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'Dogs look to clinch playoff berth this week

April 2, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


The Hamilton Bulldogs' (American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) magic number to clinch a playoff berth in the AHL's North Division is down to three points. The Bulldogs will look to cut into that number on Thursday, April 5th at Copps Coliseum when they host the Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets) at 7:30 p.m. After the game the 'Dogs will pack up and head to the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester to take on the Americans (AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers) the next night (Friday, April 6th) at 7:35 p.m. Then on Saturday, April 7th, Hamilton will travel to the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto for a tilt with the Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) at 7:00 p.m.

Hamilton posted a 2-1-0-0 record in three games at Copps Coliseum last week. The Bulldogs opened the week with two wins on Friday against the Grand Rapids Griffins (4-1) and on Saturday versus the Rochester Americans (7-4) before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Toronto Marlies on Sunday afternoon.

With 88 points in 73 games and a record of 40-25-3-5 this season, the Hamilton Bulldogs are currently in second place in the North Division standings, eight points behind the division leading Manitoba Moose (96 points in 75 games) and a single point ahead of the third place Rochester Americans (87 points in 62 games).

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Friday, March 30th - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 1 @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS 4

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Michael Lambert (11), Ajay Baines (12) Dan Jancevski (5), Kyle Chipchura (11)

Grand Rapids Goal: Darryl Bootland (18)

Goaltending: Hamilton - Yann Danis (W - 26 shots, 25 saves) / Grand Rapids - Jimmy Howard (L - 44 shots, 40 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 1-8 / Grand Rapids 0-7

Attendance: 6,579

Saturday, March 31st - ROCHESTER AMERICANS 4 @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS 7

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Jonathan Ferland - 2 (21), Mikhail Grabovski (17), Mathieu Biron (10), Ajay Baines (12), Kyle Chipchura (12), Eric Manlow (3)

Rochester Goals: Marek Zagrapan (17), Stefan Meyer (13), Drew Larman (16), Rob Globke (6)

Goaltending: Hamilton - Yann Danis (W - 18 shots, 14 saves) / Rochester - David Shantz (L - 38 shots, 31 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 3-6 / Rochester 2-3

Attendance: 5,387

Sunday, April 1st - TORONTO MARLIES 4 @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS 1

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Corey Locke (19)

Toronto Goals: Alex Foster - 2 (8), Staffan Kronwall (2), Brett Engelhardt (23)

Goaltending: Hamilton - Philippe Sauve (L - 25 shots, 22 saves) - Yann Danis (8 shots, 7 saves)/ Toronto - Justin Pogge (W - 21 shots, 20 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 0-7 / Toronto 3-7

Attendance: 8,393

AHL Standings

PLAYER TRANSACTIONS:

- D Jon Gleed was reassigned by Hamilton (AHL) to Cincinnati (ECHL) on Monday, March 26th

BULLDOGS NOTES:

- With a win over Rochester on Saturday night, the Bulldogs closed out the month of March with a record of 6-3-1-2 in 12 games

- LW Troy Bodie collected his first-career AHL point, an assist, on Friday night versus Grand Rapids

- C Corey Locke registered his 150th career AHL point on Friday night against Grand Rapids and reached 100 career assists on his second of two helpers in Saturday's game versus Rochester. Locke, who now has 53 goals and 100 assists in 228 career AHL games, is also on a three-game point streak (Mar. 30-Apr.1) with four points (1-3-4) in that span

- C Mikhail Grabovski (17-37-54) posted a goal and an assist on Saturday night and is now tied with RW Duncan Milroy (23-31-54) for the team lead in points with 54. Milroy has missed the Bulldogs last nine games (Mar. 11-Apr. 1) due to injury

- G Yann Danis picked up his 20th and 21st wins of the season on the weekend and is now tied for 11th overall in the AHL in wins

- D Mathieu Biron is 7th among defenceman in AHL scoring with 38 points (10-28-38)

- C Kyle Chipchura tied a team-high with his fifth game-winning goal of the season on March 31st against the Amerks. RW Matt D'Agostini also has five game-winning goals this season

- D Dan Jancevski is tied for 10th in the AHL with a plus-20 rating in 73 games this season

