Hamilton, ON - The Lake Erie Monsters needed a shootout to defeat the Hamilton Bulldogs 2-1 on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs scored the first goal of the game with less than two minutes left in the first period when Alexander Avtsin pushed the puck past Lake Erie goaltender and former Bulldog Cedrick Desjardins. This was Avtsin's second goal in two games following a six-game pointless streak. His power play goal gave Hamilton a 1-0 lead.
Lake Erie would tie the game at 19:08 in the second period when a series of Hamilton penalties gave the Monsters a 5-on-3 opportunity. Ryan Stoa scored his first goal against the ‘Dogs (sixth for the season) on a one-timer off Tyson Barrie's pass. At the end of the second period, the score was tied at 1 and the shots were nearly equal with Lake Erie leading Hamilton 14-13.
The third period saw some stellar netminding on both ends, but the game would be decided with a shootout. Lake Erie forward Hugh Jessiman scored the lone goal, beating Lawson with a low glove-side slapshot.
The Bulldogs travel to Abbotsford for two games against the Heat this weekend. The ‘Dogs play the Heat at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, December 16th, 2011 at Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre, and then again at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 18th, 2011. All Hamilton Bulldogs games can be heard live on AM 820 CHAM or on www.hamiltonbulldogs.com, or seen live on www.ahllive.com beginning with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Single game tickets for the 2011-2012 season (including the January 21st outdoor game) are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or through charge-by-phone at 1-855-872-5000.
Visit the official website of the Hamilton Bulldogs at www.hamiltonbulldogs.com
Visit the official website of the 2012 Molson AHL Outdoor Classic at www.outdoorclassic.ca
Become a fan of the ‘Dogs on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hamiltonbulldogs
Follow the team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulldogsahl and www.twitter.com/dogsplaybyplay
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1. HAM - Alexander Avtsin - 4 - (Philippe Lefebvre, Joe Callahan) - 18:07 (PP)
2nd Period:
2. LE - Ryan Stoa - 6 - (Tyson Barrie, Luke Walker) - 19:08 (PP)
3rd period:
No scoring
Overtime:
No scoring
Shootout
HAM LE
Aaron Palushaj - No goal Ryan Stoa - No goal
Dany Masse - No goal Mike Carman - No goal
Phil Desimone - No goal Hugh Jessiman - Goal
Garret Stafford - No goal Tyson Barrie - No goal
Brian Willsie - No goal
Scoring:
Lake Erie: 0-1-0-0-1 - 2
Hamilton: 1-0-0-0-0 - 1
Shots:
Lake Erie: 7-7-8-1 - 24
Hamilton: 10-3-11-0 - 28
Goaltending:
Lake Erie: Cedrick Desjardins (28 shots, 27 saves)
Hamilton: Nathan Lawson (23 shots, 22 saves)
Power Play:
Lake Erie: 0-for-7
Hamilton: 0-for-6
Attendance: 2,369
Three Stars:
1. HAM - Brian Willsie (6 shots, 22:40 minutes on ice)
2. LE - Ryan Stoa (1 goal, 2 shots)
3. HAM - Joe Callahan (1 assist, 26:13 minutes on ice)
Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game: Dany Masse
