Houston, TX – The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Houston Aeros 5-4 in double overtime on Sunday night to win the game and force Game 7 between the two teams on Tuesday night. Nigel Dawes scored the overtime winner and also set a new franchise record for most goals in a single playoff season as he now has 14.
The Aeros opened the game’s scoring at 3:34 of the first frame while on the power play. Chad Rau grabbed a bouncing puck that was in front of the Bulldogs net. Rau skated to the right side of the net before riffling a shot over the left shoulder of Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre.
The Bulldogs tied the game 1-1 at 8:58 of the opening period. J.T. Wyman dished the puck to the right point, where Andreas Engqvist was positioned. Engqvist fired a shot that sailed through traffic and between the legs of Houston starting goaltender Matt Hackett.
Houston took a 2-1 lead at 4:29 of the second stanza. Maxim Noreau sent the puck along the blue line to Marco Scandella. Scandella skated to the top of the right faceoff circle before releasing a shot towards the net. Robbie Earl redirected the shot, bouncing it off the right post and past MacIntyre.
The ‘Dogs tied the game 2-2 at 16:07 with a power-play goal. Mathieu Carle fired a shot towards the net that bounced off players that were stationed in front of the goal. Dustin Boyd grabbed the loose puck in front of Hackett before whacking a shot past the goaltender. Nigel Dawes gave Hamilton a 3-2 lead at 18:37. Dawes stripped the puck off a Houston defender at the blue line before skating in alone on a breakaway. Dawes was stopped on his first shot attempt but grabbed his own rebound and jammed it between the legs of Hackett and across the goal line.
Hamilton scored their fourth goal, 27 seconds into the third frame while shorthanded. Engqvist picked off a passing attempt by Houston’s defenceman and skated in on Hackett alone on a breakaway. Engqvist used a forehand-to-backhand move before depositing the puck between the legs of Hackett.
The Aeros made the game 4-3 at 11:02 of the final stanza. Colton Gillies tapped the puck to Nate Prosser, who had skated into the slot from the blue line. Prosser blasted a slap shot past the glove of MacIntyre and into the top of the net. Jed Ortmeyer tied the game at 18:04. Gillies fired a shot on net that was stopped by MacIntyre, but the goaltender was unable to control the rebound. Ortmeyer grabbed the loose puck before flipping the puck over the right pad of a sprawling MacIntyre.
Neither team were able to score in the first overtime period, sending the game to the second overtime. The ‘Dogs scored at 9:11 of the second overtime period to force a game seven. Boyd chipped the puck to the right corner, where Aaron Palushaj was positioned. Palushaj dished a cross-ice pass to Dawes. Dawes tapped the puck past Hackett and into the back of the net.
Highlights of tonight’s game can be found on www.sendtonews.com
The ‘Dogs and Aeros will battle in a winner-takes-all Game 7 on Tuesday, May 24th at 8:05 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. HOU – Chad Rau – 5 (Jon DiSalvatore, Patrick O’Sullivan) – 3:34 (PP)
2. HAM – Andreas Engqvist – 3 (J.T. Wyman, Frederic St. Denis) – 8:58
2nd Period:
3. HOU – Robbie Earl – 5 (Marco Scandella, Maxim Noreau) – 4:29
4. HAM – Dustin Boyd – 4 (Frederic St. Denis, Mathieu Carle) – 16:07 (PP)
5. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 13 (Unassisted) – 18:37
3rd Period:
6. HAM – Andreas Engqvist – 4 (Unassisted) – 0:27 (SH)
7. HOU – Nate Prosser – 1 (Colton Gillies, Warren Peters) – 11:02
8. HOU – Jed Ortmeyer – 4 (Colton Gillies, Warren Peters) – 18:04
First Overtime:
No Scoring
Second Overtime:
9. HAM – Nigel Dawes – 14 (Aaron Palushaj, Dustin Boyd) – 9:11
Scoring:
Houston: 1-1-2-0-0—4
Hamilton: 1-2-1-0-1--5
Shots:
Houston: 14-13-19-9-6—61
Hamilton: 15-7-3-8-5—38
Goaltending:
Houston: Matt Hackett (38 shots, 33 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (61 shots, 57 saves)
Power Play:
Houston: 1-for-7
Hamilton: 1-for-5
Attendance: 4,033
Three Stars:
1. HAM – Nigel Dawes (2 goals, +1, 8 shots)
2. HAM – Drew MacIntyre (61 shots, 57 saves)
3. HOU – Colton Gillies (2 assists, +2, 4 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Andreas Engqvist
