Hamilton Bulldogs

Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs earned their first win in seven games when they beat the Rochester Americans 3-2 on Saturday night.

The Amerks were the first to get on the scoreboard when Derek Whitmore pushed Marcus Foligno’s rebound into the net behind Hamilton goaltender Nathan Lawson at 4:47 into the first period. Whitmore’s 11^th goal of the season was also his fifth in his last four periods against the ‘Dogs. But the ‘Dogs solid effort throughout the first period finally paid off when Mike Blunden scored the team’s first goal in over 2 games at 18:46. Then, with 2.8 seconds left in the first instalment, Mark Mitera got his first goal as a Bulldog, snapping a 13-game pointless streak and a 20-game goalless streak by potting in Brian Willsie’s rebound past Rochester goaltender Drew MacIntyre.

Hamilton killed a 1:05 double penalty early in the second period, allowing only two shots on goal in that stretch. The ‘Dogs hit a few posts midway through the second but the Americans would be the next to score. With 5:43 left in the period, a nice series of passes lead to a goal by Colin Stuart, tying the game at 2.

At 9:16 in the third period, Joonas Nattinen scored his second goal of the year to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. His unassisted goal would prove to be the winner.

 
The Bulldogs continue their home stay on Tuesday, December 6^th, at 7:30 p.m. when they face the Adirondack Phantoms at Copps Coliseum. Single game tickets for the 2011-2012 season (including the January 21^st outdoor game) are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.

All Hamilton Bulldogs’ games can be heard live on AM 820 CHAM or on www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or seen live on www.ahllive.com beginning with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. 

Visit the official website of the Hamilton Bulldogs at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com
Visit the official website of the 2012 Molson AHL Outdoor Classic at www.outdoorclassic.ca
Become a fan of the ‘Dogs on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hamiltonbulldogs
Follow the team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulldogsahl and www.twitter.com/dogsplaybyplay

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:
1. RCH – Derek Whitmore – 11 – (Alex Biega, Mark Voakes) – 4:47
2. HAM – Mike Blunden – 2 – (Gabriel Dumont) – 18:46

3. HAM – Mark Mitera – 1 – (Philip DeSimone, Brian Willsie) – 19:57

2nd Period:
4. RCH – Colin Stuart – 8 – (Evan Rankin, Mark Voakes) – 15:17

3rd period:
4. HAM – Joonas Nattinen – 2 – 9:16

Scoring:
Rochester: 1-1-0 — 2
Hamilton: 2-0-1 — 3

Shots:
Rochester: 6-14-5 — 25
Hamilton: 7-13-8 — 28

Goaltending:
Rochester: Drew MacIntyre (28 shots, 25 saves)
Hamilton: Nathan Lawson (25 shots, 23 saves)

Power Play:
Rochester: 0-for-4