Hamilton Bulldogs Weekly

Published on March 4, 2013 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


BULLDOGS AT A GLANCE

Record: 22-27-1-5, 50 points ... Home: 14-11-1-2, 31 points, Road: 8-16-0-3, 19 points ... Standings: 5th North Division ... 15th Western Conference ... Last 10 games: 7-3-0-0 ... Longest winning streak: 4 (Feb. 9-16) ... Longest losing streak: 5 (Dec. 16-26, Jan. 11-21) ... Leading scorers: RW Mike Blunden (50 GP 9-12-21) ... C Michael Bournival (48 GP 7-13-20) ... D Nathan Beaulieu (53 GP 6-13-19) ... RW Patrick Holland (53 GP 5-12-17) Goaltenders: Robert Mayer (28 GP 12-101-3, 2.99 GAA, .902 save %, 0 SO), Dustin Tokarski (38 GP 21-10-4, 2.31 GAA, .908 Save %, 4 SO) ... Power play - Home: 14-for-117, 12 percent, 29th AHL ... Road: 9-for-111, 8.1 percent 30th AHL ... Overall: 23-for-228, 10.1 percent, 30th AHL ... Penalty killing - Home: 11-for-116, 90.5 percent, 1st AHL ... Road: 33-for-138, 76.1 percent, 29th AHL ... Overall: 44-for-254, 82.7 percent, 19th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.16, 30th AHL ... Goals against per game: 3.00, 25th AHL

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE

ABBOTSFORD HEAT (Affiliation: Calgary Flames) - Head Coach: Troy Ward ... Record: 27-23-3-5, 62 points ... Home: 19-10-2-1, 31 points ... Road: 8-13-1-4, 21 points ... Standings: 2nd North Division ... 6th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: C Ben Walter (50 GP 12-21-33) ... Leading goaltender: Barry Brust (26 GP 11-12-2, 2.33 GAA, .916 Save %, 5 SO) ... Power play: 37-for-232, 15.9 percent, 18th AHL ... Penalty killing: 32-for-234, 86.3 percent, 4th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.19, 29th AHL ... Goals against per game: 2.40, 3rd AHL ... Last game: March 2 L 5-1 vs. Houston ... Last 10 games: 2-7-0-1 ... The game is the first of seven consecutive road dates for the Heat, which posted one way on its recent four-game homestand ... The Heat's 127 goals are second-fewest in the Western Conference, eight more than the Bulldogs, and its 139 goals against are second-best in the conference, four more than the Chicago Wolves ... G Barry Brust's 2.33 goals-against average is 13th in the AHL and he is third in the league with five shutouts ... G Danny Taylor was promoted to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 16. He led the AHL with a 1.82 goals-against average at the time of his departure ... C Roman Horak has four assists over his last four games ... C Ben Street is third in the AHL with 180 shots on goal ... The Heat averages 14.19 penalty minutes per game, 24th in the league ... The Heat's eight road wins are tied with the Bulldogs for fewest in the AHL ... The Heat is 15-6-0-2 against North Division foes ... The Heat's power play is 26th in the league away from home, having scored 11 goals in 102 opportunities (10.8 percent) ... The Heat's penalty killing on the road is 10th in the AHL, having allowed 18 goals in 103 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 84.5 percent ... The Heat averages 27.93 shots per game, 27th in the AHL, ands allows an average of 27.48, fourth in the league ... All-time series: 12-9-0-1-3 ... This season: Sixth of eight meetings. The Bulldogs won the first game, 2-1 at home on Oct. 28, and split two games at Abbotsford, losing 5-1 on Nov. 30 and winning 3-0 on Dec. 1. The Heat won the last two games, both at Abbotsford, winning 3-1 on Jan. 15 and prevailing 2-1 in a shootout the following night. The Heat returns to Hamilton on March 27 and the season series concludes at Copps Coliseum on March 29 ... First-round NHL picks: G Leland Irving (Calgary, 2006), C Krys Kolanos (Phoenix, 2000), C Greg Nemisz (Calgary, 2008) ... Connections: None

