Hamilton, ON - The Hamilton Bulldogs were defeated by the Rochester Americans 4-3 on Saturday night in front of 5,561 fans at Copps Coliseum. The Bulldogs earned a point in the loss which clinched the Western Conference regular season title for the club and tied the franchise record for most points in a season as the team now has 110.
Following a scoreless first period the Americans opened the scoring 57 seconds into the second stanza while on the power play. Evgeny Dadonov sent a pass to Graham Mink, who fired a shot that beat Hamilton starting goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. The Amerks took a 2-0 lead at 3:42. Andrew Sweetland skated down the right side boards before backhanding a shot on net that was stopped by Desjardins. The puck bounced in front of the goaltender and onto the stick of David Brine, who snapped a shot over the glove of Desjardins.
Hamilton cut the lead in half at 8:05 of the middle frame. Maxime Lacroix fired a shot from the point that was stopped by Rochester starting goaltender Tyler Plante. Hunter Bishop grabbed the loose puck from the front of the net and chipped a pass to Dany Masse. Masse wired a shot from the left hash marks that beat Plante on the blocker side.
While on a power play, Rochester took a 3-1 lead at 12:47 of the second period. Michal Repik and Jamie Johnson skated in on a two-on-one. Repik elected to pass, flipping the puck over the stick of a Bulldogs defender to Jamie Johnson. Johnson one-timed a shot over a sprawled Desjardins and into the top of the net.
Hamilton made the game 3-2 at 15:45 of the middle stanza. Ryan White received the puck from P.K. Subban before firing a shot on net that was stopped by Plante. Desharnais picked up the loose rebound before reaching around the goaltender and backhanding the puck across the goal line. The assist was Subban's 35th which ties the franchise record for most assists by a Bulldogs defenceman in a single season.
Brock Trotter tied the game at 19:10 of the final frame. Max Pacioretty carried the puck from his own end into Rochester's zone where he backhanded a shot on net. Trotter grabbed the rebound and stuffed the puck past Plante to send the game into overtime.
Neither team could score in the extra period and a shootout was needed. Plante denied all four Hamilton shooters while Evgeny Dadonov and Maxime Gratchev scored for the Americans to win the game.
The Bulldogs host the Manitoba Moose for a matinee match-up tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at Copps Coliseum. 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 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:
No Scoring
2nd Period:
1. RCH - Graham Mink - 19 (Matt Duffy, Evgeny Dadonov) - 0:57 (PP)
2. RCH - David Brine - 13 (Andrew Sweetland, Michal Repik) - 3:42
3. HAM - Dany Masse - 3 (Hunter Bishop, Maxime Lacroix) - 8:05
4. RCH - Jamie Johnson - 25 (Michal Repik) - 12:47 (PP)
5. HAM - David Desharnais - 26 (Ryan White, P.K. Subban) - 15:45
3rd Period:
6. HAM - Brock Trotter - 35 (Max Pacioretty) - 19:10
Overtime:
No Scoring
Shootout:
Hamilton: Rochester:
P.K. Subban - No Goal Mike York - No Goal
Brock Trotter - No Goal Evgeny Dadonov - No Goal
David Desharnais - No Goal Jamie Johnson - No Goal
Max Pacioretty - No Goal Maxime Gratchev - Goal
Scoring:
Hamilton: 0-2-1-0-0--3
Rochester: 0-3-0-0-1--4
Shots:
Hamilton: 8-15-7-3-0--33
Rochester: 9-8-4-3-1--25
Goaltending:
Hamilton: Cedrick Desjardins (24 shots, 21 saves)
Rochester: Tyler Plante (33 shots, 30 saves)
Power Play:
Hamilton: 0-for-4
Rochester: 2-for-4
Attendance: 5,561
Three Stars:
1. RCH- Michal Repik (2 assists, -1, 5 shots)
2. HAM- Brock Trotter (1 goal, +1, 5 shots)
3. HAM- David Desharnais (1 goal, +1, 6 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Max Pacioretty
