North Division Leading Bulldogs Play Final Game Before Christmas

Published on December 20, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release


The Hamilton Bulldogs (American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) will play their final game before Christmas on Tuesday, December 21st when they travel to Houston to battle the Aeros (AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild) at 8:05 p.m. EST. The Bulldogs will then be off for four days before resuming play on Sunday, December 26th when they meet the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) for a 3:00 p.m. game at Ricoh Coliseum.

Hamilton took to the ice against four West Division foes this week with games versus the Houston Aeros, Oklahoma City Barons, Texas Stars and the San Antonio Rampage. The first of four matches this week began with the Aeros at home at Copps Coliseum on December 14th. Alexander Avtsin potted the first goal of the game for the 'Dogs giving them a 1-0 lead in the second. Houston responded with three unanswered goals from Robbie Earl, Brandon Buck and Warren Peters to win the game 3-1 for the Aeros. Hamilton's next three games were on the road with their first stop in Oklahoma City on December 17th. Ben Maxwell scored in the first to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead, followed by Dustin Boyd in the second frame for his first of the season and David Desharnais, who scored a goal in the third. Curtis Sanford and the 'Dogs went on to blank the Barons by a score of 3-0. Hamilton's next stop was in Austin, Texas against the Stars on December 18th. The scoring began in the second stanza as both teams were held off of the score sheet in the first period. Travis Morin gave Texas a 1-0 advantage going into the third. Aaron Gagnon scored in the third to give the Stars a 2-0 lead before J.T. Wyman and Dustin Boyd were able tie the game up with minutes remaining in the final frame. Dustin Boyd scored the game-winner for the Bulldogs just one minute into overtime handing Hamilton a 3-2 victory over the Stars. The final tilt of the week took place in San Antonio versus the Rampage on December 19th. The game was a high-scoring affair but Hamilton fell short of the victory losing the contest 5-4 in regulation. The Bulldogs' goals were tallied by Andrew Conboy who had two, Dustin Boyd and Andreas Engqvist.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW:

Tuesday, December 14th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 1 vs. HOUSTON AEROS 3

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Alexander Avtsin

Houston Goals: Robbie Earl, Brandon Buck*, Warren Peters

Goaltending: Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (L - 23 shots, 21 saves) / Houston: Matt Hackett (W - 25 shots, 24 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 0-3 / Houston 0-2

Attendance: 2407

* - Game Winning Goal

Friday, December 17th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 3 @ OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS 0

Cox Convention Center - Oklahoma City, OK

Hamilton Goals: Ben Maxwell*, Dustin Boyd, David Desharnais

Oklahoma City Goals: None

Goaltending: Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (W - 29 shots, 29 saves) / Oklahoma City: Martin Gerber (L - 23 shots, 20 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 2-6 / Oklahoma City 0-8

Attendance: 4858

*- Game Winning Goal

Saturday, December 18th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 3 @ TEXAS STARS 2 (OT)

Cedar Park Center - Austin, TX

Hamilton Goals: J.T. Wyman, Dustin Boyd (2)*

Texas Goals: Travis Morin, Aaron Gagnon

Goaltending: Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (W - 33 shots, 31 saves) / Texas: Richard Bachman (L - 33 shots, 30 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 1-2 / Texas 0-2

Attendance: 6518

*- Game Winning Goal

Sunday, December 19th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 4 @ SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE 5

AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX

Hamilton Goals: Andrew Conboy (2), Dustin Boyd, Andreas Engqvist

San Antonio Goals: Bracken Kearns, Maxim Goncharov, Alexandre Picard (2), Andrew Ebbett*

Goaltending: Hamilton: Robert Mayer (L - 38 shots, 33 saves) / San Anontio: Joe Fallon (W- 23 shots, 19 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 0-4 / San Antonio 2-5

Attendance: 3033

*- Game Winning Goal

BULLDOGS NOTES:

- C David Desharnais is tied for second overall in AHL scoring with 36 points (8G, 28A). He is only one point behind leading scorer Corey Locke of the Binghamton Senators who has 37.

- Centre David Desharnais leads the team in plus-minus with a +11 rating and is also first in the AHL for assists with 28, which is only one ahead of second place Michal Repik of the Americans.

- The 'Dogs rank in the top ten in both special teams categories. Hamilton's penalty kill is sixth overall with a 85.6% success rate and their power play sits seventh in the standings capitalizing on 20.4% of their chances with the man advantage.

- LW Max Pacioretty is tied for first in the AHL in goals with 17 even though he has missed Hamilton's last four games. Pacioretty was recalled to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, December 12th.

- C Dustin Boyd has recorded a goal in each of his first three games with the 'Dogs, amassing four goals in that span. Boyd was assigned to the 'Dogs on Thursday, December 16th.

- C Ben Maxwell returned to the Bulldogs lineup on Friday, December 17th after missing the previous nine games due to an injury. Maxwell is now on a three-game points streak that has seen him earn four points (1G,3A).