UPCOMING GAMES:

THURSDAY, APRIL 5th - SYRACUSE CRUNCH @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS - 7:30 P.M - COPPS COLISEUM

- This will be the eighth and final meeting between the Bulldogs and Crunch this season

- Hamilton has a winning record of 4-3-0-0 against Syracuse in the 2006-07 campaign

- The Bulldogs are 38-28-11-1-1 in 79 all-time contests against the Crunch

- Syracuse has a road record of 12-20-0-5 this season

- Matt D'Agostini (8-3-11) and Corey Locke (3-8-11) lead Hamilton's attack against Syracuse through seven games this season with 11 points each

- In 74 games, Syracuse has a record of 30-33-3-8, good enough for 71 points and 5th place in the North Division

- C Zenon Konopka is Syracuse's leading scorer with 55 points (20-35-55) in 62 games and is third in the AHL with a plus-25 rating

- D Filip Novak has 24 power play assists in 65 games, placing him 4th overall in the AHL

- C Darcy Verot is ninth in the AHL with 203 penalty minutes

- The Crunch are 2-2-0-1 in their last five games and 6-2-1-1 in their last 10 games

- There are two Ontario natives on the Syracuse roster: LW Jeffrey Szwez (Etobicoke), C Zenon Konopka (Niagara Falls)

FRIDAY, APRIL 6th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ ROCHESTER AMERICANS - 7:35 P.M - BLUE CROSS ARENA

- This will be the ninth of 10 meetings between the 'Dogs and Amerks this season

- Hamilton has a winning record of 5-3-0-0 against Rochester in the 2006-07 campaign

- The Bulldogs are 44-52-7-0-1 in 104 all-time contests against the Americans

- The 'Dogs sport a road record of 17-13-2-4

- The Amerks are 22-13-1-0 at the Blue Cross Arena

- Jonathan Ferland leads Hamilton's attack against Rochester through eight games this season with 11 points (7-4-11)

- Mark Mancari leads Rochester against Hamilton this season with nine points (2-7-9) in seven games

- In 73 games, Rochester has a record of 43-29-1-0, good enough for 87 points and 3rd place in the North Division

- After Clarke MacArthur (recalled by the Buffalo Sabres on February 27th) and Janis Sprukts (recalled by Florida Panthers on March 26th) were summoned by their respective NHL clubs, Mark Mancari became Rochester's leading scorer with 53 points (21-32-53) in 57 games this season

- Marek Zagrapan has scored the first goal of a game six times which ties him for 8th in the AHL

- Brandon Smith is fourth among AHL defensemen in scoring with 41 points (9-32-41)

- The Amerks are 2-3-0-0 in their last five games and 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 contests

- There are six Ontario natives on the Rochester roster: D Mike Card (Kitchener), G Adam Dennis (Toronto), RW Greg Jacina (Guelph), RW Mark Mancari (London), G David Shantz (Hamilton), D Jeremy Swanson (Red Rock)

- Rochester General Manager Jody Gage played for the Hamilton Fincups (1977-78)

SATURDAY, APRIL 7th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ TORONTO MARLIES - 7:00 P.M - RICOH COLISEUM

- This will be the 12th and final meeting between the Bulldogs and the Marlies this season

- Hamilton has a winning record of 5-4-1-1 against Toronto in the 2006-07 campaign

- The Bulldogs are 10-10-0-1-2 in 23 all-time contests against the Marlies

- Erik Westrum leads the Baby Leafs attack with 57 points (23-34-57) in 69 games this season

- Duncan Milroy leads the Bulldogs against the Marlies with 10 points (4-6-10) in eight games

- Marlies LW Colin Murphy has 12 points against the 'Dogs this season (3-9-12) in 11 games

- In 73 games this season, Toronto has a record of 31-36-2-4, and sit in last place the North Division

- The Baby Leafs have a record of 14-20-2-1 at home this season

- The Marlies are 4-1-0-0 in their last five games and 7-3-0-0 in the last 10

- There are three Ontario natives on the Toronto roster: C John Mitchell (Waterloo), D Marc Moro (Toronto) and D Jay Harrison (Oshawa)

