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Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly

February 25, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


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

Tuesday, February 26th vs. St. John's IceCaps, Copps Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. - Funny 820 AM

Friday, March 1st vs. Binghamton Senators, Copps Coliseum, 7:30 p.m. - Funny 820 AM/Cable 14

Saturday, March 2nd at Lake Erie Monsters, Quicken Loans Arena, 7:30 p.m. - Funny 820 AM

BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

Record: 20-26-1-5, 46 points ... Home: 13-10-1-2, 29 points, Road: 7-16-0-3, 17 points ... Standings: 5th North Division ... 15th Western Conference ... Last 10 games: 6-4-0-0 ... Longest winning streak: 4 (Feb. 9-16) ... Longest losing streak: 5 (Dec. 16-26, Jan. 11-21) ... Leading scorers: C Gabriel Dumont (50 GP 15-15-30) ... RW Mike Blunden (47 GP 9-9-18) ... C Michael Bournival (45 GP 6-12-18) ... D Nathan Beaulieu (51 GP 4-12-16) ... Goaltenders: Robert Mayer (26 GP 11-10-3, 2.99 GAA, .900 save %, 0 SO), Dustin Tokarski (37 GP 20-10-4, 2.38 GAA, .905 Save %, 3 SO) ... Power play - Home: 13-for-107, 12.1 percent, 27th AHL ... Road: 9-for-108, 8.3 percent 30th AHL ... Overall: 22-for-215, 10.2 percent, 30th AHL ... Penalty killing - Home: 9-for-108, 91.7 percent, 1st AHL ... Road: 33-for-133, 75.2 percent, 30th AHL ... Overall: 42-for-241, 82.6 percent, 18th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.13, 30th AHL ... Goals against per game: 3.06, 28th AHL

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE

ST. JOHN'S ICECAPS (Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets) - Head Coach: Keith McCambridge ... Record: 23-29-1-2, 49 points ... Home: 9-15-1-1, 20 points ... Road: 14-14-0-1, 29 points ... Standings: 5th Atlantic Division ... 14th Eastern Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Jason Jaffray (44 GP 12-18-30) ... Leading goaltender: Mark Dekanich (22 GP 8-10-0, 3.20 GAA, .892 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 42-for-276, 15.2 percent, 21st AHL ... Penalty killing: 50-for-239, 79.1 percent, 29th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 24 L 5-4 at Toronto ... Last 10 games: 3-7-0-0 ... The game is the final stop on a six-game road trip for the IceCaps, who will embark on a six-game homestand on Friday night that will finish with two games against the Bulldogs on March 15-16 ... The IceCaps are 3-2-0-0 since G Eddie Pasquale was called up to the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 13 ... St. John's has played eight extended-time games, tied with the Manchester Monarchs, Rochester Americans and Rockford IceHogs for fewest in the AHL. The IceCaps are 5-3 in those games ... The IceCaps are 18th in the AHL in penalty minutes, averaging 16.09 per game ... The IceCaps are 15th in the AHL in power-play efficiency on the road, having scored 23 goals in 146 opportunities (15.8 percent) ... The IceCaps' road penalty killers are 23rd in the league, having allowed 25 goals in 130 shorthanded situations for an effectiveness rating of 80.8 percent ... The IceCaps are 3-5-0-0 against North Division opponents ... C Eric O'Dell has seven goals and five assists for 12 points in his last 11 games ... C Kael Mouillierat has recorded eight points, including one goal, in his last four games ... LW Ivan Telegin turns 21 on Friday ... LW Carl Klingberg has contributed five points, including two goals, over his last seven games ... All-time series: 6-6-0-0 ... This season: Fifth of eight meetings. Teams split a two-game set at St. John's. IceCaps won the opener 3-1 on Nov. 20, the Bulldogs claimed a 2-1 win the following evening. IceCaps skated to a 2-1 win at Hamilton on Dec. 21 while the Bulldogs won 6-3 at home on Dec. 28 ... First-round NHL picks: None ... 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

