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Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly

February 4, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


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

Wednesday, February 6th at Toronto Marlies, Ricoh Coliseum, 7 p.m. - Funny 820 AM

Friday, February 8th vs. Chicago Wolves, Copps Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. - Funny 820 AM/Cable 14

Saturday, February 9th vs. Texas Stars, Copps Coliseum, 7 p.m. - Funny 820 AM

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

Record : 14-23-1-5, 34 points ... Home: 8-7-1-2, 19 points, Road: 6-16-0-3, 15 points ... Standings: 5th North Division ... 15th Western Conference ... Last 10 games: 2-5-0-3 ... Longest winning streak: 2 (Oct. 13-19, Dec. 8-11) ... Longest losing streak: 5 (Dec. 16-26, Jan. 11-21) ... Leading scorers: C Gabriel Dumont (41 GP 14-11-25) ... RW Mike Blunden (38 GP 7-7-14) ... D Frederic St-Denis (40 GP 4-9-13) ... C Michael Bournival (39 GP 3-10-13) ... D Nathan Beaulieu (42 GP 2-11-13) ... Goaltenders: Cedrick Desjardins (20 GP 6-12-2, 2.88 GAA, .904 Save %, 2 SO), Robert Mayer (23 GP 8-10-3, 3.19 GAA, .893 Save %, 0 SO) ... Power play - Home: 9-for-74, 12.2 percent, 27th AHL ... Road: 8-for-101, 7.9 percent 30th AHL ... Overall: 17-for-175, 9.7 percent, 30th AHL ... Penalty killing - Home: 5-for-75, 93.3 percent, 1st AHL ... Road: 33-for-124, 73.4 percent, 30th AHL ... Overall: 38-for-199, 80.9 percent, 24th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.09, 30th AHL ... Goals against per game: 3.23, 28th AHL

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE

TORONTO MARLIES (Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs) - Head Coach: Dallas Eakins ... Record: 24-14-2-2, 52 points ... Home: 14-3-0-1, 29 points ... Road: 10-11-2-1, 23 points ... Standings: 2nd North Division ... 5th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Ryan Hamilton (38 GP 18-9-27) ... Leading goaltender: Jussi Rynnas (14 GP 7-6-1, 2.40 GAA, .920 Save %, 3 SO) ... Power play: 41-for-219, 18.7 percent, 10th AHL ... Penalty killing: 27-for-177, 84.7 percent, 9th AHL ... Goals for per game: 3.29, 4th AHL ... Goals against per game: 2.64, 9th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 2 W 4-1 vs. Hamilton ... Last 10 games: 4-5-0-1 ... The Marlies are 14-8-2-0 against North Division foes ... The Marlies' 14 home-ice wins are tied for third in the AHL ... After starting the season with two wins in four home dates, the Marlies have gone 12-2-0-0 in games at Toronto ... The Marlies home power play is fourth in the AHL, with 24 goals in 105 opportunities (22.9 percent) ... The Marlies rank fifth in the league at killing penalties at home, having allowed nine goals in 80 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 88.8 percent ... The Marlies are sixth in the league in shots allowed, surrendering an average of 27.69 per game. The take an average of 28.60 shots per game, 23rd in the AHL ... The Marlies have yet to lose a game in regulation at home when leading after the first or second period. They have 21 wins and one loss each in overtime and via shootout in those contests ... LW Ryan Hamilton was returned to the Marlies on Feb. 2 after being called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 31. Hamilton has appeared in one game with the Maple Leafs this season. On Feb. 2 the Maple Leafs recalled D Korbinian Holzer ... LW Nicolas Deschamps has six points, including three goals, nine games against the Bulldogs this season ... G Jussi Rynnas has two wins and a goals-against average of 1.34 in his three games against the Bulldogs this season ... C Joe Colborne has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in his last 11 games ... D Paul Ranger is fourth in the AHL in Plus/Minus with a mark of +17 ... The Marlies are fifth in the AHL in attendance, averaging 7,182 fans per game ... All-time series: 41-36-0-7-8 ... This season: 11th 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 Marlies won 3-2 at Air Canada Centre on Dec. 26 and skated to a 6-0 win at Ricoh Coliseum on Jan. 2. The Bulldogs posted a 2-1 win at home on Jan. 8 but lost 3-2 via shootout to the visiting Marlies on Jan. 19. The Marlies, who conclude the season series with a visit to Hamilton on Feb. 12, skated to a 4-1 win at home on Feb. 2 ... First-round NHL picks: RW Carter Ashton (Tampa Bay, 2009), D Joe Colborne (Boston, 2008), C Tim Connolly (New York Islanders, 1999), D Jake Gardiner (Anaheim, 2008) ... Connections: Bulldogs RW Mike Blunden is a Toronto native

