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Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly

December 26, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


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

Wednesday, December 26 at Toronto Marlies, Air Canada Centre, 1 p.m. - Sportsnet One, TVA Sports/Funny 820 AM, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Sirius 207, XM 92)

Friday, December 28 vs. St. John's IceCaps, Copps Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. - Sportsnet (all regions), TVA Sports/Funny 820 AM, TSN Radio 690 (Montreal)

Saturday, December 29 at Lake Erie Monsters, Quicken Loans Arena, 7:30 p.m. - Funny 820 AM, TSN Radio 690 (Montreal)

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

Record: 10-14-1-2, 23 points ... Home: 5-6-1-0, 11 points, Road: 5-8-0-2, 12 points ... Standings: 5th North Division ... 15th Western Conference ... Last 10 games: 4-5-0-1 ... Longest winning streak: 2 (Oct. 13-19, Dec. 8-11) ... Longest losing streak: 4 (Dec. 16-22) ... Leading scorers: RW Brendan Gallagher (27 GP 9-8-17) ... C Gabriel Dumont (27 GP 6-6-12) ... RW Mike Blunden (27 GP 7-4-11) ... C Michael Bournival (23 GP 2-9-11) ... Goaltenders: Robert Mayer (15 GP 5-7-2, 3.28 GAA, .887 Save %, 0 SO), Cedrick Desjardins (11 GP 5-6-0, 2.78 GAA, .908 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play - Home: 6-for-48, 12.5 percent, 26th AHL ... Road: 5-for-64, 7.8 percent 30th AHL ... Overall: 11-for-112, 9.8 percent, 29th AHL ... Penalty killing - Home: 5-for-50, 90.0 percent, 4th AHL ... Road: 19-for-75, 74.7 percent, 30th AHL ... Overall: 24-for-125, 80.8 percent, 25th AHL

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE

TORONTO MARLIES (Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs) - Head Coach: Dallas Eakins ... Record: 17-9-1-1, 36 points ... Home: 10-2-0-1, 21 points ... Road: 7-7-1-0, 15 points ... Standings: 1st North Division ... 2nd Western Conference ... Leading scorer: C Keith Aucoin (27 GP 6-24-30) ... Leading goaltender: Ben Scrivens (18 GP 11-7-0, 2.39 GAA, .912 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 25-for-146, 17.1 percent, 13th AHL ... Penalty killing: 20-for-124, 83.9 percent, 12th AHL ... Last game: Dec. 22 W 4-2 vs. St. John's ... Last 10 games: 8-1-1-0 ... HC Dallas Eakins has 131 wins with the Marlies, the most of any farm team coach in Maple Leafs history ... G Jussi Rynnas has three shutouts and a 1.94 GAA in six appearances. Curtis McElhinney of the Springfield Falcons leads the league with six shutouts ... C Keith Aucoin became only the 11th player in AHL history to record 800 points with his first of two goals in a 5-0 win over the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins last Sunday. Aucoin, who has played with six teams over 12 AHL seasons, has 229 goals and 578 assists for 807 points in 700 games. He is 10th on the AHL's all-time points list, moving ahead of Bill Sweeney, who played for four organizations between 1957 and 1969. Next up for Aucoin is Mitch Lamoureux, who recorded 816 points from 1982 to 1999. Aucoin, who is fifth among AHL scorers, has three goals and five assists for eight points in a four-game points streak. He has nine points, including two goals, in five games against the Bulldogs this season while C Nazem Kadri, who has missed the last three games with an injury, has recorded eight assists in those games ... D Mike Kostka is second in scoring among AHL blueliners with five goals and 21 assists for 26 points. He is fifth in the AHL in assists and had a seven-game points run snapped on Saturday against visiting St. John's ... LW Ryan Hamilton recently became the Marlies' all-time leader in goals. He has goals in four consecutive games and has recorded seven points in that span ... D Paul Ranger has contributed two goals and five assists for seven points in his last four games ... The Marlies have scored 96 goals, tied for second in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers. The Syracuse Crunch leads the league with 100 ... The Bulldogs scored six unanswered goals in a 6-3 win over the Marlies before 13,238 at Air Canada Centre on Dec. 26, 2011 ... All-time series: 40-33-0-7-7 ... This season: Sixth of 12 meetings. The Bulldogs posted a 4-1 win at home in the opener on Oct. 19, but lost 5-0 at Toronto the following night. The Marlies prevailed 5-4 in overtime at Hamilton on Oct. 26, but the Bulldogs skated to a 6-3 win at Copps Coliseum on Nov. 16 but fell 6-1 the following day at Ricoh Coliseum. The Bulldogs return to Toronto on Jan. 2 ... First-round NHL picks: RW Carter Ashton (Tampa Bay, 2009), D Joe Colborne (Boston, 2008), D Jake Gardiner (Anaheim, 2008), C Nazem Kadri (Toronto, 2009) ... Connections: Bulldogs RW Mike Blunden is a Toronto native

