Bulldogs win first division title
February 28, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
With their 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms at Copps Coliseum on Friday night, the Hamilton Bulldogs have clinched the American Hockey League's 2002-03 Canadian Division championship, the first division title in franchise history.
The Bulldogs, at 44-10-6-4 (98 pts.), have an insurmountable 35-point lead over second-place Manitoba in the Canadian Division, with five weeks remaining in the regular season. Hamilton is the top development team for the NHL's Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
Hamilton's roster has been stocked all season with some of the brightest young players in the game, including recent first-round draft picks Mike Komisarek, Ron Hainsey, Marcel Hossa, Jani Rita and league-leading scorer Jason Ward.
The Bulldogs were 33-6-3-3 under head coach Claude Julien before he was promoted to the head coaching position in Montreal on Jan. 17. The Bulldogs have gone 11-4-3-1 under his replacement, Geoff Ward.
For winning the Canadian Division, the Bulldogs will be awarded the Sam Pollock Trophy. Hockey Hall of Famer Sam Pollock won nine Stanley Cups as an executive with the Montreal Canadiens, and was instrumental in returning the AHL to Canada during the 1970s.
American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2003
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