Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 in Game 6 of the North Division Semi-Final to win the series 4-2. Nigel Dawes scored two goals while Frederic St. Denis scored the game-winner in the third period. The ‘Dogs will either meet the Manitoba Moose or Lake Erie Monsters in the North Division Final. The first two games of that series will be played on Thursday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 1st at 4:00 p.m. at Copps Coliseum. All tickets will be $20.50 and can be purchased at the Copps Coliseum box office starting at 1:00 p.m. or by purchasing at any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.com or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.
Following two scoreless periods, the Barons got on the scoreboard first at 2:10 of the final frame. Jake Taylor blasted a shot on net that was stopped by Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre. The rebound bounced onto the stick of Alexandre Giroux, who whacked it past MacIntyre and into the back of the net.
The ‘Dogs tied the game at 6:43 of the third period. Aaron Palushaj received the puck from Dustin Boyd before centering a pass to Nigel Dawes, who was in the slot. Dawes one-timed a shot over the blocker of Oklahoma City starting goaltender Martin Gerber and into the net. The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead at 17:04 of the final frame while on the power play. Frederic St. Denis blasted a shot from the blueline after taking a pass from Mathieu Carle, who was at the right point. The puck sailed past Gerber on the blocker side. Dawes added an empty netter at 19:15 of the third period before J.T. Wyman added another empty net goal at 19:48 of the third period to seal the victory for Hamilton and move them on to the next round.
The Bulldogs will begin the North Division Final on Thursday, April 28th at 7:30 p.m. at Copps Coliseum. An opponent is still to be determined. Game 2 will be played on Sunday, May 1st at 4:00 p.m. at Copps Coliseum. All Hamilton Bulldogs playoff broadcasts on AM 820 CHAM will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Tickets for all Hamilton Bulldogs playoff home games are available now for only $20.50! They can be purchased at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.com or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
No Scoring
2nd Period:
No Scoring
3rd Period:
1. OKC – Alexandre Giroux – 2 (Jake Taylor, Brad Moran) – 5:41
2. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 4 (Aaron Palushaj, Dustin Boyd) – 6:43
3. HAM – Frederic St. Denis – 1 (Mathieu Carle, Aaron Palushaj) – 17:04 (PP)
4. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 4 (Aaron Palushaj, Alex Henry) – 19:15 (EN)
5. HAM – J.T. Wyman – 1 (Unassisted) – 19:48 (EN)
Scoring:
Oklahoma City: 0-0-1—1
Hamilton: 0-0-4--4
Shots:
Oklahoma City: 6-12-7—25
Hamilton: 5-4-10—19
Goaltending:
Oklahoma City: Martin Gerber (17 shots, 15 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (25 shots, 24 saves)
Power Play:
Oklahoma City: 0-for-4
Hamilton: 1-for-5
Attendance: 2,684
Three Stars:
1. HAM – Frederic St. Denis (1 goal, +1, 1 shot)
2. HAM – Nigel Dawes (2 goals, +2, 4 shots)
3. OKC – Alexandre Giroux (1 goal, -1, 4 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Aaron Palushaj
