Hamilton, ON - Aaron Palushaj scored 2 goals and added an assist to lead the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 5-2 victory against the Syracuse Crunch in their first game of 2012.
The Bulldogs were first to score at 14:40 into the game when Palushaj netted Andreas Engqvist's rebound on the power play to beat Syracuse goaltender Iiro Tarkki.
The ‘Dogs made it 2-0 at 9:17 in the second period. Engqvist sent a loose puck in the defensive zone to Louis Leblanc, who scored his fifth of the season in his first game back following a stint with the Montreal Canadiens. With 1:27 left in the second period, Brian Willsie converted on Garrett Stafford's slot pass to give Hamilton a 3-0 lead. This was Willsie's first goal in 13 games despite registering 55 shots on net in that sequence.
Syracuse got on the board early in the third period when Rick Schofield took advantage of Mathieu Carle's rebound to defeat Hamilton netminder Nathan Lawson on the right side. Robert Mayer would take over in the Bulldogs' net after Lawson was hit behind his net by Troy Bodie at 7:19 in the third stanza. Bodie would earn a match penalty for a check to the head. Less than two minutes later, Palushaj scored his second of the game and his eighth of the season on a wraparound play at the Syracuse net to make it 4-1 Bulldogs. Syracuse would make it 4-2 with 6:35 left in the third period when Patrick Maroon beat Mayer on a high blocker shot. The ‘Dogs got the last goal with less than a minute left in the game. Palushaj chipped the puck to Avtsin, who scored his fifth of the season in an empty net to cement Hamilton's 5-2 victory against the Crunch.
The Bulldogs travel to Toronto to face the Marlies at RICOH Coliseum TOMORROW, Saturday, January 7th, 2012 at 3 p.m. before returning home to Copps Coliseum to take on the Oklahoma City Barons at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 8th, 2012. Single game tickets for the 2011-2012 season (including the January 21st outdoor game) are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.
All Hamilton Bulldogs games can be heard live on AM 820 CHAM or on www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or seen live on www.ahllive.com beginning with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Visit the official website of the Hamilton Bulldogs at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com
Visit the official website of the 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic presented by Molson at www.outdoorclassic.ca
"Like" the 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic presented by Molson at www.facebook.com/outdoorclassic
Become a fan of the ‘Dogs on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hamiltonbulldogs
Follow the team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulldogsahl and www.twitter.com/dogsplaybyplay
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1. HAM - Aaron Palushaj - 7 - (Andreas Engqvist, Garrett Stafford) - 14:40 (PP)
2nd Period:
2. HAM - Louis Leblanc - 5 - (Andreas Engqvist) - 10:43
3. HAM - Brian Willsie - 4 - (Garrett Stafford, Philip DeSimone) - 18:33 (PP)
3rd period:
4. SYR - Rick Scofield - 4 - (Mathieu Carle, John Mitchell) - 2:56
5. HAM - Aaron Palushaj - 8 - 9:13
6. SYR - Patrick Maroon - 15 - (Luca Caputi) - 13:25
7. HAM - Alexander Avtsin - 5 - (Aaron Palushaj) - 19:12
Scoring:
Syracuse: 0-0-2 - 2
Hamilton: 1-2-2 - 5
Shots:
Syracuse: 11-13-15 - 39
Hamilton: 12-13-14 - 39
Goaltending:
Syracuse: Iiro Tarkki (38 shots, 34 saves)
Hamilton: Nathan Lawson (29 shots, 28 saves) - W
Robert Mayer (8 shots, 7 saves)
Power Play:
Syracuse: 0-for-3
Hamilton: 2-for-4
Attendance: 4,609
Three Stars:
1. HAM - Aaron Palushaj (2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots, +3)
2. HAM - Andreas Engqvist (2 assists, 2 shots, +2)
3. SYR - Patrick Maroon (1 goal, 6 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Garrett Stafford
