Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly

Published on December 17, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


THIS WEEK'S GAME SCHEDULE/BROADCASTS (All times EST)

Tuesday, December 18th at Peoria Rivermen, Carver Arena, 8:05 p.m. - Funny 820 AM/TSN Radio 690 AM

Friday, December 21st vs. St. John's IceCaps, Copps Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. - Sportsnet (all regions), TVA Sports/Funny 820 AM/TSN Radio 690 AM

Saturday, December 22nd vs. San Antonio Rampage, Copps Coliseum, 7 p.m. - Sportsnet (all regions), TVA Sports/Funny 820 AM/TSN Radio 690 AM

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

Record: 10-12-1-1, 22 points ... Home: 5-4-1-0, 11 points, Road: 5-8-0-1, 11 points ... Standings: 5th North Division ... 15th Western Conference ... Leading scorers: RW Brendan Gallagher (24 GP 7-8-15) ... C Gabriel Dumont (24 GP 5-6-11) ... RW Aaron Palushaj (21 GP 7-3-10) ... Goaltenders: Robert Mayer (14 GP 5-7-1, 3.32 GAA, .884 Save %, 0 SO), Cedrick Desjardins (9 GP 5-4-0, 2.71 GAA, .907 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play - Home: 6-for-42, 14.3 percent, 21st AHL ... Road: 5-for-59, 8.5 percent 29th AHL ... Overall: 11-for-101, 10.9 percent, 29th AHL ... Penalty killing - Home: 2-for-43, 95.3 percent, 1st AHL ... Road: 18-for-72, 75.0 percent, 30th AHL ... Overall: 20-for-115, 82.6 percent, 17th AHL

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE

PEORIA RIVERMEN (Affiliation: St. Louis Blues) - Head Coach: David Allison ... Record: 11-11-2-2, 22 points ... Standings: 5th Midwest Division ... 12th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: C T.J. Hensick (26 GP 8-16-24) ... Leading goaltender: Jake Allen (19 GP 7-10-2, 3.12 GAA, .902 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 11-for-92, 12.0 percent, 27th AHL ... Penalty killing: 19-for-103, 81.6 percent, 22nd AHL ... Last game: December 15th W 3-1 vs. Milwaukee ... Rivermen, who went 4-1-0-0 on a recent five-game road trip, are enjoying a four-game winning streak ... Peoria has been awarded the fewest power plays of any team in the AHL ... The Rivermen have allowed five shorthanded goals, one behind the Portland Pirates who lead the AHL in that category ... RW Jaden Schwartz had a six-game points streak ended against Milwaukee. He had four goals and three assists for seven points in that span ... Allen is fourth among AHL goalies in saves with 545 and eighth in minutes played with 1134:35 ... All-time series: 6-7-0-0-1 ... This season: First of two meetings. Peoria visits Hamilton on March 9th ... First-round NHL picks: D Ian Cole (St. Louis, 2007), RW Jaden Schwartz (St. Louis, 2010) ... Connections: Bulldogs LW Kyle Hagel skated in seven games for the Rivermen in 2010-2011 ... RW Aaron Palushaj played 48 games for Peoria over two seasons from 2008 to 2010

ST. JOHN'S ICECAPS (Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets) - Head Coach: Keith McCambridge ... Record: 13-14-0-1, 27 points ... Standings: 5th Atlantic Division ... 11th Eastern Conference ... Leading scorer: RW Spencer Machacek (28 GP 6-9-15), D Derek Meech (26 GP 3-12-15) ... Leading goaltender: Eddie Pasquale (16 GP 7-8-1, 2.42 GAA, .924 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play: 24-for-148, 16.2 percent, 14th AHL ... Penalty killing: 23-for-126, 81.7 percent, 21st AHL ... Last game: December 16th W 4-0 at Providence... Pasquale is seventh among AHL goalies in save percentage ... D Zach Redmond has four power-play goals. Jason Zucker of the Houston Aeros leads the AHL with seven ... Game is part of an eight-game road stretch and the fourth of five consecutive road dates before the Christmas break for the IceCaps who opened that run with two consecutive wins ... IceCaps and the Oklahoma City Barons are the only AHL teams who have a defenceman tied for the team lead in scoring ... All-time series: 5-5-0-0-0 ... This season: Third of eight meetings. Teams split a two-game set at St. John's. IceCaps won the opener 3-1 on November 20th, Bulldogs claimed a 2-1 win the following evening. IceCaps return to Hamilton on December 28th ... First-round NHL picks: Alexander Burmistrov (Atlanta, 2010) ... Connections: IceCaps D Ben Chiarot is a native of Hamilton ... IceCaps C Ben Maxwell played 177 games over three seasons for the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2011

