Grand Rapids, MI - The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 7-3 on Thursday night in Grand Rapids. P.K. Subban had a Gordie Howe hat trick as he had a goal, two assists and a fighting major.
Hamilton opened the scoring 18 seconds into the game. Tom Pyatt sent a pass to Mathieu Darche who fired a shot that was saved by Grand Rapids starting goaltender Daniel Larsson. Larsson was unable to contain the rebound, allowing Ryan White to whack the puck past the goaltender and over the goal line.
The Griffins tied the game at 5:03 of the opening frame. Cory Emmerton collected the puck before firing a shot that beat Hamilton starting goaltender Curtis Sanford. Grand Rapids took a 2-1 lead at the 10-minute mark. Andy Delmore received the puck from Michael Nylander before blasting a shot from the point. The puck sailed through traffic before beating Sanford on the glove side.
Near the end of the first period, Sanford was injured on a play. Cedrick Desjardins came into the game to take over goaltending duties.
The Bulldogs tied the game 2-2 at 1:17 of the second stanza. Frederic St. Denis skated off the left side boards before snapping a shot that sailed over the left shoulder of Larsson and into the top corner of the net. The 'Dogs took a 3-2 lead at 1:43. Darche sent the puck to Subban, who was skating down the right side. Subban rifled a shot that beat Larsson on the stick side. Brock Trotter added Hamilton's fourth goal at 5:12. Shawn Belle hammered a shot that was saved by Larsson. The rebound bounced onto the stick of Trotter, who slid the puck past a sprawled Larsson.
Following the goal, Thomas McCollum replaced Larsson in the net.
The 'Dogs took a 5-2 lead at 9:18 of the middle frame. Subban dished a pass to Andre Benoit, who snapped a shot. The puck sailed over the glove of McCollum and into the back of the net. Tom Pyatt scored at 12:29 to give Hamilton a 6-2 lead. Darche fed the puck to Pyatt, who skated in on McCollum and used a forehand-to-backhand deke before depositing the puck behind the goaltender. The Bulldogs scored their seventh goal at 17:23. David Desharnais fired a shot that was saved by McCollum. Russell banged at the loose puck, sending it underneath the goaltender and across the goal line.
Following the goal Larsson returned and replaced McCollum in net.
The Griffins scored their third goal at 5:09 of the final frame. Francis Lemieux sent a pass to Jan Mursak, who took a shot that beat Desjardins and went into the back of the net.
The Bulldogs will host the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday, January 2nd at Copps Coliseum at 7:00 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 21st 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 - Ryan White - 5 (Mathieu Darche, Tom Pyatt) - 0:18
2. GR - Cory Emmerton - 6 (Unassisted) - 5:03 (PP)
3. GR - Andy Delmore - 4 (Michael Nylander, Jeremy Williams) - 10:00
2nd Period:
4. HAM - Frederic St. Denis - 2 (Mathieu Darche, Tom Pyatt) - 1:17
5. HAM - P.K. Subban - 8 (Ben Maxwell) - 1:43
6. HAM - Brock Trotter - 11 (Shawn Belle, Mike Glumac) - 5:12
7. HAM - Andre Benoit - 2 (P.K. Subban, Mathieu Darche) - 9:18
8. HAM - Tom Pyatt - 7 (Mathieu Darche, P.K. Subban) - 12:29
9. HAM - Ryan Russell - 9 (David Desharnais) - 17:23
3rd Period:
10. GR - Jan Mursak - 13 (Francis Lemieux) - 5:09
Scoring:
Hamilton: 1-6-0--7
Grand Rapids: 2-0-1--3
Shots:
Hamilton: 8-6-10--24
Grand Rapids: 5-16-4--25
Goaltending:
Hamilton: Curtis Sanford (13 shots, 11 saves), Cedrick Desjardins (14 shots, 13 saves)
Grand Rapids: Daniel Larsson (30 shots, 26 saves), Thomas McCollum (8 shots, 5 saves)
Power Play:
Hamilton: 0-for-2
Grand Rapids: 1-for-2
Attendance: 7,865
Three Stars:
1. HAM- Mathieu Darche (4 assists, +2, 3 shots)
2. HAM- Tom Pyatt (1 goal, 3 assists, +2, 5 shots)
3. HAM- P.K. Subban (1 goal, 2 assists, +4, 2 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Andre Benoit
