February 27, 2008
HAMILTON 5 GRAND RAPIDS 3
HAMILTON, ON – Daniel Corso (2-2-4) and Corey Locke (1-3-4) each registered four points to lift the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 5-3 triumph over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday night at Copps Coliseum. The ‘Dogs have now recorded points in eight-straight games with seven wins and an overtime loss in that span, and boast a 30-21-2-5 record on the season.
Grand Rapids drew first blood on a 5-on-3 power play at 5:57 of the opening stanza when Carl Corazzini fired a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Hamilton netminder Yann Danis. Mark Cullen and Garrett Stafford earned assists on Corazzini’s 18th tally of the campaign.
The Bulldogs evened the score 1-1 at 8:32 of the first period when Marvin Degon chipped home his eighth goal of the season. Locke and Corso earned helpers on the play.
Hamilton took its first lead of the game when Kyle Chipchura opted to shoot on a 2-on-1 break and buried the puck past Grand Rapids goaltender Jimmy Howard. Jonathan Ferland and Andrew Archer assisted on Chipchura’s goal, scored at the 15:01 mark of the opening frame.
Just 1:10 into the second period, the Griffins knotted the score when Darren McCarty tallied his fifth goal of the season. Jason Jozsa and Mattias Ritola set up McCarty for the 2-2 goal.
At the 17:35 mark of the middle stanza, Duncan Milroy sprung Locke on a breakaway and he snapped a shot between the legs of Howard to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. The goal was Locke’s team leading 21st of the campaign.
Hamilton made the score 4-2 at 2:57 of the third period on a power play when Corso notched his fourth marker of the season. Eric Manlow and Locke picked up the assists on the goal.
The Bulldog’s added some more insurance at 10:37 of the final frame when Corso potted his second tally of the game and his fourth point of the night to make the score 5-3. Locke also picked up his fourth point of the night with an assist on the play. Corso’s goal chased Howard from the Grand Rapids net in favour of Adam Berkhoel.
Grand Rapids responded at 11:57 of the third stanza when Jamie Tardif slipped the puck past Danis to make the score 5-3. The goal, Tardif’s 13th of the campaign, was assisted by Evan McGrath and Stafford and rounded out the scoring of the game.
Danis made 20 saves on 23 shots for Hamilton to earn the win, while Howard turned aside 19 shots and suffered the loss. Berkhoel stopped both of the shots he faced in relief of Howard.
Each team went 1-for-4 on the power play.
GRIFFINS @ BULLDOGS PHOTO GALLERY
The defending Calder Cup Champion Hamilton Bulldogs return to action on Friday, February 29th at 7:30 p.m. when they host the Iowa Stars at Copps Coliseum on Carey Price bobblehead night. The first 7,500 fans in attendance at the game will receive this commemorative souvenir. Tickets for all ‘Dogs 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 or to purchase season tickets call 905-529-8500, e-mail tickets@hamiltonbulldogs.com or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com.
Fans can listen to every Bulldogs game on the flagship station of the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network, 820 CHAM. Fans can also listen or watch at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com by clicking on the ‘B2 Networks’ or ‘820 CHAM’ icon on the ‘Dogs website. All regular-season radio and online broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 20 minutes prior to each scheduled game-time.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1. GRA – Carl Corazzini-18 (Mark Cullen, Garrett Stafford) – 5:57 (pp)
2. HAM – Marvin Degon-8 (Corey Locke, Daniel Corso) – 8:32
3. HAM – Kyle Chipchura-5 (Jonathan Ferland, Andrew Archer) – 15:01
2nd Period:
4. GRA – Darren McCarty-5 (Jason Jozsa, Mattias Ritola) – 1:10
5. HAM – Corey Locke-21 (Duncan Milroy, Daniel Corso) – 17:35
3rd Period:
6. HAM – Daniel Corso-4 (Eric Manlow, Corey Locke) – 2:57 (pp)
7. HAM – Daniel Corso-5 (Corey Locke, Andrew Archer) – 10:37
8. GRA – Jamie Tardif-13 (Evan McGrath, Garrett Stafford) – 11:57
Scoring:
Hamilton: 2-1-2--5
Grand Rapids: 1-1-1--3
Shots:
Hamilton: 7-12-7--26
Grand Rapids: 10-7-6--23
Goaltending:
Hamilton: Yann Danis (23 shots, 20 saves)
Grand Rapids: Jimmy Howard (24 shots, 19 saves), Adam Berkhoel (2 shots, 2 saves)
Power Play:
Hamilton: 1-for-4
Grand Rapids: 1-for-4
Attendance: 3,137
Three Stars:
1. HAM – Daniel Corso (2g, 2a, 4pts, +3, 3 shots)
2. HAM – Corey Locke (1g, 3a, 4pts, +3, 2 shots)
3. GRA – Garrett Stafford (0g, 2a, 2pts, 3 shots)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Andrew Archer (0g, 2a, 2pts, +2, 2 shots)