BINGHAMTON SENATORS (Affiliation: Ottawa Senators) - Head Coach: Luke Richardson ... Record: 31-17-1-4, 67 points ... Home: 17-7-1-2, 37 points ... Road: 14-10-0-2, 30 points ... Standings: 2nd East Division ... 4th Eastern Conference ... Leading scorer: C Stephane Da Costa (34 GP 9-17-26) ... Leading goaltender: Nathan Lawson (7 GP 3-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .927 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 36-for-260, 13.8 percent, 25th AHL ... Penalty killing: 38-for-269, 85.9 percent, 5th AHL ... Goals for per game: 3.02, 9th AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.57, 7th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 24 L 2-1 at Adirondack ... Last 10 games: 4-5-0-1 ... G Robin Lehner, who played 31 games for Binghamton this season, was called up to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 21. His 2.12 goals-against average is third in the AHL and he led the league with a .938 save percentage ... The Senators lead The AHL with 15 shorthanded goals, five more than the second-place Connecticut Whale ... The Senators average 20.30 penalty minutes per game ... The Senators have seven wins and a shootout loss against North Division foes ... The Senators' road power play is ranked 21st in the league with 16 goals from 115 opportunities (13.9 percent) ... The Senators are third in the AHL in penalty killing away from home, having given up 18 goals in 136 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 86.8 percent ... The Senators surrender an average of 35.28 shots per game, last in the AHL. They take an average of 31.08 shots per game, seventh in the AHL ... The Senators are the only team that has failed to earn a point when trailing after two periods on the road ... The Senators compiled a league-best nine-game winning streak between Nov. 10 and Dec. 7 ... LW Cole Schneider has recorded two goals and five assists for seven points over his last 10 games ... LW Shane Prince has contributed five points, including three goals, over his last nine games ... D Chris Wideman has four assists over his last four games ... All-time series: 14-7-1-1-1 ... This season: First of two meetings. The Bulldogs visit Binghamton on March 23 ... First-round NHL picks: D Jared Cowen (Ottawa, 2009), RW Hugh Jessiman (New York Rangers, 2003) ...... Connections: Senators G Nathan Lawson played 44 games for the Bulldogs in 2011-12

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS (Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche) - Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth ... Record: 25-21-2-7, 59 points ... Home: 11-10-1-4, 27 points ... Road: 14-11-1-3, 32 points ... Standings: 3rd North Division ... 8th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Andrew Agozzino (55 GP 13-25-38) Leading goaltender: Calvin Pickard (33 GP 14-12-5, 2.66 GAA, .915 Save %, 3 SO) ... Power play: 44-for-1243, 18.1 percent, 11th AHL ... Penalty killing: 46-for-255, 82 percent, 21st AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.93, 12th AHL ... Goals against per game: 3.02, 24th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 23 L 4-2 vs. Texas ... Last 10 games: 1-4-0-5 ... The Monsters host the Milwaukee Admirals on Tuesday night before entertaining the Bulldogs ... The Bulldogs' visit is the fifth of eight consecutive home games for the Monsters who are 1-1-0-1 in those games to date ... Lake Erie is fourth in the AHL in attendance, averaging 7,607 fans per game ... The Monsters are 11th in the league in penalty minutes, averaging 18.45 per game ... The Monsters lead the AHL with 17 extended-time games. They have eight wins and nine losses in those games and their seven shootout losses are second in the league, two behind the Albany Devils. The Monsters, who lost three consecutive games via shootout from Feb. 5-10, have played a league-high 12 shootout games ... The Monsters are 8-9-1-3 against North Division opponents ... The Monsters rank 17th in the AHL in power-play effectiveness at home, having scored 22 goals in 130 opportunities (16.9 percent) ... The Monsters are 19th in the league in killing penalties at home, having allowed 20 goals in 113 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 82.3 percent ... The Monsters have allowed nine shorthanded goals, tied for second in the league in that category. The Portland Pirates have surrendered 12 ... C Mike Sgarbossa, who turns 21 on Monday, was recently returned to the Monsters by the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Sgarbossa, who failed to record a point in six games with the Avalanche, had seven points, including three goals, in four games for the Monsters before his departure and scored in his first game upon his return. He leads the AHL in shooting percentage with 17 goals from 62 shots (27.4 percent) ... LW Andrew Agozzino and Sgarbossa are fifth and seventh in scoring among AHL rookies. Sgarbossa ranks fourth among rookies in goals while Agozzino's 25 assists are third in that group ... LW Paul Carey has recorded five goals and four assists for nine points in a seven-game points streak ... D Thomas Pock is eleventh in scoring among blueliners with nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points ... D Markus Luridsen marks his 22nd birthday on Thursday while LW Brian Sutherby turns 31 on Friday ... All-time series: 23-15-1-6 ... This season: Sixth of eight meetings. Monsters won the opener, 4-1 at Hamilton on Nov. 25. Bulldogs beat the visiting Monsters 1-0 on Dec. 11. Lake Erie prevailed 4-0 at home on Dec. 29 and earned a 3-2 win via shootout on Jan. 5. The Bulldogs posted a 2-1 win via shootout on the road against the Monsters on Jan. 26. The Bulldogs host the Monsters in the first game of a home-and-home set on April 12 ... First-round NHL picks: C Joey Hishon (Colorado, 2010), LW Brian Sutherby (Washington, 2000) ... Connections: Bulldogs HC Sylvain Lefebvre spent three seasons as a Monsters AC under current Avalanche HC Joe Sacco