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (Affiliation: Detroit Red Wings) - Head Coach: Jeff Blashill ... Record: 32-19-2-2, 68 points ... Home: 17-10-2-1, 37 points ... Road: 15-9-0-1, 31 points ... Standings: 1st Midwest Division ... 2nd Western Conference ... Leading scorer: RW Gustav Nyquist (54 GP 22-35-61) ... Leading goaltender: Petr Mrazek (29 GP 18-9-1, 2.34 GAA, .915 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 49-for-238, 20.6 percent, 6th AHL ... Penalty killing: 44-for-233, 81.1 percent, 23rd AHL ... Goals for per game: 3.33, 2nd AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.80, 15th AHL ... Last game: March 3 W 5-1 at Milwaukee ... Last 10 games: 5-5-0-0 ... The Griffins will squeeze in a home game against the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday between their engagements with the Bulldogs ... The Griffins are fifth in the AHL in attendance, averaging 7,119 per game ... The Griffins lead the Western Conference in goals with 183 and are second in the league behind the Syracuse Crunch, who have scored 195. The Griffins set a league mark for goals this season with 11 in a road win over the Rockford IceHogs on Jan. 19 ... The Griffins have lost 11 games in which they have scored first, tied for most in the league with the IceHogs ... The Griffins are 8-3-0-1 against North Division opponents ... The Griffins have scored nine shorthanded goals, tied with Syracuse for third in the league ... RW Gustav Nyquist leads the AHL in scoring with 22 goals and 35 assists for 61 points. He is second in the league in assists, one behind Jeff Taffe of the Hershey Bears. Nyquist has recorded five goals and seven assists for 12 points in a six-game points run ... RW Jan Mursak has four points, including two goals, in four games since being returned to Grand Rapids by the Red Wings ... G Petr Mrazek is 15th in the AHL with a 2.34 goals-against average. He has faced three penalty shots this season, allowing two goals ... C Riley Sheahan is 10th in scoring among AHL rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points. He has contributed six points, including one goal, over his last six games ... Rookie D Chad Billins is sixth among AHL rearguards in scoring with 31 points, including five goals. He has three goals and five points in his last four games ... RW Francis Pare has eight points, including four goals, in his last six games ... All-time series: 35-27-1-2-5 ... This season: Third and fourth of four meetings. The Bulldogs posted a 4-3 win via shootout at Grand Rapids in their season opener on Oct. 13. The Griffins, who skated to a 5-1 win at Copps Coliseum on Feb. 1, return to Hamilton on Sunday... First-round NHL picks: G Thomas McCollum (Detroit, 2008), C Riley Sheahan (Detroit, 2010) ... Connections: C Riley Sheahan is a native of St. Catharines

PEORIA RIVERMEN (Affiliation: St. Louis Blues) - Head Coach: David Allison ... Record: 24-24-4-3, 55 points ... Home: 14-9-1-3, 32 points ... Road: 10-15-3-0, 23 points ... Standings: 5th Midwest Division ... 14th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: C T.J. Hensick (55 GP 14-34-48) Leading goaltender: Jake Allen (34 GP 13-18-2, 2.92 GAA, .904 Save %, 2 SO) ... Power play: 24-for-202, 11.9 percent, 27th AHL ... Penalty killing: 36-for-220, 83.6 percent, 14th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.53, 22nd AHL ... Goals against per game: 3.02, 27th AHL ... Last game: March 2 W 4-1 vs. Grand Rapids ... Last 10 games: 4-5-0-1 ... The Rivermen, who have lost their last three road games, will visit the Lake Erie Monsters on Tuesday and Thursday night before meeting the Bulldogs ... G Jake Allen has played five games with the St. Louis Blues this season, posting three wins. He has started the Rivermen's last three games. Mike McKenna has made eight consecutive starts prior to that ... C T.J. Hensick is 11th in the AHL in scoring with 14 goals and 34 assists for 48 points. He is fourth in the league in assists and has recorded 16 points, including five goals, over his last 15 games ... The Rivermen are 23rd in the AHL in penalty minutes, averaging 14.33 per game. The Rivermen are 10-10-2-2 in games in which they have scored first ... Peoria is 3-2-0-1 against North Division foes ... The Rivermen have the AHL's 27th best power play on the road having scored 11 goals in 104 opportunities (10.6 percent) ... The Rivermen are 13th in the league at killing penalties on the road having surrendered 19 goals in 108 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 83.9 percent ... Peoria has allowed nine shorthanded goals, tied with four other teams for second in the AHL ... All-time series: 6-7-0-0-2 ... This season: Second of two meetings. The Rivermen won 4-3 via shootout at home on Dec. 18 ... First-round NHL picks: D Jeff Woywitka (Philadelphia, 2001) ... Connections: Bulldogs D Kyle Hagel played seven games for the Rivermen in 2011-12

