Cleveland, OH - The Hamilton Bulldogs had their seven game winning streak snapped in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday night. Ben Maxwell scored a goal and added two assists as he returned to the 'Dogs line-up for the first time since January 23rd.
The Monsters opened the game's scoring at 4:14 of the first frame. Brian Fahey fired a shot on net that was stopped by Hamilton starting goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. The puck was bouncing around in front of the net before Philippe Dupuis slid the puck underneath the goaltender.
The 'Dogs tied the game 1-1 at 19:47 of the opening period with a power-play goal. Andre Benoit received the puck from Maxwell before saucering a pass to Brock Trotter, who blasted a one-timer that beat Lake Erie starting goaltender Tyler Weiman on the blocker side.
The Monsters regained their one-goal lead at 3:41 of the middle stanza while on the power play. Tom Preissing blasted a shot towards the net that was tipped by Brian Willsie and sailed over the right shoulder of Desjardins.
The Bulldogs responded at 4:49 of the second frame. Max Pacioretty fired a shot on net that was stopped by Weiman. The goaltender could not control the rebound, which bounced onto the stick of Maxwell, who was in front of the net. Maxwell fired a shot past Weiman to tie the game 2-2. At 5:16, Hamilton took a 3-2 lead. Maxwell sent a pass to Shawn Belle, who hammered a shot from the point. The puck bounced off Weiman's pads, off the post and into the back of the net.
Willsie tied the game 3-3 at 9:33 of the middle period. Randy Rowe fed a pass to Willsie, who rifled a shot over the glove of Desjardins and into the top of the net. At 12:17, Hensick regained a one-goal lead for Lake Erie. Willsie received the puck from Rowe before dishing a pass to Hensick, who ripped a one-time shot past Desjardins.
Following this goal, Curtis Sanford replaced Desjardins in net.
The Bulldogs tied the game at 6:58 of the final frame while on the power play. Brock Trotter sent a pass to Benoit, who proceeded to fire a shot towards the net. Ryan Russell redirected the shot past Weiman and into the net.
With the game tied and neither team able to score in the extra period, the game went to a shootout. Trotter was the only 'Dogs player to score on five opportunities while Hensick and Brock Bradford tallied for the Monsters to win the game.
The Bulldogs will host the Abbotsford Heat in their annual Pink in the Rink game at Copps Coliseum tomorrow 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. LEM - Philippe Dupuis - 11 (Brian Fahey, Matthew Ford) - 4:14
2. HAM - Brock Trotter - 26 (Andre Benoit, Ben Maxwell) - 19:47 (PP)
2nd Period:
3. LEM - Brian Willsie - 15 (Randy Rowe, Tom Preissing) - 3:41 (PP)
4. HAM - Ben Maxwell - 12 (Max Pacioretty) - 4:49
5. HAM - Shawn Belle - 2 (Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty) - 5:16
6. LEM - Brian Willsie - 16 (Randy Rowe, T.J. Hensick) - 9:33
7. LEM - T.J. Hensick - 14 (Brian Willsie, Randy Rowe) - 12:17
3rd Period:
8. HAM - Ryan Russell - 11 (Andre Benoit, Brock Trotter) - 6:58 (PP)
Overtime:
No Scoring
Shootout:
Hamilton: Brock Trotter - Goal Lake Erie: T.J. Hensick - Goal
Shawn Belle - No Goal Tom Zanoski - No Goal
Ben Maxwell - No Goal Brian Willsie - No Goal
Dany Masse - No Goal Matthew Ford - No Goal
Max Pacioretty - No Goal Brock Bradford - Goal
Scoring:
Hamilton: 1-2-1-0-0--4
Lake Erie: 1-3-0-0-1--5
Shots:
Hamilton: 16-11-10-1-0--38
Lake Erie: 7-9-9-0-1--26
Goaltending:
Hamilton: Cedrick Desjardins (15 shots, 11 saves), Curtis Sanford (10 shots, 10 saves)
Lake Erie: Tyler Weiman (38 shots, 34 saves)
Power Play:
Hamilton: 2-for-5
Lake Erie: 1-for-5
Attendance: 7,576
Three Stars:
1. LEM- Brock Bradford (+1)
2. LEM- Brian Willsie (2 goals, 1 assist, +2, 4 shots)
3. LEM- Randy Rowe (3 assists, +2, 2 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Ben Maxwell
