Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Houston Aeros 8-1 on Wednesday night. The win set a new franchise mark for largest margin of victory in a playoff game and tied the record for most goals in a playoff game. Dustin Boyd recorded two goals and two assists while Aaron Palushaj earned a goal and two assists. Palushaj became the franchise leader for all-time playoff points by a Bulldog as he recorded his 28th point, passing David Desharnais and Andre Benoit who each have 27. Nigel Dawes also tied the record for most goals by a Bulldog in a single playoff season as he notched two to bring his total to 12.
The Bulldogs opened the game’s scoring with a shorthanded marker at 1:03 of the first frame. Ryan Russell intercepted a pass from an Aeros player before racing down the ice on a breakaway. Russell snapped a shot below the blocker of Houston starting goaltender Matt Hackett and into the net.
The Aeros tied the game 1-1 at 2:25 of the opening period with a power-play goal. Jared Spurgeon received the puck from Marco Scandella while positioned at the point. Spurgeon blasted a shot that travelled through traffic before being redirected, by Casey Wellman, past Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead at 15:09 of the first period. Palushaj received the puck from Kyle Klubertanz while skating down the left side of the Aeros zone. Palushaj cut towards the net before taking the puck from his backhand to his forehand and flicking a shot over the left shoulder of Hackett. The Bulldogs took a two-goal lead at 19:34. Ryan White sent a pass from the right side of the Houston zone to Gabriel Dumont. Dumont proceeded to drive to the net and flip a shot over the right shoulder of Hackett.
The ‘Dogs took a 4-1 lead at 13:05 of the second stanza. Ryan White received the puck from Andreas Engqvist after exiting the penalty box. White skated into the Houston zone and deked past Hackett before firing a shot at the net. The puck bounced off the skate of an Aeros defenceman and over to J.T. Wyman, who fired a shot into the back of the net. Hamilton scored its fifth goal at 13:36. Alex Henry received the puck at the left point after a Bulldogs faceoff. Henry blasted a shot at Hackett which was stopped by the goaltender. The rebound bounced out to Boyd, who deposited the puck into the back of the net.
Following the fifth goal, Josh Tordjman replaced Hackett in the Houston net.
Dawes increased the Bulldogs lead to 6-1 at 14:53 of the second period. Dustin Boyd skated down the right wing before sending a pass to the slot. Nigel Dawes dove at the pass, chipping the puck over the right shoulder of Tordjman.
Boyd added his second goal at 11:48 of the third frame. Palushaj carried the puck into Houston’s zone before firing a shot on net. Tordjman stopped the shot but was unable to control the rebound. Boyd grabbed the loose puck and whacked it past Tordjman and into the net.
Dawes made the score 8-1 at 18:59 of the final period while on the power play. Palushaj was stationed behind the net before skating to left and dishing a pass to the slot, where Dawes was positioned. Dawes lifted the puck over the left shoulder of Tordjman and into the net.
Highlights of tonight’s game can be found on www.sendtonews.com
The ‘Dogs and Aeros will meet in Game 6 on Friday, May 20th 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. HAM – Ryan Russell – 6 (Unassisted) – 1:03 (SH)
2. HOU – Casey Wellman – 3 (Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella) – 2:25 (PP)
3. HAM – Aaron Palushaj – 5 (Kyle Klubertanz) – 15:09
4. HAM – Gabriel Dumont – 6 (Ryan White) – 19:34
2nd Period:
5. HAM – J.T. Wyman – 3 (Ryan White, Andreas Engqvist) – 13:05
6. HAM – Dustin Boyd – 2 (Alex Henry) – 13:36
7. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 11 (Dustin Boyd, Kyle Klubertanz) – 14:53
3rd Period:
8. HAM – Dustin Boyd – 3 (Aaron Palushaj, Mathieu Carle) – 11:48
9. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 12 (Aaron Palushaj, Dustin Boyd) – 18:59 (PP)
Scoring:
Houston: 1-0-0—1
Hamilton: 3-3-2--8
Shots:
Houston: 6-5-4—15
Hamilton: 14-11-15—40
Goaltending:
Houston: Matt Hackett (22 shots, 17 saves), Josh Tordjman (18 shots, 15 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (15 shots, 14 saves)
Power Play:
Houston: 1-for-5
Hamilton: 1-for-5
Attendance: 2,859
Three Stars:
1. HAM – Dustin Boyd (2 goals, 2 assists, +5, 8 shots)
2. HAM – Aaron Palushaj (1 goal, 2 assists, +4, 2 shots)
3. HAM – Ryan Russell (1 goal, +1, 3 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Ryan White