TRANSACTIONS

March 1 - C Gabriel Dumont recalled by 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

PRACTICE/MORNING SKATE SCHEDULE

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

Tuesday, March 5: Morning Skate - 10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Wednesday, March 6: Off Day

Thursday, March 7: Practice -10 am (Copps Coliseum)

Friday, March 8: Morning Skate - 11:15 am (Van Andel Arena)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

February 26: at Hamilton - Bulldogs 4, IceCaps 3

Defenceman Nathan Beaulieu scored two goals, including the eventual winner at 6:14 of the third period, to lift the Bulldogs to a 4-3 win over the IceCaps before a crowd of 2,225. Stefan Chaput's fifth goal of the season opened the scoring for the Bulldogs on the power play at 13:06 of the first period. Jason Gregoire tied the game at 2:58 of the second period, but Joe Stejskal put the Bulldogs back in front with his first career AHL goal at 10:13. Beaulieu made it 3-1 at 16:07 but Aaron Gagnon cut the lead to a goal at 17:03. Beaulieu's sixth goal of the season restored the two-goal margin before Raymond Sawada got the visitors within a goal on the power play at 7:35. Robert Mayer made 39 saves for the Bulldogs, who got two assists each from Patrick Holland and Joey Tenute. Mark Dekanich faced 29 shots for the Icecaps who went 1-for-5 on the power play. The Bulldogs were 1-for6.

March 1: at Hamilton - Senators 3, Bulldogs 2

Jean-Gabriel Pageau's goal 34 seconds into the second period stood as the winner at the Senators held off the Bulldogs 3-2. Cole Schneider got the visitors on the board with a power-play goal at 3:12 of the first period and Corey Cowick made it 2-0 at 8:18. Joey Tenute got the Bulldogs on the board with his third goal of the season at 11:04 before Pageau restored the Senators' two-goal margin. Louis Leblanc's eighth goal at 13:55 made it 3-2, but that is as close as the home side would get. Robert Mayer faced 30 shots in a second consecutive start while Nathan Lawson made 28 saves for the Senators. The Bulldogs were 0-for-4 on the power play, Binghamton was 1-for-3. Attendance for the last of the Bulldogs' 10 straight home dates was 4,487.

March 2: at Cleveland - Bulldogs 2, Monsters 0

Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 shots to record his fourth shutout of the season and first as a member of the Bulldogs as he backstopped Hamilton to a 2-0 win. Greg Pateryn opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season at 7:26 of the first period and Michael Bournival followed with his seventh at 18:55. Calvin Pickard faced 28 shots for the Monsters who were 0-for-5 on the power play. The Bulldogs were 0-for-3.

