Hamilton Bulldogs

Hamilton, ON - The Hamilton Bulldogs defeated the Abbotsford Heat 3-1 at Copps Coliseum on Sunday. The 'Dogs and Heat are now tied 1-1 in the North Division Finals.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring at 2:30 of the first period. Ryan White intercepted a clearing attempt by a Heat player before firing a shot on net. The puck travelled through traffic in front of Abbotsford starting goaltender David Shantz before sailing past the goaltender and into the net.

The Heat tied the game 1-1 at 7:20 of the opening stanza. While on the power-play, Andy Delmore sent a pass from the blue line to Jason Jaffray, who was stationed in front of the Bulldogs net. Jaffray tipped the shot over the glove of Hamilton starting goaltender Cedrick Desjardins.

The 'Dogs regained the lead with a power-play marker at 8:55 of the first frame. Grant Stevenson fired a shot on net that was stopped by Shantz. The rebound bounced in front of the goaltender, where Mike Glumac scooped up the loose puck before sliding a shot past Shantz.

Hamilton took a 3-1 lead at 8:23 of the second stanza with a power-play goal. Mike Vernace received the puck from Stevenson before dishing the puck to David Desharnais, who was positioned at the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Desharnais blasted a one-time slapshot over the left shoulder of Shantz and into the top of the net. The goal extended Desharnais' point streak to seven games.  

The Bulldogs travel to Abbotsford for Game 3 on Tuesday, May 4^th at 10:00 p.m. EST. Fans can listen to every 'Dogs playoff 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 future Bulldogs playoff 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:
1. HAM - Ryan White - 3 (Unassisted) - 2:30
2. ABB - Jason Jaffray - 2 (Andy Delmore, Mikael Backlund) - 7:20 (PP)
3. HAM - Mike Glumac - 5 (Grant Stevenson, Mike Vernace) - 8:55 (PP)

2nd Period:
4. HAM - David Desharnais - 4 (Mike Vernace, Grant Stevenson) - 8:23 (PP)

3rd Period:
No Scoring

Scoring:
Hamilton: 2-1-0-3
Abbotsford: 1-0-0--1

Shots:
Hamilton: 13-6-4--23
Abbotsford: 7-7-9--23

Goaltending:
Hamilton: Cedrick Desjardins (23 shots, 22 saves)
Abbotsford: David Shantz (23 shots, 20 saves)

Power Play:
Hamilton: 2-for-7
Abbotsford: 1-for-8

Attendance: 2,844

Three Stars:
1. HAM- Ryan White (1 goal, +1, 1 shot)
2. HAM- Mike Vernace (2 assists, 3 shots)
3. ABB- Jason Jaffray (1 goal, 2 shots)

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Grant Stevenson