- Marlies Assistant Coach Joe Paterson was an assistant coach for the Hamilton Bulldogs during the 2002-03 season

ALUMNI WATCH:

There are 60 former Bulldogs who have participated in at least one game in the National Hockey League this season. 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:

- Montreal G Jaroslav Halak (9-5-0) has won six of his last seven starts and was named the game's third star twice last week with 28 saves vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) in a 6-4 win, and 22 saves vs. Buffalo (Mar. 31) in a 4-3 decision over G Ty Conklin (3-4-2)

- Montreal C Maxim Lapierre (6-6-12) had a goal vs. Buffalo (Mar. 31) in a 4-3 win, and an assist vs. Ottawa (Mar. 30) in a 5-2 loss

- Montreal LW Andrei Kostitsyn (1-10-11) had an assist vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) that gave him a season-high five-game point streak in a 6-4 win

- Edmonton D Mathieu Roy (2-0-2) had a goal vs. St. Louis (Mar. 29) in a 5-2 loss

- Dallas C Mike Ribeiro (17-39-56) had the game-winning goal and was named the game's first star vs. Phoenix (Mar. 27) in a 6-0 win, and had a goal and an assist while being named the game's second star vs. Detroit (Mar. 30) in a 4-3 shootout win

- Montreal RW Michael Ryder (27-27-54) had a goal vs. Buffalo (Mar. 31) in a 4-3 win, and a goal and an assist vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) in a 6-4 win

- Detroit RW Daniel Cleary (20-18-38) had an assist vs. Dallas (Mar. 30) in a 4-3 shootout loss, and an assist vs. Columbus (Apr. 1) in a 4-1 win

- Edmonton C Shawn Horcoff (16-35-51) had a pair of assists vs. St. Louis (Mar. 29) in a 5-2 loss, and an assist vs. Nashville (Mar. 27) in a 4-3 loss

- Islanders' D Marc-Andre Bergeron (14-29-43) had a goal vs. Ottawa (Mar. 31) in a 5-2 loss, and an assist vs. Buffalo (Mar. 30) in a 6-4 loss

- Columbus D Ron Hainsey (9-24-33) had a goal and an assist while being named the game's third star vs. St. Louis (Mar. 27) in a 4-1 win

- Toronto C Boyd Devereaux (8-9-17) had a goal vs. Carolina (Mar. 27) in a 6-1 win, and a goal vs. the Rangers (Apr. 1) in a 7-2 loss

- Edmonton LW Raffi Torres (15-19-34) had the lone goal vs. Chicago (Apr. 1) in a 2-1 loss

- Atlanta D Greg de Vries (3-21-24) had a goal vs. Boston (Mar. 31) in a 3-2 win

- Tampa Bay RW Jason Ward (7-10-17) had a goal vs. Washington (Mar. 31) in a 5-2 win, and an assist vs. Florida (Mar. 27) in a 5-2 loss

- Montreal LW Steve Begin (5-5-10) had a goal vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) in a 6-4 win, and an assist vs. Ottawa (Mar. 30) in a 5-2 loss

- Columbus LW Jason Chimera (14-19-33) had the lone goal vs. Chicago (Mar. 30) in a 3-1 loss

- Toronto LW Chad Kilger (14-14-28) had a pair of goals vs. Carolina (Mar. 27) in a 6-1 win, and a goal vs. Pittsburgh (Mar. 31) in a 5-4 overtime win

- Anaheim D Francois Beauchemin (7-20-27) had a goal and an assist vs. Columbus (Mar. 29) in a 5-2 win

- Montreal C Tomas Plekanec (20-27-47) hit the 20-goal plateau for the first time with a goal vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) in a 6-4 win

- Dallas RW Antti Miettinen (11-14-25) had a pair of assists vs. Phoenix (Mar. 27) in a 6-0 win, and an assist vs. Nashville (Mar. 31) in a 4-2 win

- Dallas D Trevor Daley (4-8-12) had an assist on the game-tying goal vs. Detroit (Mar. 30) in a 4-3 shootout win

- Pittsburgh RW Georges Laraque (5-19-24) had an assist vs. Washington (Mar. 27) in a 4-3 win

