Bulldogs Bite Americans 7-3 in Comeback Victory
Published on February 19, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release
ROCHESTER, NY - The Hamilton Bulldogs shot 48 times to win their third game in three nights, a 7-3 comeback victory against the Rochester Americans, to inch the team to within four points of a Calder Cup playoffs spot.
The Americans took the lead at 4:50 into the first period when Corey Topp joined Phil Varone in a 2-on-1 rush after exiting the penalty box to score his fifth of the season. Then, Paul Szczechura took advantage of Bulldogs goaltender Nathan Lawson's rebound from Shaone Morrisonn's clearing shot to make it 2-0 Amerks.
The Bulldogs cut Rochester's lead to one at 4:59 into the second period. Ian Schultz snapped a 7-game goalless streak by capitalizing on a bouncy Philip DeSimone rebound to beat Americans netminder Drew MacIntyre. A double effort by Blake Geoffrion on the power play led to Andreas Engqvist's team-leading 16th goal of the season at 9:39 in the second stanza. Joonas Nattinen scored a third unanswered goal for Hamilton on the power play with 1:03 left to play in the period. After 40 minutes, the 'Dogs led the Amerks 29-24 in shots, with Rochester registering only 4 shots this period. The Bulldogs' 22 shots were the most tallied in any period this season for the visiting team.
Just 1:26 in the third period, Eric Lampe scored his first goal as a Bulldog and first AHL goal of the season following a breakaway pass by T.J. Fast, giving the 'Dogs a 4-2 lead. Then, Garrett Stafford scored his seventh of the season, going top-shelf on MacIntyre on a 5-on-3 power play at 8:14 into the third stanza. Lawson earned an assist on the 'Dogs' fifth unanswered goal of the game. Then 18 seconds later, Alain Berger scored his first goal as a Bulldog and as a professional hockey player to make it 6-2 for Hamilton. Derek Whitmore retaliated for the Amerks, sneaking T.J. Brennan's crossbar shot past the goal-line to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 6-3. Then, with over three minutes left in the game, and Amerks netminder MacIntyre on the bench, Philip DeSimone scored his second empty-net goal in as many games to finalize the 'Dogs 7-3 win. Hamilton overtook Rochester 48-30 on the shot clock, helping Lawson earn his season-high fourth consecutive win.
The Bulldogs' next game will take place on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, when they face the Grand Rapids Griffins at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena. The 'Dogs will then travel to Montreal to take on the St. John's IceCaps in a home game at the Bell Centre on Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. All Hamilton Bulldogs games can be heard live on AM 820 CHAM or on hamiltonbulldogs.com, or seen live on ahllive.com beginning with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Single game tickets for the 2011-2012 season are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at ticketmaster.ca or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.
American Hockey League Stories from February 19, 2012
- Second Period Hurts Binghamton as They Fall 4-2 to Albany - Binghamton Senators
- Falcons Hockey, Sled Hockey and Booster Pizza Party Fill Busy Sunday at the Nest - Springfield Falcons
- Amerks Fall to Bulldogs at Home, 7-3 - Rochester Americans
- Landry Provides Heroics in Sound Tigers 2-1 Shootout - Bridgeport Islanders
- Bulldogs Bite Americans 7-3 in Comeback Victory - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Rampage Blank Barons 1-0 - San Antonio Rampage
- Wolves Score 6-3 Win over Charlotte - Chicago Wolves
- The Phantom Menace - Manchester Monarchs
- P-Bruins Defeat Whale 4-3 - Providence Bruins
- Devils Best Binghamton 4-2 - Albany Devils
- Sound Tigers Slide Past Bears in Shootout - Hershey Bears
- Built Ford Tough Phantoms Win 5-2 - Adirondack Phantoms
- Well Worth the Wait - Worcester Sharks
- Chicago Keeps Heat on Checkers - Charlotte Checkers
- Camper, Bruins Top Whale 4-3 - Connecticut Whale
- Flames Assign Irving & Recall Karlsson - Abbotsford Heat
- Capitals Assign Keith Aucoin to Hershey - Hershey Bears
- Falcons Host Sharks at 3 Pm on Sunday - Springfield Falcons
- Aeros fall 4-1 - Houston Aeros
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
