The Hamilton Bulldogs (American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) will say goodbye to 2009 this week by playing back to back games on Wednesday, December 30^th versus the Rochester Americans (American Hockey League affiliate of the Florida Panthers) at 7:30pm EST at Copps Coliseum, then taking to the ice the following night for a New Year's Eve clash with the Grand Rapids Griffins (American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings) at 7:00pm EST at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Bulldogs' first matchup of the New Year will be at home on Saturday, January 2^nd for a 7:00pm EST game against the Lake Erie Monsters (American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche).  The 'Dogs will once again play on consecutive nights, as Hamilton will host the Milwaukee Admirals (American Hockey League affiliate of the Nashville Predators) for a meeting on Sunday, January 3^rd at 4:00pm EST.

Last week, the Bulldogs enjoyed a short break to celebrate Christmas before taking to the ice on Boxing Day for a matchup against the Rochester Americans.  The seasonal cheer did not last long however, as the Americans got the better of Hamilton and scored three third period goals en route to a 4-2 win over the visiting Bulldogs.  Hamilton got back on the winning track two nights later, as the Toronto Marlies fell victim to three Hamilton power-play goals in a 5-2 Bulldogs victory in front of 7,619 fans at Copps Coliseum.

THIS WEEK AT THE DOG POUND
It will be $1 hot dog night at Copps Coliseum on Wednesday when the Bulldogs welcome the Rochester Americans to Hamilton. Wednesday will also be the first night to feature the hot dog eating contest where fans will be timed to see how fast they can eat a hot dog. Bruiser will celebrate his birthday on Saturday, January 2^nd when the 'Dogs play host to eh lake Erie Monsters at Copps Coliseum. There will be a giant birthday cake and many of Bruiser's mascot friends will be in attendance to celebrate with him. Following Sunday's game versus the Milwaukee Admirals, the Bulldogs will have their season ticket holder skate where all season tickets holders are invited to come and skate with the 'Dogs. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will also receive a 2009-2010 team poster

SALUTE THE TROOPS NIGHT!

The Hamilton Bulldogs will be paying tribute to the brave men and women of Canada's Armed Forces with the "Salute the Troops" night at Copps Coliseum on December 30^th. Red rally towels will be given out to the first 3,000 fans through the gates and while other great prizes and giveaways will be given out to fans throughout the game. There will be a pre-game ceremony with Military Honour Guard and band and there will be an on-ice military obstacle course during the intermission. There will be a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game with Bev McCraw, the mother of Sergeant Shawn Eades, who was killed in action in Afghanistan last year.

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Saturday, December 26^th, 2009 - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 2 @ ROCHESTER AMERICANS 4

Blue Cross Arena - Rochester, NY

Hamilton Goals: Mathieu Darche, Andre Benoit

Rochester Goals: Evgeny Dadonov, Jeff Taffe (2), Keaton Ellerby

Goaltending: Hamilton - Curtis Sanford (L - 22 shots, 19 saves) / Rochester - Ryan Mior (W - 47 shots, 45 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 2-7 / Rochester 1-5

Attendance: 7,083

Monday, December 28^th, 2009 - HAMILTON BULLDOGS 5 vs. TORONTO MARLIES 2

Copps Coliseum - Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: P.K. Subban, Andrew Conboy, Yannick Weber, David Desharnais (2)

Toronto Goals: Stefano Giliati, Ben Gordon

Goaltending: Hamilton - Cedrick Desjardins (W - 22 shots, 20 saves) / Toronto - Adam Munro (L - 41 shots, 36 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 3-7 / Toronto 1-2

Attendance: 7,619

NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS:

(As of Tuesday, December 29^th)

BULLDOGS NOTES:

• G Cedrick Desjardins and D P.K. Subban were named to the 2010 Canadian AHL All-Star Team with Subban being voted as a starter for the team.
• The Bulldogs earned their 500^th regular season victory with a 3-0 win over the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday, November 28^th.
• Hamilton is currently among the hottest teams in the AHL, sporting a 7-2-1-0 record in their last ten games.
• The 'Dogs are tied with the Hershey Bears for the lowest number of regulation losses in the league, having suffered defeat just eight times when overtime or a shootout was not necessary.
• Hamilton's 0.682 winning percentage is currently 3^rd-best in the AHL.
• The Bulldogs have the lowest goals against total in the AHL, having allowed just 70 opposition tallies in 33 games this season. The goaltending tandem of Curtis Sanford and Cedrick Desjardins has complemented Hamilton's defensive corps to shut down the opposition's attack.
• Hamilton G Cedrick Desjardins set a Bulldogs franchise record earlier this month for individual shutout streak. Desjardins went 212 minutes and 37 seconds without letting a single puck get past him. The record streak was snapped when Riley Armstrong scored late in the third period as the Bulldogs burned the Abbotsford Heat 5-1 on Wednesday, December 9^th at Copps Coliseum. Desjardins currently boasts the 2^nd-lowest goals against average in the league at 1.55, the 3^rd-best save percentage at 0.939, and the most shutouts in the league with five.
• Bulldogs C Brock Trotter has scored 11 points (5-6-11) in his last 10 games, and engineered a six-game point streak during that span. The former Denver Pioneer currently leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points.
• Bulldogs rookie D P.K. Subban is currently the league-leader in plus/minus, as the Rexdale, Ontario native is skating with a +17 rating
• Hamilton C David Desharnais is currently tied for 2^nd in the league with four game-winning goals, and tied for 8^th in the league with six power play goals. Desharnais had a 6-game goal-scoring streak snapped on December 20^th as the Bulldogs defeated the Rochester Americans 5-4 in overtime at the Blue Cross Arena.