ST. JOHN'S ICECAPS (Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets) - Head Coach: Keith McCambridge ... Record: 14-16-0-1, 29 points ... Home: 6-9-0-1, 13 points ... Road: 8-7-0-0, 16 points ... Standings: 5th Atlantic Division ... 11th Eastern Conference ... Leading scorer: D Derek Meech (29 GP 3-14-17) ... Leading goaltender: Eddie Pasquale (18 GP 7-10-1, 2.49 GAA, .921 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play: 26-for-155, 16.8 percent, 15th AHL ... Penalty killing: 25-for-138, 81.9 percent, 21st AHL ... Last game: Dec. 22 L 4-2 at Toronto ... Last 10 games: 3-7-0-0 ... Game is the sixth of eight consecutive road dates for the IceCaps who are 3-2-0-0 on the trek ... The IceCaps' 31 games played are tied with the San Antonio Rampage for most in the AHL heading into the Christmas break ... Derek Meech is the only AHL blueliner who leads his team in scoring. Justin Schultz of the Oklahoma City Barons is tied with Jordan Eberle for that team's points lead. Meech, who leads AHL defencemen with three game-winning goals, had a four-game points streak snapped at Toronto ... D Zach Redmond leads the IceCaps with eight goals. Redmond's 84 shots are third among AHL blueliners ... The IceCaps' three overtime wins are tied for most in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toronto Marlies ... The IceCaps average 13.90 penalty minutes per game, fourth-fewest in the league ... C Patrice Cormier recently returned to the lineup after missing 26 games with a knee injury ... D Kevin Clark turns 25 on Dec. 29 ... All-time series: 5-6-0-0 ... This season: Fourth of eight meetings. Teams split a two-game set at St. John's. IceCaps won the opener 3-1 on Nov. 20, Bulldogs claimed a 2-1 win the following evening. IceCaps skated to a 2-1 win at Hamilton on Dec. 21. The IceCaps return to Hamilton on Feb. 26 ... 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

