the visiting Marlies 5-2 in front of 7,619 fans at Copps Coliseum

- The Marlies are currently in last place in the North Division and 22 points behind the 1st-place Bulldogs, as the Baby Buds are sporting a 15-20-5-2 record, good enough for 37 points

- The Marlies are currently on a seven game losing skid

- Last season, the Bulldogs finished with a 7-3-2-0 record against Toronto

- The Bulldogs all-time record against the Marlies currently sits at 23-21-0-5-3

- RW Andre Deveaux (10-15-25) is currently pacing the Marlies' attack, with 10 goals and 15 assists in 40 games played thus far this season

- There are five Ontario natives currently listed on the Marlies roster: LW Ryan Hamilton (Oshawa), RW Richard Greenop (Bowmanville), D Phil Oreskovic (North York), D Todd Perry (Ingleside), and G Andrew Engelage (Oshawa)

ALUMNI WATCH:

There are more than 40 former Bulldogs on 2009-2010 National Hockey League rosters. Over 60 percent of all former 'Dogs have played in at least one NHL game. Here are a few highlights and accomplishments of ex-'Dogs from this past week:

- The Hamilton Bulldogs would like to congratulate the 10 alumni who have been named to Olympic rosters for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Forwards Mikhail Grabovski, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Sergei Kostitsyn will represent Belerus. D Jan Hejda and C Tomas Plekanec will suit up for the Czech Republic. Minnesota Wild F Antti Miettinen will wear the blue and white for Team Finland. G Jaroslav Halak and F Marcel Hossa will wear their national colours for Slovakia. Stalwart D Mike Komisarek and Vezina Trophy winner G Tim Thomas will take to the ice for the United States.

- Montreal Canadiens C Tomas Plekanec earned two points this week, scoring a goal against the Senators (Jan. 16) and an assist versus the Rangers (Jan. 17)

- Boston Bruins RW Michael Ryder posted an assist against Anaheim (Jan. 13) and recorded a goal in Los Angeles (Jan. 16)

- Dallas LW Steve Ott potted three goals, two against Philadelphia (Jan. 12) and one versus Montreal (Jan. 14)

- Columbus RW Raffi Torres posted a goal against Chicago (Jan. 16)

- Washington LW Jason Chimera recorded four assists in four games, an assist in Tampa Bay (Jan. 12), a goal and an assist in Florida (Jan. 13) and an assist versus Toronto (Jan. 15)

- Minnesota RW Antti Miettinen had a three point night recording two goals, including the game-winner, and one assist versus Vancouver (Jan. 13)

TUNE IN TO EVERY GAME ON THE HAMILTON BULLDOGS HOCKEY NETWORK AND CABLE 14:

Fans can listen to every 'Dogs game this season on the flagship station of the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network, 'TALK 820'. Fans can also listen or watch at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com by clicking on the 'AHL Live' or 'TALK 820' icon on the Bulldogs website. All regular-season radio and online broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to each scheduled game-time. Ellery Award-winning broadcaster Derek Wills calls the play-by-play of all 80 regular season games, while Al Craig provides the colour commentary for all home games and select road games.

In addition Cable 14 will air live broadcasts 13 of club's 38 home games at Copps Coliseum. In a joint venture with Mohawk College, Cable 14 will also broadcast the 25 Hamilton Bulldogs' home games not being shown live in their entirety as 'Dogs-in-an-Hour at 11:00 p.m. on the night of the game.

Cable 14 will also carry Rogers Television's live coverage of six Hamilton Bulldogs versus Toronto Marlies games at Ricoh Coliseum.

For a full listing of all the games broadcast on Cable 14 follow this link: http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/page/broadcast_1019#Live%20Broadcast%20Schedule

GET YOUR TICKETS!:

Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, flex tickets, min pack tickets, group tickets and tickets are now on sale! Individual game tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office (in-person sales only), all Ticketmaster outlets and online at ticketmaster.ca or call 905-527-7666. For information on season tickets, flex tickets, mini pack tickets and group tickets visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or call (905) 529-8500 or 1-866-364-7849.

GET YOUR BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE AT THE "DAWG HOUSE":

Fans can purchase Bulldogs merchandise during all home games at the "Dawg House" store located behind section 114 on the concourse level at Copps Coliseum.

In the store, fans can find hats, t-shirts, jackets, replica jerseys, foam fingers, foam 'Bone Heads', and other select novelty items for sale.

BULLDOGS GAMES THIS WEEK:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22ND - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ ROCHESTER AMERICANS

7:05 PM EST - BLUE CROSS ARENA - ROCHESTER, NY

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23RD - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ TORONTO MARLIES

7:00 PM EST - RICOH COLISEUM - TORONTO, ON

MOLSON CUP - THREE STAR LEADERS:

(1st Star - 5pts, 2nd Star - 3pts, 3rd Star - 1pt)

Player : Points :

1. Cedrick Desjardins 40

2. David Desharnais 27

3. Brock Trotter 26

4. Mathieu Darche 25

5. Curtis Sanford 18

6. Ryan White 12

7. P.K. Subban 11

7. Tom Pyatt 11

7. Mike Glumac 11

10. Ben Maxwell 10

11. Sergei Kostitsyn 9

12. Mathieu Carle 5

12. Ryan Russell 5

14. J.T. Wyman 4

15. Grant Stevenson 3

15. Benoit Pouliot 3

17. Greg Stewart 2

18. Andrew Conboy 1

18. Mikael Johansson 1

18. Andre Benoit 1

FLAMBORO DOWNS WORKHORSE OF THE GAME LEADERS:

(10 pts. - Hardest working Hamilton Bulldogs player)

Player: Points:

1. David Desharnais 60

2. Brock Trotter 50

3. Yannick Weber 40

4. Andre Benoit 30

4. P.K. Subban 30

6. Tom Pyatt 20

6. J.T. Wyman 20

6. Alex Henry 20

6. Ryan White 20

6. Mike Glumac 20

6. Ben Maxwell 20

12. Marc-Andre Bergeron 10

12. Cedrick Desjardins 10

12. Shawn Belle 10

12. Mathieu Darche 10

12. Curtis Sanford 10

12. Chad Anderson 10

12. Ryan Russell 10

12. Mathieu Carle 10

12. Andrew Conboy 10

12. Grant Stevenson 10

12. Eric Neilson 10

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