Grand Rapids, MI - The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 on Friday night. David Desharnais recorded a hat-trick in the win while Grant Stevenson scored the game-winning goal.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring 30 seconds into the game. Tom Pyatt received the puck from Frederic St. Denis before sending a pass to Desharnais, who was skating towards the net. Desharnais rifled a shot that sailed over the glove of Grand Rapids starting goaltender Daniel Larsson. Desharnais added his second goal of the game at 9:49. Pyatt picked up a Brock Trotter rebound before firing a shot that was saved by Larsson. The puck bounced out to Desharnais, who shot the puck past an out of position Larsson.

The Griffins cut into the Bulldogs' lead at 16:49 of the first frame. Mattias Ritola sent a pass to Jan Mursak, who skated down the right side of the ice before cutting out in front of Hamilton starting goaltender Curtis Sanford. Jan Mursak used a backhand shot to flip the puck between the legs of Sanford and into the back of the net.

Desharnais scored his hat-trick goal 49 seconds into the second stanza.  Desharnais released a shot on net that was stopped by Larsson. Desharnais grabbed his own rebound in front of the net before shooting the puck into the back of the net. Pyatt earned the assist on the goal, his third of the night.

The 'Dogs took a 4-1 lead at 1:42. Stevenson raced into the Griffins' zone before snapping a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. The puck sailed over the glove of Larsson and into the back of the net.

Grand Rapids made the game 4-2 at 5:41 of the final frame. Francis Pare received the puck from Patrick Rissmiller before sending a pass to the front of the Hamilton net. The puck bounced off the stick blade of a Bulldogs defender and into the back of the net. Jeremy Williams scored the Griffins third goal at 10:38. Kris Newbury carried the puck into the Bulldogs' zone before sending a cross-ice pass to Williams. Williams snapped a shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Sanford on the glove side.

The Bulldogs will travel to Montreal to host the Adirondack Phantoms for a game at Bell Centre on Sunday, February 21^st at 1:00 p.m. Fans can listen to every 'Dogs 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 all Hamilton Bulldogs home games (with the exception of the February 21^st game at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec) are 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 - David Desharnais - 17 (Tom Pyatt, Frederic St. Denis) - 0:30
2. HAM - David Desharnais - 18 (Tom Pyatt, Brock Trotter) - 9:49
3. GR - Jan Mursak - 19 (Mattias Ritola, Justin Abdelkader) - 16:49

2nd Period:
4. HAM - David Desharnais - 19 (Tom Pyatt) - 0:46

3rd Period:
5. HAM - Grant Stevenson - 4 (Unassisted) - 1:42
6. GR - Francis Pare - 12 (Patrick Rissmiller) - 5:41
7. GR - Jeremy Williams - 18 (Kris Newbury, Doug Janik) - 10:38

Scoring:
Hamilton: 2-1-1--4
Grand Rapids: 1-0-2--3

Shots:
Hamilton: 19-11-4--34
Grand Rapids: 12-8-6--26

Goaltending:
Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (26 shots, 23 saves)
Grand Rapids: Daniel Larsson (34 shots, 30 saves)

Power Play:
Hamilton: 0-for-2
Grand Rapids: 0-for-2

Attendance: 8,493

Three Stars:
1. HAM- David Desharnais (3 goals, +2, 4 shots)
2. HAM- Tom Pyatt (3 assists, +1, 5 shot)
3. GR- Jan Mursak (1 goal, -1, 2 shots)

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Grant Stevenson