Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Houston Aeros 4-2 on Friday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Ryan Russell scored his second consecutive shorthanded goal in the third period to lead the ‘Dogs to victory. The series now stands at 3-2 for Houston.
The Bulldogs opened the game’s scoring at 8:18 of the first frame. Paul Zanette received the puck from Brendon Nash while positioned in the left corner of the Houston zone. Zanette centered the puck towards the front of the net where it bounced off the skate of an Aeros defenceman and past Houston starting goaltender Matt Hackett. The ‘Dogs took a 2-0 lead at 10:17 while on the power play. Aaron Palushaj received the puck from Mathieu Carle while positioned in the slot. Palushaj fired a shot towards the net that bounced off an Aeros player and into the back of the net.
The Aeros got on the scoreboard at 5:04 of the second stanza. Jean-Michel Daoust collected a loose puck in the left corner of the Bulldogs zone. Daoust skated towards the net before rifling a shot over the right shoulder of Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre.
The ‘Dogs took a 3-1 lead at 8:22 of the final frame with a shorthanded goal. Ryan White and Ryan Russell skated into the Houston zone on a two-on-one. White dished the puck to Russell, who skated in alone on Hackett. Russell snapped a shot over the blocker of Hackett and into the top of the net.
Houston made the game 3-2 at 10:02 of the final frame. Warren Peters fired a shot on net that was stopped by MacIntyre. The rebound bounced out to Jed Ortmeyer, who was positioned in front of the net. Ortmeyer whacked at the loose puck, sending it over the blocker of MacIntyre.
The Bulldogs added an empty net goal at 18:50 when Andrew Conboy shot the puck into the empty Houston goal.
Highlights of tonight’s game can be found on www.sendtonews.com
The ‘Dogs and Aeros will meet in Game 6 on Sunday, May 22nd at 5:05 p.m. in Houston. All Hamilton Bulldogs playoff broadcasts on AM 820 CHAM will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. All remaining Bulldogs playoff games can also be heard live on The Team 990 in Montreal.
Tickets for all Hamilton Bulldogs playoff third round home games will be available for $21.50. 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:
1. HAM – Paul Zanette – 2 (Brendon Nash, Alexander Avtsin) – 8:18
2. HAM – Aaron Palushaj – 6 (Frederic St. Denis, Mathieu Carle) – 10:17 (PP)
2nd Period:
3. HOU – Jean-Michel Daoust – 1 (Unassisted) – 5:04
3rd Period:
4. HAM – Ryan Russell – 7 (Ryan White) – 8:22 (SH)
5. HOU – Jed Ortmeyer – 3 (Warren Peters, Robbie Earl) – 10:02
6. HAM – Andrew Conboy – 1 (Gabriel Dumont, Ryan White) – 18:50 (EN)
Scoring:
Houston: 0-1-1—2
Hamilton: 2-0-2--4
Shots:
Houston: 5-17-11—33
Hamilton: 12-9-9—30
Goaltending:
Houston: Matt Hackett (29 shots, 26 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (33 shots, 31 saves)
Power Play:
Houston: 0-for-6
Hamilton: 1-for-4
Attendance: 4,234
Three Stars:
1. HAM – Ryan White (2 assists, +2, 1 shot)
2. HAM – Drew MacIntyre (31 saves)
3. HOU – Jean-Michel Daoust (1 goal, +1, 1 shot)
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