Bulldogs drop game one to Griffins, 4-3
April 17, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release
Hamilton, ON - The Hamilton Bulldogs were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 on Friday night in front of 2,830 fans at Copps Coliseum. Darren McCarty had a goal and an assist to give the Griffins a 1-0 series lead over the Bulldogs.
Grand Rapids opened the game's scoring at 5:01 of the first period. Mattias Ritola fired a shot towards the net. McCarty deflected the puck past Hamilton starting goaltender Marc Denis.
The Bulldogs tied the game 1-1 at 5:59 of the opening stanza. Kyle Chipchura skated into the Griffins' zone on a 3-on-2 alongside Ryan Russell and J.T. Wyman. Chipchura received a pass from Russell before sending the puck to Wyman. Wyman blasted a shot that beat Grand Rapids starting goaltender Jimmy Howard.
The Griffins regained their lead at 6:50 of the first frame. McCarty grabbed a loose puck that was turned over by a Hamilton defenceman. McCarty fired a shot that was saved by Denis. The rebound bounced onto the stick of Joakim Andersson, who one-timed the puck into the net.
At 9:47 of the opening stanza Shawn Belle scored to tie the game 2-2. Brock Trotter fed a pass to David Desharnais but the puck bounced off Desharnais' skate and slid to the blue line. Shawn Belle proceeded to hammer a slapshot from the point that sailed past Howard and into the back of the net.
19 seconds into the third stanza Grand Rapids took a 3-2 lead. Ville Leino skated behind Hamilton's net before sending a pass to Justin Abdelkader who was stationed in front of the net. Abdelkader fired a one-time shot past Denis. Tom Galvin also earned an assist on the goal. The Griffins took a 4-2 lead at 13:06. Abdelkader skated down the left side before releasing a shot towards the net. Darren Haydar tipped the shot out of mid-air and past Denis.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to one goal at 18:08. Dan Jancevski blasted a shot towards the net that was deflected by Desharnais. The puck trickled past Howard and over the goal line. Mike Glumac also earned an assist on the goal.
The Bulldogs host Game 2 of their first round series against Grand Rapids tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. at Copps Coliseum. All home playoff games can be seen on Cable 14. Fans can listen to every âDogs game 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 âAHL Live' or âTALK 820' icons on the Bulldogs website. All post-season radio and online broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to each scheduled game-time.
Hamilton Bulldogs tickets for the American Hockey League's 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs are on sale now! Purchase your tickets at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at ticketmaster.ca, or through charge-by-phone at 905-527-7666.
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American Hockey League Stories from April 17, 2009
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