- Vancouver D Rory Fitzpatrick (1-6-7) had an assist vs. Colorado (Mar. 27) in a 3-0 win

- Montreal D Mike Komisarek (4-14-18) had an assist vs. the Rangers (Mar. 27) in a 6-4 win

- Edmonton RW Fernando Pisani (14-13-27) had an assist vs. Nashville (Mar. 27) in a 4-3 loss

- Montreal D Francis Bouillon (3-11-14) had an assist vs. Buffalo (Mar. 31) in a 4-3 win and teammate Chris Higgins (20-15-35) was named the game's first star

- Edmonton C Marc-Antoine Pouliot (4-7-11) had an assist vs. Chicago (Apr. 1) in a 2-1 loss

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

Fans can listen to every 'Dogs game this season on the flagship station of the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network, 820 CHAM "The Legend." Fans can also listen to or watch every home and away game online at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com. To watch or listen online, click on the 'B2 Networks' or '820 CHAM' icon on the 'Dogs website. 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.

"B2 Power Play" packages are now available for purchase. They provide fans with a chance to watch every game of their favourite team, free access to the AHL Game of the Week and exclusive weekly highlights. And in addition to broadband viewing on personal computers, B2 Power Play will also be available on the new B2toGO network, allowing fans to watch American Hockey League games on cell phones and other wireless devices. A full season package costs $160 billed monthly at $20 per month or fans can pay for the season in full for $150. B2toGO, a service delivering live games and highlights to cell phones and hand-held Pads, are now available for purchase for a full season price of $56 over 8 instalments or $50 if paid in full. Fans who purchase "B2 Power Play" will be eligible to add "B2toGo" for only an additional $25.

GET YOUR TICKETS!:

Hamilton Bulldogs tickets are on sale now! Individual game tickets are available at Copps Coliseum Box Office (in-person sales only), all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.ca or at select Sports Obsession locations. For information on season or group tickets visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or call (905) 529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX.

HAMILTON BULLDOGS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:

Thursday, April 5th, 2007 - 7:30 p.m. - Syracuse Crunch at Hamilton Bulldogs (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, April 6th, 2007 - 7:35 p.m. - Hamilton Bulldogs at Rochester Americans (Blue Cross Arena)

Saturday, April 7th, 2007 - 7:00 p.m. - Hamilton Bulldogs at Toronto Marlies (Ricoh Coliseum)

MOLSON CUP - THREE STAR LEADERS:

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

Player: Points:

1. Duncan Milroy 37

2. Jaroslav Halak 36

3. Mikhail Grabovski 33

4. Jonathan Ferland 27

T-5. Matt D'Agostini 24

T-5. Andrei Kostitsyn 24

7. Corey Locke 21

8. Kyle Chipchura 18

9. Yann Danis 15

10. Ajay Baines 14

11. Dan Jancevski 11

12. Zack Stortini 9

13. Cory Urquhart 8

14. Eric Manlow 7

T-15. Philippe Sauve 6

T-15. Maxim Lapierre 6

T-15. Michael Lambert 6

T-18. Mathieu Roy 5

T-18. Andre Benoit 5

20. Dov Grumet-Morris 3

21. Francis Lemieux 2

22. Jan Hejda 1

PEARSON-DUNN PLAYER-OF-THE-GAME LEADERS:

(10 pts. - Hardest working Hamilton Bulldogs player)

Player: Points:

1. Kyle Chipchura 90

2. Maxim Lapierre 80

3. Mikhail Grabovski 70

T-4. Andre Benoit 50

T-4. Corey Locke 50

T-6. Jonathan Ferland 40

T-6. Ajay Baines 40

T-6. Matt D'Agostini 40

T-9. Jean-Philippe Cote 30

T-9. Dan Jancevski 30

T-9. Andrei Kostitsyn 30

T-12. Jaroslav Halak 20

T-12. Dov Grumet-Morris 20

T-12. Yann Danis 20

T-12. Mathieu Biron 20

T-16. Troy Bodie 10

T-16. Zack Stortini 10

T-16. Duncan Milroy 10

T-16. Ryan O'Byrne 10

T-16. Francis Lemieux 10

T-16. Patrick Traverse 10



American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2007


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