CHICAGO WOLVES (Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks) - Head Coach: Scott Arniel ... Record: 21-15-3-2, 47 points ... Home: 12-6-1-2, 27 points ... Road: 9-9-2-0, 20 points ... Standings: 2nd Midwest Division ... 10th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Brett Sterling (32 GP 15-13-28) ... Leading goaltender: Matt Climie (23 GP 10-11-1, 2.50 GAA, .918 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play: 27-for-162, 16.7 percent, 14th AHL ... Penalty killing: 28-for-149, 81.2 percent, 22nd AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.71, 17th AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.71, 11th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 2 L 5-3 vs. Peoria ... Last 10 games: 7-3-0-0 ... The Wolves host the Peoria Rivermen on Tuesday night before visiting the Bulldogs ... Chicago is 7-2-0-0 against North Division foes ... The Wolves' 512 penalty minutes are the fewest in the AHL. The Wolves have been shorthanded 149 times, also the lowest number in the league ... The Wolves have only enjoyed 162 power plays, fewest in the league ... The Wolves have the AHLs' 12th-best power play on the road, having scored 14 goals in 85 opportunities (16.5 percent) ... The Wolves have allowed 10 power-play goals on the road, tied for the fewest in the league, in 66 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 84.8 percent, 10th in the AHL ... RW Darren Haydar is 18th on the AHL's all-time scoring list with 758 points, most among active AHLers. Haydar, a 32-year-old from Milton, Ont. in his 11th season in the league, is tied for 27th all-time in goals with 281 and his 477 assists are 13th in league history. Haydar has 27 points, including nine goals, in 36 games this season. He has contributed nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points over his last 20 games ... D Peter Andersson has five assists over his last six games ... RW Andrew Gordon has recorded 10 points, including seven goals, in his last 11 games ... G Joe Cannata has started the Wolves last five games ... All-time series: 15-11-0-2-1 ... This season: Second of two meetings. The Wolves rode two goals by LW Darren Archibald, who turns 23 on Feb. 9, to a 4-3 win at home on Dec. 13 ... First-round NHL picks: None ... Connections: C Alex Friesen is a St. Catharines native

TEXAS STARS (Affiliation: Dallas Stars) - Head Coach: Willie Desjardins ... Record: 27-12-4-2, 60 points ... Home: 12-6-2-1, 27 points ... Road: 15-6-2-1, 33 points ... Standings: 1st South Division ... 1st Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Matt Fraser (45 GP 21-10-31) ... Leading goaltender: Jack Campbell (23 GP 8-5-2, 2.84 GAA, .902 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 39-for-179, 21.8 percent, 3rd AHL ... Penalty killing: 36-for-181, 80.1 percent, 26th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.89, 13th AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.51, 6th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 1 W 2-1 at Houston ... Last 10 games: 8-1-1-0 ... The Stars host the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday night before visiting Hamilton ... The Stars are 1-2-1-2 against North Division opponents ... The Stars are 19-0-0-0 when leading after two periods ... The Stars have the AHL's second-best power play on the road, having scored 21 goals in 87 opportunities (24.1 percent) ... The Stars are 26th in the league in killing penalties on the road, having allowed 19 goals on 90 shorthanded situations for an effectiveness rating of 78.9 percent ... The Stars have scored seven shorthanded goals, four behind the league-leading Binghamton Senators. The Stars have allowed two shorthanded goals, tied with the Senators and Bridgeport Sound Tigers for fewest in the AHL ... Texas is third in the league in shots allowed, surrendering an average of 27.20 per game. The Stars take an average of 30.988 shots per game, seventh in the AHL ... LW Matt Fraser leads active AHLers in goals with 21 and he leads the league with 10 power-play goals. He is currently riding a 10-game points streak in which he has registered seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. The longest point streak in the league to date belongs to Richard Panik of the Syracuse Crunch who posted a 12-game run from Nov. 2 to Dec. 1 ... D Tyler Sloan has two goals and three assists for five points in his last five games ... RW Alex Chiasson has contributed nine points, including four goals in his last six games ... C Justin Dowling has seven points, including five goals, over his last six games ... D Patrik Nemeth turns 21 on Feb. 8 ... All-time series: 5-1-0-0-0 ... This season: First of two meetings. The Bulldogs visit the Stars on April 6. The Bulldogs have won their last four games against the Stars. Texas's only win came in a 5-0 verdict at Copps Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2010 ... First-round NHL picks: G Jack Campbell (Dallas, 2010), C Scott Glennie (Dallas, 2009) ... Connections: None