- Sunday's game was the first that C Ryan White played with the 'Dogs since November 19th. He missed 14 games due to injury.

- G Curtis Sanford sits third in the AHL for goals-against-average with 1.71 and fourth in save percentage with .939SV%.

UPCOMING GAMES:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21st - HAMILTON @ HOUSTON AEROS

8:05 PM EST - TOYOTA CENTER - HOUSTON, TEXAS

- This will be the second of two meetings between the two clubs this season

- The last time the two teams met was on December 14th, when Hamilton was defeated by Houston 3-1

- Last season the Bulldogs went 0-2-0-0 against the Aeros

- Hamilton's all-time record against Houston currently sits at 3-5-0-1-2

- D Maxim Noureau is leading the Aeros in points with 18 (7G, 12A)

- There are currently three Ontario natives listed on Houston's roster: LW Brandon Buck (Delaware), D Tyler Cuma (Bowmanville) and G Matt Hackett (London)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26th - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ TORONTO MARLIES

3:00 PM EST - RICOH COLISEUM - TORONTO, ONTARIO

- This will be the seventh of ten meetings between the two clubs this season.

- The last time the two teams met was on December 12th when Hamilton defeated the Marlies 5-1

- The 'Dogs hold a 4-1-0-1 record against the Marlies this season

- Last season the Bulldogs went 7-1-2-2 versus the Toronto

- Hamilton's all-time record against the Marlies is 32-23-0-5-6

- Justin Hodgman currently leads Toronto in scoring with 19 points (7G, 12A)

- There are nine Ontario natives currently listed on the Marlies roster: C Brayden Irwin (Toronto), C Justin Hodgman (Brampton), LW Ryan Hamilton (Oshawa), C Mike Zigomanis (North York), D Simon Gysbers (Richmond Hill), RW Dale Mitchell (Etobicoke), RW Luca Caputi (Toronto), LW Jeff Cowan (Scarborough) and RW Richard Greenop (Bowmanville)

ALUMNI WATCH:

There are over 40 former Bulldogs currently on NHL rosters. Over 60 percent of all former 'Dogs have played in at least one NHL game. Here are a few highlights and accomplishments of ex-'Dogs from this past week:

- Montreal G Carey Price posted a 1-2-0-0 record this week, Price lost against the Flyers 5-3 (December 5), beat the Bruins (December 16) 4-3 and lost a game versus the Avalanche 3-2 (December 10) He is one shutout behind first place goaltenders Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist in shutouts with four and leads the NHL with 18 wins.

- Boston G Tim Thomas is currently first among goaltenders in the NHL in goals-against-average and save-percentage. He holds a 1.65 GAA and a 0.951SV% against opposing teams. Thomas is also tied for the NHL lead in shutouts with Henrik Lundqvist with five. He registered a 1-1-0-0 record this week losing to the Canadiens 4-3 (December 16) and gaining a victory over the Capitals 3-2 (December 18).

- Montreal D P.K. Subban netted a goal and an assist in a match-up versus the Flyers (December 15).

- Montreal C Tomas Plekanec scored a goal in a 5-2 loss against the Flyers (December 15) and recorded an assist in a 3-2 loss versus the Avalanche (December 19). Plekanec leads the Canadiens in points with 28 (10G, 18A) through 32 games.

- Toronto C Mikhail Grabovski amassed three goals this week netting a goal in each of his games. He had one versus Edmonton (December 14), Calgary (December 16) and Vancouver (December 18). Grabovski currently sits second in team scoring on the Leafs with 23 points (11G, 12A).

- Montreal RW Max Pacioretty recorded his first two points of the season against the Bruins (December 16) after being recalled by the Canadiens. Pacioretty added a goal and an assist in the contest and registered another helper in a 4-3 loss to the Avalanche (December 19).

- Minnesota RW Antti Miettinen collected one goal in a contest versus the Flames (December 18). He has 16 points (8G, 8A) through 26 games this season.

- Colorado D Ryan O'Byrne notched an assist against the Blackhawks (December 15) and added another helper versus the Senators (December 17).

TUNE IN TO Every Game on the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network:

Fans can listen to every 'Dogs game this season on the flagship station of the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network, 'TODAY'S COUNTRY AM 820 CHAM'. Fans can also listen or watch at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com by clicking on the 'AHL Live' or '820 CHAM' icon on the Bulldogs website. All regular-season radio and online broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to each scheduled game-time. Ellery Award-winning broadcaster Derek Wills calls the play-by-play of all 80 regular season games, while Al Craig provides the colour commentary for all home games and select road games.

GET YOUR TICKETS!:

Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, flex tickets, min pack tickets, group tickets and tickets are now on sale! Individual game tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office (in-person sales only), all Ticketmaster outlets and online at ticketmaster.ca or call 905-527-7666. For information on season tickets, flex tickets, mini pack tickets and group tickets visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or call (905) 529-8500 ext. 179.

GET YOUR BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE AT THE " DAWG HOUSE" : 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.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 20, 2010


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