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS (Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche) - Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth ... Record: 15-13-1-1, 32 points ... Home: 6-6-1-1, 14 points ... Road: 9-7-0-0, 14 points ... Standings: 3rd North Division ... 9th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: C Mike Sgarbossa (30 GP 12-15-27) ... Leading goaltender: Calvin Pickard (15 GP 6-7-1, 2.96 GAA, .908 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play: 23-for-132, 17.4 percent, 10th AHL ... Penalty killing: 23-for-133, 82.7 percent, 17th AHL ... Last game: Dec. 22 W 5-2 vs. Houston ... The Monsters head into the break on a three-game winning streak ... The Monsters visit the Rochester Americans for two games between Dec. 26-28 before hosting the Bulldogs ... The Monsters have allowed 96 goals, most in the AHL ... Lake Erie is 10-5-0-0 in games in which it has been outshot ... LW David van der Gulik has goals in his last four games. He has contributed eight points in that span ... C Michael Sgarbossa is second in scoring among AHL rookies. He has three goals and four assists for seven points in his last five games ... Rookie LW Andrew Agozzino has recorded three goals and four assists for seven points in a five-game points streak ... Tyson Barrie is third in scoring among AHL defencemen. He has six goals and 18 assists for 24 points and has one goal and six points in his last four games ... C Mitchell Heard is second among rookies with 65 penalty minutes ... The Monsters are 4-1 in shootouts and lead the league with 12 goals scored in those events ... All-time series: 22-14-1-5 ... This season: Third of eight meetings. Monsters won the opener, 4-1 at Hamilton on Nov. 25. Bulldogs beat the visiting Monsters 1-0 on Dec. 11. Monsters return to Hamilton on Jan. 5 ... First-round NHL picks: Joey Hishon (Colorado, 2010) ... Connections: Bulldogs HC Sylvain Lefebvre spent three seasons as a Monsters AC under current Avalanche HC Joe Sacco ... Bulldogs G Cedrick Desjardins played 32 games for Lake Erie last season

TRANSACTIONS

December 20 - Signed D Cody Wild to a Professional Try Out contract

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 two to three weeks ... RW Aaron Palushaj (shoulder, December 11th vs. Lake Erie) is out three to five weeks.

PRACTICE/MORNING SKATE SCHEDULE

Thursday, Dec. 27: Practice - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, Dec. 28: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Saturday, Dec. 29: Morning Skate - 11:15 am (Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland)

Sunday, Dec. 30: Practice at Rochester (Time and location to be announced)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

December 18: at Peoria - Rivermen 4, Bulldogs 3 (shootout)

T.J. Hensick scored the deciding goal in a five-round shootout to give the Rivermen a 4-3 win. Stefan Chaput opened the scoring with his first of two goals on the game, but the Rivermen replied with three goals, including two from Derek Nesbitt, to take a 3-1 lead early in the third period. Brendan Gallagher scored at 4:53 to bring the Bulldogs to within a goal and Chaput tied the game at 10:52. Robert Mayer faced 35 shots in the Bulldogs goal while Jake Allen made 23 saves for the Rivermen. The Bulldogs went 0-for-5 on the power play. Peoria was 1-for-3.

December 21: at Hamilton - IceCaps 2, Bulldogs 1

The IceCaps found all the offence they needed in a span of 4:04 in the second period as they posted a 2-1 win before a crowd of 4,546. After a scoreless first period in which they were outshot 13-8, Jason Gregoire got the visitors on the board at 5:37. Kael Mouillierat followed with a power-play goal at 9:41 that stood as the eventual winner. Brendan Gallagher scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season at 11:44 of the second to cut the deficit to one, but that is as close as the home side would get. The Bulldogs outshot the IceCaps 6-5 in the third period and had several good chances against goaltender Mark Dekanich, but couldn't find the equalizer. Cedrick Desjardins made 23 saves for the Bulldogs while Dekanich faced 27 shots. The Bulldogs were 0-for-2 on the power play while the IceCaps converted their lone opportunity.

December 22: at Hamilton - Rampage 5, Bulldogs 2

The Bulldogs' last game before a three-day Christmas break began with much promise as they built a 2-0 lead early in the second period on goals by Gabriel Dumont and Mike Blunden. But the Rampage responded with five unanswered goals on the way to a 5-2 win that broke a six-game losing skid and sent the Bulldogs to a fourth consecutive defeat in front of a crowd of 3,936. Casey Wellman recorded one goal and two assists for the Rampage, which also got goals from Jon Rheault, Greg Rallo, Drew Shore and Alex Petrovic. The Bulldogs, backstopped by Cedrick Desjardins, surrendered a season-high 44 shots while directing 33 at Rampage goaltender Dov Grummet-Morris. The Bulldogs went 0-for-4 on the power play. San Antonio was 2-for-6.