TRANSACTIONS

Jan. 31 - C Joey Tenute signed to standard player contract

Feb. 1 - RW Mike Blunden returned from Montreal Canadiens (NHL)

INJURY REPORT

C Blake Geoffrion (depressed skull fracture, November 9th vs. Syracuse at Montreal) is out indefinitely ... C Joonas Nattinen (shoulder, Dec. 28 vs. St. John's) is out indefinitely ... RW Aaron Palushaj (shoulder, December 11th vs. Lake Erie) is out one week

PRACTICE/MORNING SKATE SCHEDULE

Monday, Feb. 4: Practice - 11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Tuesday, Feb. 5: Practice - 11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Thursday, Feb. 7: Practice - 11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, Feb. 8: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Saturday, Feb. 9: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Sunday, Feb. 10: Off Day

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

February 1st: at Hamilton - Griffins 5, Bulldogs 1

Tomas Tatar scored three goals to power the Griffins to a 5-1 win before a crowd of 4,297. The Griffins opened a 2-0 lead in the first period before D Frederic St-Denis cut the deficit to one with his fourth goal of the season at 5:41 of the second period. Tatar restored Grand Rapids's two-goal lead at 15:43 and he completed his hat trick at 17:31 of the third period, less than two minutes after Luke Glendening had made it 4-1. The teams combined for 128 penalty minutes, including fur fights over the final five minutes of the third period. The Bulldogs were 0-for-4 on the power play, the Griffins were 0-for-3. Cedrick Desjardins faced 26 shots in the Bulldogs' goal, while Griffins goaltender Petr Mrazek made 21 saves.

February 2nd: at Toronto - Marlies 4, Bulldogs 2

Nicolas Deschamps scored the winning goal at 3:45 of the third period as the Marlies rallied from a 2-0 deficit to post a 4-2 win. Zack Stortini opened the scoring with his second goal of the season at 7:22 of the first period and Gabriel Dumont followed with his team-leading 14th goal 11 seconds later. Carter Ashton brought the Marlies within one at 7:11 of the second period and Simon Gysbers tied the game on the power play at 9:57. Spencer Abbott closed the scoring at 11:32 of the third. The Bulldogs were 0-for-2 on the power play while the Marlies were 1-for-6. Robert Mayer got the start in goal for the Bulldogs and made 29 saves. Jussi Rynnas stopped 26 shots for the Marlies.