TRANSACTIONS

None

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

PRACTICE/MORNING SKATE SCHEDULE

Monday, Feb. 25: Practice -11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Tuesday, Feb. 26: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Wednesday, Feb. 27: Off Day

Thursday, Feb. 28: Practice -11 am (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, March 1: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Sunday, March 3: Off Day

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

February 18: at Hamilton - Americans 2, Bulldogs 0

Goaltender David Leggio made 30 saves to record his second shutout of the season as the Americans beat the Bulldogs 2-0 in a Family and Faith Day matinee before a crowd of 5,624. Brayden McNabb opened the scoring on the power play at 10:01 of the first period with Luke Adam adding a goal at 1:06 of the second. The Americans scored on their only power-play attempt, the Bulldogs, who got 47 saves from goaltender Dustin Tokarski, were 0-for-1. Leggio's first shutout of the season came in a 34-save effort in a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs at Rochester on Dec. 31.

February 22: at Montreal - Bulldogs 3, Americans 2

Steve Quailer scored the winning goal at 2:04 of the second period to boost the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win over the Americans before a crowd of 10,173 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Mark Pysyk opened the scoring at 10:35 of the first period, but defenceman Jarred Tinordi replied with his second goal of the season at 11:43. Maxime Legault restored Rochester's lead with a shorthanded goal at 14:02 before Mike Blunden tied the game with ninth goal of the season 26 seconds into the second period. The Bulldogs, who got two assists from Daultan Leveille, were 0-for-6 on the power play while the Americans were 0-for-5. Dustin Tokarski made 17 saves in the Bulldogs' net while the Americans got 22 saves from David Leggio. The game marked the debut of Chadd Cassidy as the American's head coach. He took over on an interim basis after head coach Ron Rolston was tabbed by the Buffalo Sabres to replace Lindy Ruff, who was fired Feb. 20.

February 24: at Hamilton - Admirals 2, Bulldogs 0

Magnus Hellberg made 25 saves to record his second shutout of the season as Milwaukee posted a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs before a Sunday afternoon crowd of 5,237. Juuso Puustinen produced all the offence the Admirals would need with a goal at 12:41 of the second period while Chris Mueller scored into an empty net at 19:51 of the third. Dustin Tokarski faced 21 shots for the Bulldogs who were 0-for-5 on the power play. The Admirals were 0-for-2.

TEAM NOTES

The Bulldogs are 12th in the league in attendance, averaging 5,886 fans per game through 26 home dates ... The Bulldogs are 5-3-0-0 during their stretch of 10 consecutive home games. All three of their losses during that time have been by shutout. The Bulldogs have been blanked eight times this season ... The Bulldogs split their two games in Montreal this season. They lost 4-1 to the Syracuse Crunch on Nov. 9 before a crowd of 18,582 ... The 49 shots the Bulldogs allowed in their 2-0 loss to visiting Rochester on Monday were the most it has surrendered this season. The Bulldogs gave up 46 shots in a 6-4 road win over the Toronto Marlies on Feb. 6 ... The Bulldogs' visit to Lake Erie on Saturday will be their first game outside of Canada since a 2-1 shootout win over the Monsters on Jan. 26. Since then the Bulldogs will have played 10 games at Hamilton, two at Toronto and one at Montreal ... The Bulldogs' 29 first-period goals are tied with the Adirondack Phantoms for the fewest in the league in the opening 20 minutes. The Bulldogs have scored 32 second-period goals and 47 in the third ... The Bulldogs are 11-15-1-4 against North Division opponents and 16-21-1-5 against Western Conference foes ... The Bulldogs are 12-4-1-5 in one-goal games ... The Bulldogs are 11-0-0-0 when leading through two periods and are the only team in the league yet to lose in regulation when holding a lead through 40 minutes. The Bulldogs are 5-0-0-0 when leading at home through two periods ... The Bulldogs are averaging 20.40 penalty minutes per game, eighth in the AHL ... The Bulldogs are 10-3-0-1 when scoring first ... ... The Bulldogs allow an average of 30.46 shots per game, 17th in the AHL, while taking an average of 28.25 shots per game, 26th in the league.

