Griffins defeat Bulldogs
March 13, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Matt Ellis scored two shorthanded goals and led the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 4-1 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday night at the Van Andel Arena.
Hamilton's record through 64 games now falls to 27-26-6-5. The Bulldogs have 65 points on the season and trail the Edmonton Road Runners by two points for the fourth and final playoff position in the AHL's North Division.
After a scoreless first period, Welland native Matt Ellis got the Griffins on the scoreboard with a shorthanded marker 6:55 into the second. Kip Miller and Niklas Kronwall added assists on the play.
The Griffins would go ahead 2-0 at 15:58 when Darryl Bootland grabbed the puck and fired a shot past Bulldogs goaltender Dan Ellis. Ernie Hartlieb and Brett Lebda assisted on Bootland's 14th goal of the season.
Tomas Kopecky gave the Griffins a three-goal lead at 5:15 of the third period. Kopecky took a Kronwall pass after leaving the penalty box, went in 2-on-0 on Dan Ellis, and took a shot, and earned his third goal of the season.
Matt Ellis would add a fourth Griffins goal and his second shorthanded marker of the night at 9:54.
The Bulldogs finally got a goal with 5:16 remaining in regulation time. Benjamin Carpentier scored his fourth goal of the season with Steve Begin earning his first Bulldogs assist.
Despite several good scoring chances, the Bulldogs could put just one of their 36 shots past Griffins goaltender Joey MacDonald. Hamilton goaltender Dan Ellis made 39 saves in the loss.
The Hamilton Bulldogs next action will take place on Sunday afternoon when they host the Edmonton Road Runners at Copps Coliseum. Game time is 4:00 p.m. Bulldogs fans can purchase their tickets at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling Ticketmaster at (905) 527-7666 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.
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