TEAM NOTES

The Bulldogs are 13th in the league in attendance, averaging 5,705 fans per game through 28 home dates ... The Bulldogs averaged 4,794 fans during their run of 10 consecutive home dates. That number includes the crowd of 10,173 that took in the Bulldogs 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 22 ... The Bulldogs went 6-4-0-0 during their stretch of home games ... Dustin Tokarski's shutout at Lake Erie was the Bulldogs' first since Dec. 11 when Cedrick Desjardins made 29 saves in a 1-0 win over the visiting Monsters ... The Bulldogs are 12-15-1-4 against North Division opponents and 17-21-1-5 against Western Conference foes ... The Bulldogs are 13-5-1-5 in one-goal games ... The Bulldogs, Albany Devils and Springfield Falcons are the only AHL teams yet to win a game in overtime this season. The Bulldogs have only played one game this season that ended in the extra period. They have played eight games settled in shootouts, winning three ... The Bulldogs are 13-0-0-0 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 6-0-0-0 when leading at home through two periods ... The Bulldogs are averaging 20.16 penalty minutes per game, ninth in the AHL ... The Bulldogs are 12-3-0-1 when scoring first ... The Bulldogs allow an average of 30.67 shots per game, 19th in the AHL, while taking an average of 28.29 shots per game, 26th in the league ... The Bulldogs are 13-8-1-1 in games in which they outshoot the opposition.

PLAYER NEWS

D Nathan Beaulieu's two-goal effort against St. John's was the first of his professional career. He leads Bulldogs blueliners in scoring with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points ... RW Mike Blunden has one goal and three assists for four points over his last five games. He is currently on a three-game points run ... C Michael Bournival has recorded four goals and two assists for six points over his last seven games ... At the time of his promotion to the Canadiens, C Gabriel Dumont was leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 52 games. He played three games for the Canadiens last season ... D Frederic St-Denis returned to the lineup against Binghamton after missing 10 games due to injury ... RW Patrick Holland has contributed three assists over his last three games ... D Greg Pateryn has four goals and two assists for six points in 14 games since returning to the lineup after losing 34 games to an elbow injury ... D Joe Stejskal's goal against the IceCaps was the first regular season goal of his professional career, which includes 79 games with the Bulldogs over three seasons and 26 this season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Stejskal, who scored a playoff goal for the Bulldogs in 2010-11, scored 14 goals over three collegiate seasons at Dartmouth ... C Joey Tenute broke a 12-game scoring drought with a goal against the Senators. He has four points, including one goal, in his last three games ... D Jarred Tinordi has registered one goal and four assist for five points in his last seven games ... G Dustin Tokarski has yet to allow more than two goals in five games with the Bulldogs. Tokarski has a record of 3-2-0-0 and a goals-against average of 1.42 with the Bulldogs. His shutout at Lake Erie was his first with the Bulldogs and fourth of the season. Tokarski has recorded 15 shutouts over four AHL seasons.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

D Jason DeSantis turns 27 on Saturday

BULLDOGS SIGN LEASE EXTENSION, EXTEND AFFILIATION AGREEMENT

The Bulldogs announced last Friday that they have signed a three-year lease extension with Global Spectrum to remain at Copps Coliseum. The Bulldogs have also extended their affiliation agreement with the Montreal Canadiens for three more seasons.

The Bulldogs have played out of Copps Coliseum since 1996-97 making them the seventh longest-tenured club in the AHL behind the Hershey Bears, who began play in 1938-39, Rochester Americans, Providence Bruins, Portland Pirates, Springfield Falcons and Syracuse Crunch. The Bulldogs have been the Canadiens' AHL affiliate since 2002-03 and won the Calder Cup in 2007.

There are currently 39 former Bulldogs on NHL rosters including 10 with the Canadiens.

BULLDOGS 2013-2014 SEASON TICKETS NOW ON SALE

2013-2014 Hamilton Bulldogs season 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. As a special bonus, if you become a new season ticket holder by March 30th you'll get tickets to all four of the team's home games in April for free! For more information on how you can join our team by becoming a 'Dogs season ticket holder call 905-529-8500, 1-866-DOGS-TIX or e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com.

BULLDOGS 2013-2014 SEASON TICKET RENEWALS

Season ticket renewals have begun for the 2013-2014 season. To thank fans for supporting the Bulldogs during their first 17 seasons in Hamilton, fans renewing their season tickets by April 30th will be rewarded with two great gifts - a limited edition Hamilton Bulldogs commemorative stick signed by the whole team and a framed and matted team photo autographed by all of the 'Dogs' coaches and players. For more information, contact your account executive. Call 905-529-8500, 1-866-DOGS-TIX or e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com.

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

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 Facebook 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

2013-2014 Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, 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 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 March 4, 2013


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