UPCOMING GAMES:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30^TH - HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS

7:30 PM EST -COPPS COLISEUM- Hamilton, ON

• This will be the fifth of 10 meetings between the North Division rivals this season
• In their last meeting, the Bulldogs were downed by the Amerks 4-2 on Dec. 26^th in Rochester
• The Americans currently sit 1^st in the North Division with a 22-10-2-0 record and 46 points, while the 2^nd-place Bulldogs are just trailing them with 45 points and a 20-8-2-3 record
• Rochester has cooled off since their red-hot start to the season, having gone 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games
• In 2008-2009, Hamilton earned a 5-3-0-0 record in eight games against the Americans, with two of the five Bulldogs victories coming after a shootout
• The Bulldogs will go into Wednesday's contest with a 53-63-7-0-3 all-time record against Rochester
• C Jamie Johnson currently leads the Americans in scoring with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 34 games played this season
• There are a total of six Ontario natives currently listed on the Rochester roster: C Jamie Johnson (Port Franks), C Chris Taylor (Stratford), D Michael Caruso (Mississauga), D Peter Aston (Toronto), D James DeLory (Scarborough), and G Chris Beckord-Tseu (Toronto)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31^ST - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

7:00 PM EST - VAN ANDEL ARENA - Grand Rapids, MI

• This will be the first of six meetings between the North Division opponents this season
• The Griffins are fourth in the North Division with 37 points and an 18-15-0-1 record
• Grand Rapids has been struggling as of late dropping four games in a row, with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals on Dec. 28 by a score of 5-2
• Last season the Bulldogs doubled up the Griffins in the season series a 4-2-0-0 record
• Hamilton's overall record against Grand Rapids is 25-14-1-2-4
• C Patrick Rissmiller (9-17-26) currently leads the Griffins' attack with 26 points in 35 games
• There are seven Ontario-born players on the Grand Rapids' roster: C Kris Newbury (Brampton), C Cory Emmerton (St. Thomas), C Evan McGrath (Oakville), RW Jamie Tardif (Welland), D Andy Delmore (Windsor), D Paul Crosty (Brampton), and D Ryan Stokes (Corruna)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2^ND - HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. LAKE ERIE MONSTERS

7:00 PM EST - COPPS COLISEUM -Hamilton, ON

• This will be the third of eight contests between the two teams this season
• On Nov. 27-28 the clubs played back-to-back games in Cleveland with the Bulldogs shutting out Lake Erie in both contests 4-0, and 3-0 respectively
• The Monsters are in the basement of the North Division with 29 points and a 13-17-0-3 record
• In their last game Lake Erie got a very definitive victory, defeating the Toronto Marlies 7-0 at Ricoh Coliseum ... G Tyler Weiman stopped 32 shots for the shutout
• In 2008-2009 the Bulldogs decisively defeated Lake Erie in the season series 6-2-0-0 in eight games
• Hamilton's overall record against the Monsters is just as dominant at 15-2-0-0-1
• RW Darren Haydar (15-16-31) leads the Monsters' attack with 31 points in 32 games thus far this season
• There are currently only three Ontarians on the Monsters' roster: RW Brian Willsie (London), RW Darran Haydar (Milton), and D Wes O'Neill (Essex)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 3^RD - HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS

4:00 PM EST - COPPS COLISEUM - Hamilton, ON

• This will be the second of four meetings between the teams this year
• In their last meeting the Admirals got the best of Hamilton edging them by a score of 3-2 on Dec. 15 at Copps Coliseum
• Milwaukee is third in the West division with a 17-10-1-4 record, good for 39 points
• The Admirals downed the Grand Rapids Griffins 5-2 in Milwaukee on Dec. 28^th in front of a season-high crowd of 6,148 fans 
• Last season, Hamilton played Milwaukee twice and were defeated both times
• The all-time record is very even between the two clubs with the Bulldogs holding a 9-9-1-1-2 record versus the Admirals
• C Cal O'Reilly (7-23) is the Admirals' scoring leader with 30 points in 25 games played this year
• O'Reilly (Toronto) is the only Ontario native presently on the Milwaukee roster

ALUMNI WATCH:

There are more than 40 former Bulldogs on 2009-2010 National Hockey League rosters. Over 60 percent of all former 'Dogs have played in at least one NHL game. Here are a few highlights and accomplishments of ex-'Dogs from this past week:

• The Bulldogs would like to congratulate forward Marcel Hossa and G Jaroslav Halak, as both players were recently named Team Slovakia for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver
• Montreal G Jaroslav Halak had a very strong week, earning three victories for the Bulldogs parent-club, the Montreal Canadians... Halak combined to make an astounding 140 saves in wins over Atlanta (Dec. 21), Carolina (Dec. 23), and Toronto (Dec. 26)
• Montreal LW Andrei Kostitsyn scored four points last week, potting a goal against Atlanta (Dec. 21), scoring the game-winning goal in a win over Carolina (Dec. 23), scoring the overtime game-winning goal as the Habs defeated the Maple Leafs (Dec. 26), and adding an assist against Ottawa (Dec. 28)
• Boston RW Michael Ryder scored the game-winning goal as the Bruins got past the Thrashers (Dec. 23), and scored again in a matchup versus the Panthers (Dec. 27)
• Chicago G Cristobal Huet stopped 25 of 26 shots as the Blackhawks downed the Nashville Predators (Dec. 26)
• Montreal C Tomas Plekanec had an extremely prolific week offensively, totaling eight points with two goals and six assists... Plekanec began the week by scoring a goal and three assists against Atlanta (Dec. 21), then followed that up with another three-assist performance against Carolina (Dec. 23), and added a tally in the Habs' win over Toronto (Dec. 26)
• Atlanta C Marty Reasoner scored a goal against Tampa Bay (Dec. 26), and had a goal and an assist while finishing +2 against the New Jersey Devils (Dec. 28)
• Montreal D Marc-Andre Bergeron scored two goals, including the game winner, as the Habs got past the Atlanta Thrashers (Dec. 21), dished out an assist against Carolina (Dec. 23), and added another helper as the Canadiens beat the Leafs in overtime (Dec. 26)
• Toronto C Mikhail Grabovski collected one assist in each of two contests against the New York Islanders (Dec. 23) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Dec. 27)
• Boston G Tim Thomas put three more notches in his victory column with a 29-save shutout against Ottawa (Dec. 21), a 25-save performance against Atlanta (Dec. 23), followed by another 25 saves in a win over the Florida Panthers

TUNE IN TO Every Game on the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network AND CABLE 14:

Fans can listen to every 'Dogs game this season 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' icon on the Bulldogs website. All regular-season radio and online broadcasts will begin with a pre-game show 30 minutes prior to each scheduled game-time. Ellery Award-winning broadcaster Derek Wills calls the play-by-play of all 80 regular season games, while Al Craig provides the colour commentary for all home games and select road games.

In addition Cable 14 will air live broadcasts 13 of club's 38 home games at Copps Coliseum. In a joint venture with Mohawk College, Cable 14 will also broadcast the 25 Hamilton Bulldogs' home games not being shown live in their entirety as 'Dogs-in-an-Hour at 11:00 p.m. on the night of the game. 

Cable 14 will also carry Rogers Television's live coverage of six Hamilton Bulldogs versus Toronto Marlies games at Ricoh Coliseum.

For a full listing of all the games broadcast on Cable 14 follow this link: http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/page/broadcast_1019#Live%20Broadcast%20Schedule

GET YOUR TICKETS!:

Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, flex tickets, min pack tickets, group tickets and tickets are now on sale! Individual game tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office (in-person sales only), all Ticketmaster outlets and online at ticketmaster.ca or call 905-527-7666. For information on season tickets, flex tickets, mini pack tickets and group tickets visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or call (905) 529-8500 or 1-866-364-7849.

GET YOUR BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE AT THE "DAWG HOUSE":
Fans can purchase Bulldogs merchandise during all home games at the "Dawg House" store located behind section 114 on the concourse level at Copps Coliseum.

In the store, fans can find hats, t-shirts, jackets, replica jerseys, foam fingers, foam 'Bone Heads', and other select novelty items for sale.

HAMILTON BULLDOGS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30^TH - ROCHESTER AMERICANS @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS - 7:30 PM - COPPS COLISEUM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31^st - HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS - 7:00 PM - VAN ANDEL ARENA
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2^nd - LAKE ERIE MONSTERS @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS - 7:00 PM - COPPS COLISEUM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3^rd - MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS @ HAMILTON BULLDOGS - 4:00 PM - COPPS COLISEUM

MOLSON CUP - THREE STAR LEADERS:

(1^st Star - 5pts, 2^nd Star - 3pts, 3^rd Star - 1pt)

FLAMBORO DOWNS WORKHORSE OF THE GAME LEADERS:
(10 pts. - Hardest working Hamilton Bulldogs player)

HAMILTON BULLDOGS TEAM STATISTICS:

(As of Tuesday, December 29^th, 2009)