Vanek leads the way for Amerks
Published on October 6, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs News Release
Brantford, ON - The Hamilton Bulldogs suffered their second loss of the preseason at the hands of the Rochester Americans Wednesday night at the Brantford and District Civic Centre. Leading the way for the Amerks was rookie sensation Thomas Vanek who netted a goal and added two assists.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on a shorthanded effort by Chris Higgins who, along with linemate Tomas Plekanec, received a gift from the Rochester defenders in the form of a shorthanded 2-on-1. Higgins' shot was deflected into the net by the Rochester defenceman at the 4:04 mark of the first period.
Rochester then evened the score some two minutes later when Jiri Novotny stuffed a Jay Leach point shot in past Bulldogs' goalie Olivier Michaud.
With four minutes remaining in the first period Michaud made a great kick-save on a breakaway by Chris Thorburn to keep the score notched at 1-1.
After the Americans went ahead 2-1, not long into the second period, the Bulldogs evened the score on the power play. Rookie Andrei Kostitsyn worked his way along the boards to free up the puck and Corey Locke fed a pass to Philippe Plante who banged the puck in on the doorstep.
With 1:19 remaining in the period the Bulldogs were unable to clear the defensive zone and were punished. Thomas Vanek took advantage of a poor clearing attempt and shot the puck toward the net where Rochester forward Scott Sheppard was standing and buried the rebound. The go-ahead goal proved to be the winner and also put Vanek on the scoresheet for the third time.
Goalie Chris Madden got the win for the Amerks stopping 19 of 20 shots after taking over for Greg Hewitt who put aside 15 of the 16 shots he faced. Bulldogs goalie Olivier Michaud stopped 27 of 30 shots in a losing cause.
The Bulldogs' next action will take place on Friday when they travel to Fort Frances, Ontario to play the Manitoba Moose in a two-game series. Bulldogs fans can listen to Derek Wills call the action live beginning at 7:50pm at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com
Bulldogs season tickets are on sale now! For season tickets call the Bulldogs office at (905) 529-8500 or by e-mail at tickets@hamiltonbulldogs.com.
American Hockey League Stories from October 6, 2004
- Vanek leads the way for Amerks - Hamilton Bulldogs
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- Sound Tigers Blank Lowell 3-0 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Griffins' roster pared to 25 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Penguins Assign Goaltender Dany Sabourin to Wheeling - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Albany Roster Reduced to 26 Players - Albany River Rats
- National Anthem Singer Announced For Express Mart Opening Night - Syracuse Crunch
- St. John's Maple Leafs Release TV and Radio Schedules - Toronto Marlies
- Rogers Sportsnet announces AHL TV schedule - AHL
- Wolf Pack Release Two - Connecticut Whale
- Bears unveil new third jersey design - Hershey Bears
- Several Aeros come to camp bigger, stronger - Houston Aeros
- Eastern Conference Preview - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Hamilton Bulldogs Youth Fund Player Draft 2004/2005 - Hamilton Bulldogs
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