Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs were defeated 3-2 by the Houston Aeros on Tuesday night at Copps Coliseum. Jon DiSalvatore had two goals for the Aeros, including the game-winner, while Patrick O’Sullivan earned two assists.
Houston opened the game’s scoring at 3:39 of the first period. O’Sullivan and DiSalvatore skated into the ‘Dogs zone on a two-on-one. O’Sullivan sent a cross-ice pass to DiSalvatore, who fired a shot past Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre and into the top of the net. The Aeros took a 2-0 lead at 15:40. Maxim Noreau intercepted a clearing attempt by the Bulldogs at the right point. Noreau skated towards the net before snapping a shot through traffic and over the glove of MacIntyre.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard while on the power play at 18:11 of the first frame. Frederic St. Denis sent a pass along the blue line to Mathieu Carle, who gave the puck to Nigel Dawes. Dawes rifled a low wrist shot along the ice which slid through the five-hole of Houston starting goaltender Matt Hackett. The ‘Dogs tied the game 2-2 at 19:38. Ryan Russell fired a shot that was stopped by Hackett but the rebound bounced out to the left side of the net. Andreas Engqvist grabbed the loose puck before banking a shot off Hackett and into the net.
DiSalvatore scored his second goal of the game while on the power play at 5:18 of the second stanza. O’Sullivan sent the puck to DiSalvatore, who skated down the right side of the Hamilton zone. DiSalvatore released a shot along the ice that beat MacIntyre through the five-hole.
Highlights of tonight’s game can be found on www.sendtonews.com
The ‘Dogs will try to avoid elimination as they host the Aeros in Game 4 tomorrow at 7:30 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. 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. HOU – Jon DiSalvatore – 3 (Patrick O’Sullivan, Justin Falk) – 3:39
2. HOU – Maxim Noreau – 2 (Unassisted) – 15:40
3. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 10 (Mathieu Carle, Frederic St. Denis) – 18:11
4. HAM – Andreas Engqvist – 2 (Ryan Russell, J.T. Wyman) – 19:38
2nd Period:
5. HOU – Jon DiSalvatore – 4 (Patrick O’Sullivan, Jared Spurgeon) – 5:18 (PP)
3rd Period:
No Scoring
Scoring:
Houston: 2-1-0—3
Hamilton: 2-0-0--2
Shots:
Houston: 7-12-8—27
Hamilton: 12-5-10—27
Goaltending:
Houston: Matt Hackett (27 shots, 25 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (27 shots, 24 saves)
Power Play:
Houston: 1-for-3
Hamilton: 1-for-4
Attendance: 2,905
Three Stars:
1. HOU – Jon DiSalvatore (2 goals, +2, 2 shots)
2. HAM – Andreas Engqvist (1 goal, +1, 3 shots)
3. HOU – Patrick O’Sullivan (2 assists, +1, 3 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: J.T. Wyman
