Austin, TX - The Hamilton Bulldogs were defeated by the Texas Stars 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night in Texas. The Bulldogs still lead the Stars 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals. Ethan Graham scored the overtime winner 2:13 into the extra frame.
The 'Dogs opened the game's scoring at 4:44 of the first period. Andrew Conboy received the puck from Frederic St. Denis before firing a shot on net that was blocked by a Stars defender. The puck bounced onto the stick of Ryan White, who was positioned at the left side of the net. White proceeded to flip the puck over Texas starting goaltender Matt Climie and into the top of the net.
The Stars tied the game 1-1 at 10:23 of the opening stanza. Garrett Stafford blasted a shot that was stopped by Hamilton starting goaltender Curtis Sanford. Sanford lost sight of the puck, which Perttu Lindgren scooped up before firing a shot that rung off the crossbar before banking off the arm of Sanford and into the net.
Texas took a 2-1 lead at 12:46 of the second stanza with a power-play marker. Lindgren shot the puck on net that was stopped by Sanford. Jamie Benn grabbed the loose rebound and shovelled it underneath the pads of Sanford and into the net. Aaron Gagnon gave the Stars a 3-1 lead at 17:18 while on the power play. Francis Wathier's shot bounced off the leg of a Hamilton defender and off to the right side of the net. Gagnon picked up the puck before flicking a shot into the top corner of the net.
Hamilton cut Texas' lead to one goal at 18:20 of the middle frame. Ryan Russell intercepted the puck at the right side boards before centering a pass to the slot. Mike Glumac blasted a one-time shot that sailed over the right shoulder of Climie.
The Bulldogs tied the game 3-3 at 7:39 of the final frame. While on the power-play, David Desharnais dished a pass to Brock Trotter, who was positioned at the left side of the net. Trotter released a one-time shot that bounced off the arm of Climie and into the net.
Warren Peters gave the Stars a 4-3 lead at 15:01 of the third period. Raymond Sawada shot the puck on net that was stopped by Sanford. Sanford was knocked over in the net, which allowed Peters to grab the puck and flick it over top of the down-and-out Sanford.
While on the power play, Ryan Russell tied the game 4-4 at 18:27 of the final stanza. Trotter took a shot on net from the left faceoff dot. Desharnais tipped the shot which was stopped by Climie. The puck rebounded off the pads of Climie and off to the right side of the net, where Ryan Russell batted the puck past Climie and into the net.
With the score tied, the game went into overtime. Ethan Graham scored 2:13 into the extra period to win the game for the Stars when he rifled a shot past the blocker of Sanford and into the back of the net.
The Bulldogs will meet the Stars in Texas for Game 4 on Friday, May 21st at 8:30 p.m. EST. Fans can listen to every 'Dogs playoff game on the flagship station of the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network, TALK 820. Fans can also listen or watch at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com by clicking on the 'AHL Live' or 'TALK 820' icons on the Bulldogs website.
Tickets for future Hamilton Bulldogs playoff games will be available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or through charge-by-phone at 905-527-7666. For more information on 'Dogs season tickets, flex packs, mini packs and group tickets call 905-529-8500 or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1. HAM - Ryan White - 4 (Andrew Conboy, Frederic St. Denis) - 4:44
2. TEX - Perttu Lindgren - 5 (Garrett Stafford, Jamie Benn) - 10:23 (PP)
2nd Period:
3. TEX - Jamie Benn - 11 (Perttu Lindgren, Andrew Hutchinson) - 12:46 (PP)
4. TEX - Aaron Gagnon - 5 (Francis Wathier, Greg Rallo) - 17:18 (PP)
5. HAM - Mike Glumac - 10 (Ryan Russell) - 18:20
3rd Period:
6. HAM - Brock Trotter - 8 (David Desharnais, Andre Benoit) - 7:39
7. TEX - Warren Peters - 4 (Raymond Sawada, Andrew Hutchinson) - 15:01
8. HAM - Ryan Russell - 6 (David Desharnais, Brock Trotter) - 18:27 (PP)
Overtime:
9. TEX - Ethan Graham - 1 (Andre Hutchinson, Scott McCulloch) - 2:13
Scoring:
Hamilton: 1-1-2-0-4
Texas: 1-2-1-1--5
Shots:
Hamilton: 10-6-19-0--35
Texas: 12-14-7-1--34
Goaltending:
Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (34 shots, 29 saves)
Texas: Matt Climie (35 shots, 31 saves)
Power Play:
Hamilton: 2-for-5
Texas: 3-for-4
Attendance: 4,535
Three Stars:
1. TEX- Ethan Graham (1 goal, 2 shots)
2. TEX- Jamie Benn (1 goal, 1 assist, -2, 3 shots)
3. HAM- Brock Trotter (1 goal, 1 assist, -1, 7 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Ryan Russell