TEAM NOTES

The Bulldogs' four-game losing streak is their longest of the season. They had lost three consecutive games in October ... Heading into their final two home games before the break the Bulldogs had only allowed two power-play goals in 43 shorthanded situations, but gave up a total of three to the IceCaps and Rampage. They are fourth in the AHL in penalty-killing effectiveness at home. The five power-play goals they have allowed at home are the second fewest in the league, one more than the Abbotsford Heat ... Conversely, the Bulldogs are last in the AHL when it comes to killing penalties on the road having allowed 19 goals over 75 opportunities for an efficiency rating of 74.7 percent. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have allowed 20 power-play goals on the road and lead the league in that category ... The Bulldogs are 6-3-1-2 in one-goal games and prior to San Antonio's visit had fallen by that margin in their previous four losses ... The Bulldogs have scored first in only seven games this season, fewest in the AHL. They are 5-1-0-1 in those games ... The loss to San Antonio marked the first time in five games this season that the Bulldogs have been defeated when leading after the first period ... The Bulldogs are 1-2 in shootouts this season. They prevailed in that fashion in their season opener, a 4-3 decision over the host Grand Rapids Griffins on Oct. 13, and lost 3-2 to the host Rochester Americans on Nov. 2 ... The Bulldogs head into the break fourth in attendance in the AHL, averaging 6,596 over 12 home dates ... Bulldogs staff members were joined by mascot Bruiser as they delivered more than 2,200 stuffed toys collected during their Toy Toss game on Dec. 11 to the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton for distribution to their charitable partners.

PLAYER NEWS

Two rookies, D Nathan Beaulieu and C Michael Bournival, are tied for the team lead in assists with nine ... C Stefan Chaput had a four-game points streak snapped against St. John's. He had two goals and three assists for five points in the run. He was the only Bulldogs player to register at least one point in each game of the Bulldogs' recent four-game Midwest Division road trip and is one of five Bulldogs to register two goals in a game this season. His two-goal effort at Peoria was his first in the AHL since March 2, 2010 as a member of the Albany River Rats in a 6-1 win over the visiting Binghamtom Senators. Chaput's points streak equalled RW Mike Blunden's run from Oct. 26-Nov. 3 as the longest on the Bulldogs this season. Chaput skated in his 175th AHL game against the Rampage. He has 26 goals and 51 assists for 77 points over six seasons with five clubs ... D Mike Commodore returned at Peoria after missing two games with a groin injury. He was scratched for the home dates against the IceCaps and Rampage with the same ailment ... D Antoine Corbin was scratched against the Rampage due to illness ... G Cedrick Desjardins has lost his last four decisions, three of those by one goal ... C Gabriel Dumont played his 150th AHL game against San Antonio. He has 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points ... C Olivier Fortier collected his first point of the season with the Bulldogs against St. John's, earning an assist on Brendan Gallagher's goal ... RW Brendan Gallagher has three goals and two assists for five points in his last six games. He remains second among AHL rookies in shots on goal with 95, two shy of Alex Killorn of Syracuse. Gallagher has been held without a shot in only one game this season ... C Louis Leblanc broke a seven-game points drought with an assist against the Rampage ... C Joonas Nattinen has contributed three goals and two assists for five points in his last eight games ... D Frederic St-Denis was scratched against St. John's due to illness, but returned against the Rampage ... D Cody Wild, 25, recorded four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 25 games this season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He made his season debut for the Bulldogs against the IceCaps and skated in place of Corbin against San Antonio. Wild had played 185 games over five AHL seasons with the Springfield Falcons, Providence Bruins and Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.

SPORTSNET TO SHOW TWO BULLDOGS GAMES IN DECEMBER

Sportsnet has two Bulldogs games remaining on its December broadcast schedule:

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

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

The Marlies game can be seen on Sportsnet One while the game against the IceCaps will be available on all Sportsnet regional channels.

HOLIDAY FLEX PACKS STILL 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 following games:

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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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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