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (Affiliation: Florida Panthers) - Head Coach: Chuck Weber ... Record: 10-15-0-3 ... Standings: 5th South Division ... 14th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: RW Jon Rheault (28 GP 7-14-21) ... Leading goaltender: Jacob Markstrom (18 GP 8-9-1, 2.89 GAA, .910 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 16-for-111, 14.4 percent, 23rd AHL ... Penalty killing: 20-for-130, 84.6 percent, 10th AHL ... Last game: December 16th L 2-1 vs. Charlotte ... Loss to the Checkers ran the Rampage's losing streak to four games ... Game is the third of four consecutive road dates. The Rampage visits the Texas Stars on Wednesday night and the Toronto Marlies on Friday night before coming to Hamilton ... Rheault has two shorthanded goals, one behind AHL leader Derek Grant of the Binghamton Senators ... C Drew Shore is 10th in the AHL in rookie scoring with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points ... LW Eric Selleck is fifth in the league with 109 penalty minutes ... All-time series: 10-4-0-0-0 ... This season: First of two meetings. The Bulldogs visit San Antonio on April 5th ... First-round NHL picks: Quinton Howden (Florida, 2010) ... Connections: Rampage G Dov Grumet-Morris appeared in two games for the Bulldogs in 2006-2007 ... LW Jean-Francois Jacques scored 24 goals in 65 games for the Bulldogs in 2005-2006 ... Rampage C Scott Timmins is a native of Hamilton

TRANSACTIONS

December 12th - Recalled C Olivier Fortier from the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL)

December 15th - Released C Darryl Boyce from his Professional Try Out contract.

December 15th - Reassigned G Peter Delmas to the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)

INJURY REPORT

C Blake Geoffrion (depressed skull fracture, November 9th vs. Syracuse at Montreal) is out indefinitely ... D Greg Pateryn (fractured elbow, November 2nd at Rochester) is out three to four weeks ... RW Aaron Palushaj (shoulder, December 11th vs. Lake Erie) is out four to six weeks.

PRACTICE/MORNING SKATE SCHEDULE

Monday, December 17th: Practice - 1 pm EST (Johnny's Ice House West - Chicago)

Tuesday, December 18th: Morning Skate - 12:15 pm EST (Carver Arena - Peoria)

Wednesday, December 19th: Travel Day

Thursday, December 20th: Practice - 11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, December 21st: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Saturday, December 22nd: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Sunday, December 23rd: Off Day

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

December 11th: at Hamilton - Bulldogs 1, Monsters 0

Steve Quailer scored an unassisted power-play goal at 16:17 of the third period and goaltender Cedrick Desjardins made 29 saves to earn his second shutout of the season as the Bulldogs won a second consecutive game for the second time this season. The Bulldogs fired 45 shots, their second-highest total of the season, at Monsters goaltender Calvin Pickard. The Bulldogs went 1-for-5 on the power play, the Monsters were 0-for-3. A crowd of 3,945 took in the Bulldogs' annual Toy Toss game.

December 13th: at Chicago - Wolves 4, Bulldogs 3

Darren Archibald scored two goals as the Wolves staved off a late comeback by the Bulldogs. Archibald scored the first two goals of the game and Darren Haydar made it 3-0 early in the third period. Joonas Nattinen cut the deficit to two with his fourth goal of the season at 6:14, but Peter Andersson restored the home side's three-goal lead 45 seconds later. Michael Bournival scored on the power play at 13:31 and defenceman Nathan Beaulieu earned his first professional goal at 19:00, but that was as close as the Bulldogs would get. Cedrick Desjardins made 21 saves for the Bulldogs while Matt Climie faced 37 shots in the Wolves' net. The Bulldogs were 1-for-7 on the power play, the Wolves went 1-for-4.

December 15th: at Rockford - Bulldogs 6, IceHogs 4

The Bulldogs matched their highest offensive output of the season in a 6-4 win over the IceHogs. Mike Blunden celebrated his 26th birthday with two goals for the Bulldogs who also got goals from Joonas Nattinen, Brendan Gallagher, Morgan Ellis and Gabriel Dumont. Michael Bournival earned two assists while Robert Mayer faced 26 shots in the Hamilton net. The teams were tied 3-3 after the first period, but Ellis put the Bulldogs in front at 1:44 of the second with Blunden scoring the eventual winner at 9:29. The Bulldogs, who fired 34 shots at IceHogs goaltenders Carter Hutton and Alec Richards, scored on their only power-play opportunity. Rockford, which lost a fourth consecutive game, was 1-for-4.

