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Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were not able to compile last week’s Bulldogs column.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

The AHL All-Star break has come and gone, and the Hamilton Bulldogs have some catching up to do if they want to make the postseason.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t use the momentum from a pair of blowout wins a week before, as in game 1 back from the break, they were doubled up 6-3 by the piddly River Rats, in a game that the Bulldogs thoroughly dominated.  The following afternoon led to redemption though, as they doubled up on the Baby Leafs by a score of 4-2.

Plekanec lights it up in Manchester:

Despite having just 1 team representative, the Hamilton Bulldogs were quite successful at the annual AHL All-Star Classic.  C Tomas Plekanec won the Fastest Skater competition on the Sunday night, and parlayed that into an MVP performance the following night, scoring a goal in regulation play, as well as a shootout goal in Planet USA’s 5-4 win over Canada, their first win in 6 years.

Another Hab heads down:

Following the first (and official) cancellation of the 04-05 NHL campaign, C Steve Begin decided it was time to lace up the skates somewhere.  That somewhere is in Hamilton, where he will add some toughness to the lineup.  Begin is no stranger to the AHL, having won a Calder Cup MVP before, and the Bulldogs will look to his experience to aid their cause as they try to rally and make the playoffs.  No player has been sent down yet as Begin has not been activated to the roster.  Expect Michael Lambert to be the odd man out.

Brawling Bunch:

Not getting named to the All-Star game can do many things to players.  For some, it disappoints them greatly, while for others, it motivates them even more.  For the Bulldogs, however, it makes them want to fight apparently.  The end of Saturday’s contest in Albany saw a couple of violent incidents, and that bad blood boiled over into Sunday’s game vs St. John’s, where 193 PIMS were handed out, the most in a Hamilton game this season. 

By the Numbers:

Following up on the fight-filled weekend, here’s some interesting notes.  Raitis Ivanans and Steve Ott appeared to be in a competition for most PIMS in a weekend.  Ivanans (17+28=45) defeated Ott (16+16=32).  In Sunday’s matinee, no fewer than 6 Bulldogs found themselves with double digit PIMS, including the usually timid James Sanford, who was ejected for 3rd man in a fight.  The return of Antti Miettinen seems to have sparked the offense, as, he has 6 points in 10 games this season, the first 5 in which he had a grand total of 1 assist.  Tomas Plekanec is just 3 goals away from equalling last year’s total of 23, set in 76 games.

Goalie Zone:

It was a rough week for Dan Ellis, as he was yanked halfway through the Albany game, after allowing 4 goals on just 15 shots.  His record now drops to 7-17 on the season.  Yann Danis meanwhile, had a strong weekend, stopping 39 of 43 shots faced on the weekend, improving his record to 15-11-5. 

The Infirmary:

D Mike Komisarek (hip surgery), out indefinitely
D Dan Focht (shoulder), out indefintely
C Steve Begin (conditioning), out day-to-day

Spotlight Stat:

A new feature to the column, here, we’ll take a more detailed look at some of the Bulldogs stats for the remainder of the season.  This week’s feature: Game Winner goals.

As a team heads down the stretch, it relies more on its veteran players to ensure that the team gets at least a point if not a win, particularly in Hamilton’s case, where they are struggling to move up in the standings.  So far, this has been the case, as veterans Tomas Plekanec and Steve Ott are leading the way with 5 and 3 respectively.  Not coincidentally, those two also lead the team in scoring.

Full Stats: Plekanec (5), Ott, Chris Higgins (3), Jason Ward, Duncan Milroy (2), Andrei Kostitsyn, Gavin Morgan, Dan Jancevski, Marc-Andre Thinel, Raitis Ivanans (1).

The Weekly Bulldogs Stat Pack:

Weekly Scoring Summary:

1) Higgins (Miettinen, Archer)
2) Morgan (Milroy)
3) Locke (unassisted)
4) Miettinen (Sanford, Daley) PP
5) Ward (Locke, Ott) PP
6) Kostitsyn (Archer) GWG
7) Miettinen (Plekanec, Jancevski)

Special Teams: