Bulldogs Edge Crunch in Shootout

March 15, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Hamilton Bulldogs forward Mike Blunden was the 18th shooter in the shootout, but the only one to score as the 'Dogs (26-29-1-4) overcame a 1-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Syracuse Crunch (24-26-4-6) 2-1 on Saturday evening at War Memorial at Oncenter in Syracuse, New York.

After a scoreless first period, Bulldogs forward Sven Andrighetto had the best scoring opportunity of the middle frame for either team when he intercepted a Crunch pass at the defensive zone blue line, skated into the offensive zone and rung one off the goal post with just over eight minutes to go in the period.

At 5:21 of the third period, with the game still scoreless, Hamilton goaltender Robert Mayer threw his stick toward Syracuse puckhandler Yanni Gourde, which earned the Crunch a penalty shot. With a chance for Syracuse to take a 1-0 lead, Gourde was stopped on the penalty shot opportunity by Mayer.

Less than two minutes later, Crunch forward Vladislav Namestnikov chipped a puck in front to forward Brett Connolly, who snapped it past Mayer to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead.

Just past the halfway point of the third period, Bulldogs defenceman Morgan Ellis fired a shot from the point, which was stopped by Crunch goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis, but forward Louis Leblanc tapped home the rebound in front to tie the game 1-1.

The two teams went scoreless through the rest of regulation and overtime, forcing a shootout. In the shootout, the first 17 skaters were either stopped or missed the net before Blunden buried one to win it for the 'Dogs, 2-1.

Mayer made 31 saves on 32 shots through regulation and overtime, then stopped all nine shots he faced in the shootout to win the goalie duel. Gudlevskis made 28 saves on 29 shots, then stopped eight of nine shots in the shootout for the Crunch in the loss.

Hamilton went 0-for-6 on the power play, while Syracuse went 0-for-3.

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No scoring

2nd Period:

No scoring

3rd Period:

1. SYR - Brett Connolly - 15 - (Vladislav Namestnikov) - 6:42

2. HAM - Louis Leblanc - 12 - (Morgan Ellis) - 10:36

Overtime:

No scoring

Shootout:

SYR - Brett Connolly - NG

HAM - Sven Andrighetto - NG

SYR - Yanni Gourde - NG

HAM - Gabriel Dumont - NG

SYR - Jonathan Marchessault - NG

HAM - Christian Thomas - NG

SYR - Evan Rankin - NG

HAM - Nathan Beaulieu - NG

SYR - Vladislav Namestnikov - NG

HAM - Martin St. Pierre - NG

SYR - Jon DiSalvatore - NG

HAM - Louis Leblanc - NG

SYR - Mike Angelidis - NG

HAM - Patrick Holland - NG

SYR - Philippe Paradis - NG

HAM - Maxime Macenauer - NG

SYR - Jordan Henry - NG

HAM - Mike Blunden - G

Scoring:

Hamilton : 0-0-1-0-1

Syracuse: 0-0-1-0-0

Shots:

Hamilton : 9-9-7-4-1--30

Syracuse : 9 -11-10-2-0--32

Goaltending:

Hamilton : Robert Mayer (W - 32 shots, 31 saves)

Syracuse : Kristers Gudlevskis (SOL - 29 shots, 28 saves)

Power Play:

Hamilton: 0-for-6

Syracuse: 0-for-3

Attendance: 5,216

Three Stars:

1. HAM - Robert Mayer (31 saves)

2. SYR - Kristers Gudlevskis (28 saves)

3. HAM - Mike Blunden (Shootout-winning goal)

Dan Lawrie Insurance Premium Player of the Game: Mike Blunden

Hamilton's next game is scheduled for Sunday, March 16th when the 'Dogs will visit the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) at Ricoh Coliseum at 3:00 p.m. The Bulldogs return to FirstOntario Centre on Wednesday, March 19th, when they will host the Abbotsford Heat (AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames) at 7:30 p.m.

Hamilton Bulldogs flex tickets, group tickets and 2014-2015 season tickets are on sale now. Starting as low as $140 for a 10-ticket flex pack, we have great packages available for you to enjoy more Hockey Unleashed! For more information, call 1-866-DOGS-TIX or visit hamiltonbulldogs.com. Single-game tickets are available at the FirstOntario Centre Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 1-866-DOGS-TIX or 905-529-8500.

Listen to all Bulldogs regular season and post-season games live on Hamilton's AM 900 CHML, on www.900chml.com or watch live on www.ahllive.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2014


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