December 16th: at Milwaukee - Admirals 4, Bulldogs 3

Rookie defencemen Antoine Corbin and Jarred Tinordi scored their first professionals goals, but it wasn't enough as the Admirals held on for a 4-3 win. The home side took a 2-0 lead on goals by Taylor Beck and Kevin Henderson before Corbin got the Bulldogs on the board with an unassisted goal at 16:46 of the second period. Mark Van Guilder restored Milwaukee's two goal lead at 18:53. Tinordi got the Bulldogs within one 46 seconds into the third period before Victor Bartley netted the eventual winner at 6:39. Gabriel Dumont closed the scoring at 13:12. Cedrick Desjardins made 29 saves in the Hamilton goal while Jeremy Smith faced 31 shots for the Admirals, including 18 in the first period. The Bulldogs went 0-for-2 on the power play, the Admirals were 0-for-3.

TEAM NOTES

The Bulldogs are 6-2-1-1 in one-goal games ... Bulldogs defencemen have contributed three goals and 10 assists for 13 points over the team's last five games ... Before being blanked with the man advantage by the Admirals, the Bulldogs had scored at least one power-play goal in four consecutive games, their longest such run of the season ... The Bulldogs also scored six goals in a win over the visiting Toronto Marlies on November 16th ... Hamilton is 4-0-0 when scoring first and 6-6-1-0 when outshooting opponents ... The Bulldogs have allowed 28 goals in each of the first and second periods this season, but only 18 in the third period. They have scored 26 third-period goals ... The Bulldogs are 17th in the AHL, averaging 30.21 shots per game. They allow an average of 28.46 shots per game, ninth in the league.

PLAYER NEWS

D Nathan Beaulieu has seven points, from one goal and six assists, in his last seven games and leads Bulldogs blueliners in scoring with one goal and eight assists for nine points ... RW Mike Blunden's two-goal game at Rockford was his first multi-goal effort in the AHL since October 9th, 2012 when he scored two goals for the Springfield Falcons in a 6-5 loss to the visiting Providence Bruins. He has three goals and one assist for four points in his last five games ... C Michael Bournival broke a 15-game goalless drought at Chicago ... C Darryl Boyce skated in 22 games contributing one goal and six assists for seven points ... D Mike Commodore earned his first point as a member of the Bulldogs with an assist against the Wolves. He sat out at Rockford and Milwaukee with a minor injury ... D Antoine Corbin returned to the lineup at Rockford after spending the previous six games as a healthy scratch, earning his second assist of the season, then scoring his first professional goal against Milwaukee ... G Peter Delmas appeared in three games, posting a personal record of 0-2-0 with a 3.49 goals-against average and a .865 save percentage ... C Gabriel Dumont has two goals in his last two games ... C Olivier Fortier made his season debut for the Bulldogs at Rockford and was credited with a game-high seven shots on goal ... RW Brendan Gallagher broke an eight-game goals drought at Rockford. He has one goal and three assists for four points in his last five games. Gallagher has been held without a shot on goal in only one game this season and leads the Bulldogs in that category with 83 ... G Robert Mayer's start at Rockford was his first since a 5-1 road loss to the Abbotsford Heat on November 30th. He collected his first win since making 24 saves in a 4-3 win over the visiting Rochester Americans on November 3rd ... C Joonas Nattinen has two goals and one assist for three points in a three-game points run. He has goals in three of his last five games ... RW Aaron Palushaj injured his shoulder midway through the second period of the Bulldogs' win over visiting Lake Erie on Tuesday night. Palushaj left the game but returned before the end of the period ... D Jarred Tinordi's goal at Milwaukee snapped a 15-game points drought, while also being the first of his professional career.

SPORTSNET ADDS FOUR BULLDOGS GAMES TO BROADCAST SCHEDULE

Sportsnet has announced that four Bulldogs games will be among six AHL games it has added to its December broadcast schedule:

Friday, December 21st vs. St. John's IceCaps 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 22nd vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m.

Wednesday, December 26th at Toronto Marlies (Air Canada Centre) 1 p.m.

Friday, December 28th vs. St. John's IceCaps 7:30 p.m.

