The Hamilton Bulldogs had an interesting week to say the least, facing the Cleveland Barons not once, nor twice, but three times this week. Normally this wouldn’t have been a big deal, but given the “incident” from last season, the teams played with a little more intensity than they normally would. This turned out to be a good week to for the Dogs, as they wound up getting 5 out of a possible 6 points vs the struggling Barons.
On Tuesday night, Yann Danis played stellar, stopping 28 of 29 shots in a game where he didn’t have to be all that sharp, as Hamilton scored the “cycle of goals” (PPG, SHG, even strength goal, penalty shot goal) in a 5-1 victory. Back at home on Friday, pretty much the same occurred, Danis allowing only 1 goal again, as Hamilton won 3-1. They could not pull off the trifecta though, as Cleveland seemed energized with the presence of Dan Ellis between the pipes for Hamilton, as they peppered the net with 36 shots. Ellis played well enough to send it to OT, but an early penalty to Andrei Kostitsyn cost them, as the Barons got the PP tally to win 4-3.
Higgins suspended
Hamilton was without the services of F Chris Higgins for Friday’s game as he was suspended by the AHL for 1 game following a high stick on former Canadiens’ prospect Matt Carkner in the first period of Tuesday’s contest. Higgins was assessed a major penalty on the play, but received no misconducts, and later scored on a penalty shot. He returned to the lineup Saturday.
Special Teams Report
The only thing consistent about Hamilton’s special teams play is that it’s consistently inconsistent. At the beginning of the season, the PP struggled while the PK excelled. The opposite is occurring now, as the PP is clicking, while the PK is struggling mightily. 5 of Cleveland’s 6 goals this week vs Hamilton were powerplay tallies, including the winner in OT on Saturday. Check the Bulldogs Weekly Stats Pack for the statistical breakdown.
Dogs of another kind
Montreal’s other minor league affiliate, the ECHL’s Long Beach Ice Dogs continued their strong play this week, going 2-1, giving them a 4-2 record on the season, good for 5th in the division. Christian Larrivee had an assist this week, his first point of the season in 6 games, while newcomer Cory Urquhart has a pair of goals in 3 contests. Olivier Michaud is still 0-1 with a 5.02 GAA and .878 save percentage.
Goalie Zone
It continues to be dominance on the part of Yann Danis, who has compiled a 6-1 record, with a 1.55 GAA and .947 SV%. Dan Ellis on the other hand, played well in his appearance this week, but still sports an 0-5 record with a 3.57 GAA and .899 SV %. Combined, the two sport a 6-6 record with a 2.42 GAA and a .925 SV%.
News and Notes
C Cory Urquhart was assigned to Long Beach this week to make room for D Dan Focht … The 5 goals scored Tuesday by Hamilton were a season high … Michael Lambert’s goal on Tuesday was his first career pro goal … D Matt Shasby has been a healthy scratch for 3 straight games.
The Infirmary
D Mike Komisarek (hip), out 2-3 weeks
D Jean-Phillipe Cote (shoulder), day-to-day
C Antti Miettinen (shoulder), out 4 months
C Benoit Dusablon (undisclosed), out indefinitely
Game Results:
November 2: Hamilton 5, Cleveland 1
November 5: Hamilton 3, Cleveland 1
November 6: Cleveland 4, Hamilton 3 (OT)
Week Record: 2-0-1-0
Season Record: 6-3-3-0 (3rd in West)
Scoring Leaders:
Weekly Scoring Leaders Goals Assists Points | Season Scoring Leaders Goals Assists Points
|
Weekly Scoring Summary:
1) Ward (Plante, Ott) PP
2) Morgan (unassisted) SH GWG
3) Higgins (unassisted) SH, penalty shot
4) Plekanec (Ward, Ott)
5) Lambert (Plante, Thinel) Lambert’s 1st pro goal
6) Locke (Daley, Milroy) PP
7) Jancevski (Plekanec, Daley) PP GWG
8) Ward (Plekanec, Thinel)
9) Kostitsyn (Plekanec)
10) Plekanec (Ward)
11) Focht (Plekanec)
Special Teams:
This Week:
Powerplay: 4/16 (25%)
Penalty Kill: 12/17 (70.6%)
This Season:
Powerplay: 10/73 (13.7%)
Penalty Kill: 52/65 (80%)
Upcoming Schedule:
November 10: Hamilton vs Rochester
November 12: Binghamton vs Hamilton
November 13: Cleveland vs Hamilton