PLAYER NEWS

C Michael Bournival has four points, including three goals, in his last four games ... C Stefan Chaput played his 200th AHL game against the Admirals. He has 28 goals and 58 assists for 96 career points including four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 36 games in his first season with the Bulldogs ... C Daultan Leveille recorded his first career AHL points when he picked up two assists at Montreal. Leveille, who has played 11 games for the Bulldogs, had contributed four goals and three assists for seven points in 25 games with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL ... RW Steve Quailer's goal at Montreal against the Americans was his first score since he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters on Dec. 11. Quailer's three game-winning goals lead the team ... D Jarred Tinordi's goal at Montreal was his first in 23 games dating to a 4-3 road loss to the Milwaukee Admirals on Dec. 16 ... The 49 shots G Dustin Tokarski's faced against Rochester were the most he has dealt with in 183 AHL games, eclipsing the 39 he faced as a member of the Norfolk Admirals in a 3-1 win over the visiting Adirondack Phantoms on March 20, 2010. Tokarski has yet to allow more than two goals in his four starts for the Bulldogs. He has a 1.78 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in those games.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

F Philippe Lefebvre turns 22 on Feb. 28

BULLDOGS JOIN 'YOU CAN PLAY' PROJECT

The Bulldogs recently become the sixth AHL team to pledge their support to the You Can Play project which is "dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation".

The Bulldogs joined the Manchester Monarchs, Providence Bruins, Peoria Rivermen, Portland Pirates and Toronto Marlies as other AHL teams to have come out in support of You Can Play, a non-profit organization begun by former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and his son Patrick to fight homophobia in sports in memory of Brendan Burke, Brian's son and Patrick's brother, who was killed in a car accident in 2010.

The Bulldogs' You Can Play project video can be seen on the club's official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/bulldogstube

Bulldogs' personnel shown in the video in order of appearance are Kyle Hagel, Zack Stortini, president Stephen Ostaszewicz, play-by-play announcer Derek Wills, Frederic St-Denis, Robert Mayer, Joey Tenute, Gabriel Dumont, Louis Leblanc, Jason DeSantis, head coach Sylvain Lefebvre and Nathan Beaulieu.

For more information on you can play, please visit www.youcanplayproject.org

BULLDOGS STICK RAFFLE

At their Feb. 9 game against the Texas Stars the Bulldogs launched a month-long raffle of game and practice-used sticks. Between now and the Feb. 26 game against the St. John's IceCaps fans can purchase raffle tickets for $2 each or three for $5 for a chance to win their favourite Bulldogs players' stick. Each player has contributed a stick which has been autographed and adorned with pink tape in honour of the Bulldogs' Pink in the Rink initiative. Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Juravinski Cancer Centre Foundation where they will be directed to the CIBC Breast Assessment Centre.

BRUISER'S BUDDIES KID'S CLUB

Do you have a young Bulldogs fan in your life who is also a big fan of Bruiser, the best mascot in the AHL? Then Bruiser's Kid's Club is for you.

Membership is $15 per child (ages 13 and under) and includes the following:

- An exclusive Bruiser's Buddies Kid's Club t-shirt

- One blue ticket to each of the Bulldogs' Kid's Club games:

- Sat. March 9 at 7 p.m. vs. Peoria Rivermen

- Fri. April 19 at 7:30 p.m. vs. St. John's IceCaps

- (Extra tickets for these games are available for $12 each)

- Official 2012-13 game puck

- Set of 2011-12 Bulldogs hockey cards

For more information or to register contact Brianne Whitty at 905-777-2368 or via email at brianne.whitty@hamiltonbulldogs.com

2013 BULLDOGS SUMMER HOCKEY CAMP

The Bulldogs will be running a summer hockey camp at the Mohawk 4 Ice Centre in Hamilton from July 29 to August 2. The full-day camp is for kids between the ages of 7-13 and will feature guest appearances by current members of the Bulldogs' coaching staff and current and former Bulldogs players.

For more information contact Brianne Whitty at 905-777-2368 or via email at brianne.whitty@hamiltonbulldogs.com

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.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON AHL LIVE

All Bulldogs games are broadcast on AHL Live where fans can take advantage of mid-season pricing. Every AHL game, including archived games, is available for $189.99. All remaining Bulldogs home and away games are available with a team pass, which also includes archived games, for $99.99 and Bulldogs road games only are available with an away pass, which also includes archived games, for $59.99.

For more information visit 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.

Fans can become 'Dogs Insiders by texting "Dogs" to 360-360 for text message alerts and offers. The Bullodgs also run contests every home game, both on social media and at Copps Coliseum, where fans can text a keyword and be eligible to win tickets to an upcoming Bulldogs game!

Do you have a favourite song you'd like to hear at a 'Dogs game? Tweet your request during the third period to www.twitter.com/bulldogsAHL using the hashtag #DogsTrax.

Fans can also converse with Bulldogs staff via Twitter during the game. The 'Dogs will also be looking to connect with their fans with contests, challenges or questions!

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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