All games but the visit to Toronto can be seen on all Sportsnet regional channels. The Marlies game can be seen on Sportsnet One.

BULLDOGS' "MY FAVOURITE THINGS" RAFFLE

The Bulldogs are once again holding their "My Favourite Things" raffle in support of the Children's Aid Society's Christmas campaign.

Bulldogs players and coaches have contributed items to 11 gift baskets, each with a value of more than $100 and including themes such as Music Men (favourite CDs); All Around Jocks (favourite sports items); Book Worms (favourite books); 'Dogs in the Kitchen (favourite cook books and food items) and Boys and their Toys (the players' favourite toys from their younger days).

Tickets sell for $2 each or three for $5 and will be available during the Dec. 21 home game against the St. John's IceCaps and the following night when the Bulldogs entertain the San Antonio Rampage. The draws will be made after the second intermission of the Rampage game.

HOLIDAY FLEX PACKS NOW AVAILABLE

The Bulldogs' holiday-themed flex packs give fans the chance to purchase 10 blue section tickets for only $99 plus HST, more than 20 percent off the regular price. The flex packs are available by calling or visiting the Bulldogs' office and at Tiger-Town Sports at Limeridge Mall. The offer ends December 31st.

BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE

If you have a Bulldogs fan on your Christmas list team merchandise with be available at Tiger-Town Sports at Limeridge Mall until January 15th.

Fans can also purchase Bulldogs merchandise during all home games at the "Dawg House" store located behind section 114 on the concourse level at Copps Coliseum. In the store, fans can find hats, t-shirts, jackets, replica jerseys, foam fingers, foam 'Bone Heads', and other select novelty items for sale. 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic gear will also be available for a limited time.

TOY TOSS GAME TICKET VOUCHERS GOOD FOR FOUR UPCOMING GAMES

The Bulldogs presented their annual Toy Toss Game on December 11th against the Lake Erie Monsters. Fans who brought a stuffed toy to that game were presented with a ticket voucher good for any of the four following games:

Friday, December 21st vs. St. John's IceCaps 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 22nd vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m.

Friday, January 4th vs. Rockford IceHogs 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 5th vs. Lake Erie Monsters 7 p.m.

BULLDOGS HOCKEY HOUR AT MONTANA'S

The next installment of the Bulldogs Hockey Hour will be held live on location on Monday, January 7th at 7 p.m. at Montana's Cookhouse at 1508 Upper James Street in Hamilton.

Fans can join Bulldogs play-by-play broadcaster Derek Wills and colour commentator Al Craig as well as player and coaches as they review the past week of Bulldogs hockey and preview what's to come. The interactive setting will allow fans to ask questions, get autographs, win prizes and enjoy food and drink specials.

BULLDOGS AND HAMILTON POLICE TEAMING UP TO COMBAT DRINKING AND DRIVING

The Bulldogs and Hamilton Police have announced a program aimed at reducing impaired driving in Hamilton. Motorists who successfully complete RIDE spot checks will be presented with a voucher that can be exchanged for a pair of tickets to any of the eight Bulldogs home games in December and January.

THE BULLDOGS ON THE AIR

Fans can listen to and watch all 'Dogs games on www.hamiltonbulldogs.com. Live coverage with the team of play-by-play broadcaster Derek Wills (all home and away games) and colour commentator Al Craig (all home and select away games) will begin with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

All Bulldogs games are broadcast on www.AHLLive.com.

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE BULLDOGS

Fans can follow the Bulldogs online and watch game highlights, behind-the-scenes video and get breaking news and feature stories at HamiltonBulldogs.com. Fans can get the latest Bulldogs news and information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulldogsAHL and follow play-by-play broadcaster Derek Wills at www.twitter.com/dogsplaybyplay.

Fans can "Like" the Bulldogs' official face book page at www.facebook.com/hamiltonbulldogs and see game highlights and other video features at the Bulldogs' official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/bulldogstube.

TICKET INFORMATION

2012-2013 Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, Pioneer Flex Pack tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now! For as little as $10 per game, you can enjoy the many benefits of being a 'Dogs season ticket holder including reserved seating for all home games at Copps Coliseum, the option to redeem unused tickets for any regular season game, discounts on team merchandise and access to exclusive season ticket holder-only events with the team. Convenient payment plans are available.

For more information on how to join our team by becoming a Hamilton Bulldogs season ticket holder, or for more information on Pioneer Flex Pack tickets or group tickets, call 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX, e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com. 'Dogs single-game tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 17, 2012


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