TEAM NOTES

Tomas Tatar was the first player to score three goals against the Bulldogs since Derek Whitmore of the Rochester Americans scored four in a 5-3 win over the visiting Bulldogs on Nov. 26, 2011 ... The Bulldogs have yet to beat the Marlies at Toronto this season, losing in each of their five visits to date. The Bulldogs are 3-0-1-1 against the Marlies at Copps Coliseum ... The Bulldogs' visit to Toronto on Wednesday marks their final road game of the month. The Bulldogs' game against Chicago opens a run of 10 consecutive home dates that will stretch to March 1 and include a game at the Bell Centre in Montreal against the Americans on Feb. 22. The Bulldogs are 11th in the AHL in attendance, averaging 6,211 through 18 home dates. The Bulldogs also played 10 consecutive home games from Feb. 21 to March 13, 2010, going 9-1-0-0 in those contests ... The Bulldogs are 8-14-1-4 against North Division opponents and 11-18-1-5 against Western Conference foes ... The Bulldogs are 8-4-1-5 in one-goal games ... The Bulldogs are 9-0-0-0 when leading through two periods, joining the Texas Stars as the only AHL teams yet to lose when holding a lead through 40 minutes. The Bulldogs are 4-0-0-0 when leading at home through two periods ... The Bulldogs are averaging 21.09 penalty minutes per game, fifth in the AHL ... The Bulldogs are 7-3-0-1 when scoring first ... The Bulldogs have only allowed five power-play goals at home, the fewest in the league. The Bulldogs have not allowed a power-play goal at home since the San Antonio Rampage scored two in a 5-2 win on Dec. 22. The Bulldogs have 21 opposition power plays over six subsequent home games ... The Bulldogs allow an average of 29.88 shots per game, 12th in the AHL, while taking an average of 28.53 shots per game, 25th in the league.

PLAYER NEWS

RW Mike Blunden returned to the lineup at Toronto after being reassigned by the Montreal Canadiens on Friday ... C Gabriel Dumont has contributed seven points, including five goals, over his last nine games. Dumont's goal at Toronto, his team-leading 14th of the season, marked a career high. He scored 13 goals in 59 games with the Bulldogs last season. That goal was also his 25th point of the season, eclipsing the mark of 24 he set last season. Dumont and D Nathan Beaulieu are tied for the team lead in assists with 11 ... Beaulieu is the Bulldogs' active leader in shots on goal with 92, one more than Dumont ... C Olivier Fortier skated in his 125th AHL game at Toronto ... LW Kyle Hagel served a one-game suspension at Toronto after receiving an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the 5-1 loss to visiting Grand Rapids on Friday night ... D Greg Pateryn returned to the lineup against the Griffins after missing 34 games with a fractured elbow suffered in a 3-2 shootout loss to the host Rochester Americans on Nov. 2. Pateryn has one assist in nine games in his first AHL season ... D Frederic St-Denis's goal against the Griffins was his fourth of the season, one off his career high set in 2010-11. St-Denis and Beaulieu shared the Bulldogs' scoring lead among blueliners with 13 points ... RW Zack Stortini has two goals in his last four games. He is sixth in the AHL with 152 penalty minutes.

FEBRUARY HOCKEY MONTH IN STEELTOWN FLEX PACK

With nine home games in the month of February, the Bulldogs have launched a 10-game Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack including the following games:

Friday, Feb. 1 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 8 vs. Chicago Wolves 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 9 vs. Texas Stars 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. Toronto Marlies 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 15 vs. Hershey Bears 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Houston Aeros 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 18 vs. Rochester Americans 3 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 24 vs. Milwaukee Admirals 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. St. John's IceCaps 7:30 p.m.

The flex pack also includes vouchers redeemable for one ticket in the $26, $20 or $17 price range for any February home game or the regular-season finale on April 21 at 3 p.m. against the Rochester Americans which is also Fan Appreciation Day.

The pricing structure for the Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack is as follows:

Gold: $160

Red: $130

Blue: $110

For more information on the Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack, call 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX, e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com .

FEBRUARY THEME GAMES

The Bulldogs have a number of theme and event games planned in February including:

Saturday, Feb. 9 vs. Texas Stars 7 p.m.

Pink in the Rink in support of women's cancer

Friday, Feb. 15 vs. Hershey Bears 7:30 p.m.

Military Night as the Bulldogs salute the men and women of Canada's armed forces

Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Houston Aeros 7 p.m.

Pepsi Night

Monday, Feb. 18 vs. Rochester Americans 3 p.m.

Family and Faith Game

Sunday, Feb. 24 vs. Milwaukee Admirals 3 p.m.

Tim Hortons Jamboree

BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE

Fans can 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.

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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