It was a 50/50 split for both the Bulldogs and Nailers as they slowly try to
work their way out of the conference cellars in each league. On the
positive side, the offence for both squads is beginning to show signs of life
for the first time in a while. With the year about to end, it’s time to
begin reflecting on the year that was, the first of three prominent storylines
from 2012 will be discussed in my Final Thought.
|
The Dog |
Thirteen goals in four games represented
Hamilton’s best output in any week so far this season. It also moved them
out of dead last in goals scored for the first time in several weeks.
|
News and |
– Darryl Boyce was released from his PTO,
Olivier Fortier is taking his spot on the roster. Boyce was an alternate
captain for Hamilton, Jarred Tinordi wore the ‘A’ for Sunday’s game in
Milwaukee.
– Alexander Avtsin returned to the team after
the birth of his first child but he has been a healthy scratch since he came
back.
– On the injury front, Peter Delmas is now
healthy and was re-assigned to Wheeling (ECHL). Greg Pateryn remains 2-3
weeks away from returning while Aaron Palushaj suffered a shoulder injury
against Lake Erie. He is likely to miss 4-6 weeks. Mike Commodore
(groin) missed the last two games but is expected to play in the Bulldogs’ next
game.
– Lines from the most recent game:
Forwards:
Blunden – Holland – Gallagher
Bournival – Chaput – Nattinen
Quailer – Fortier – Leblanc
Hagel – Dumont – Stortini
Defence:
Beaulieu – Ellis
Tinordi – St-Denis
Nash – Corbin
|
Results: |
December 11:
Hamilton 1, Lake Erie 0
December 13:
Chicago 4, Hamilton 3
December 15:
Hamilton 6, Rockford 4
December 16:
Milwaukee 4, Hamilton 3
|
StatPack: |
The defence chipped in
considerably for the Bulldogs; a pair of Hamilton blueliners scored their first
career AHL goals while one other picked up his second career tally.
|
SKATERS |
|
# |
Player |
GP |
G |
A |
+/- |
SH |
PIMS |
| 3 | Antoine Corbin | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Brendon Nash | 4 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 4 | 16 |
| 5 | Jarred Tinordi | 4 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Nathan Beaulieu | 4 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 8 | 12 |
| 10 | Stefan Chaput | 4 | 0 | 3 | +1 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | Zack Stortini | 3 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 19 |
| 13 | Steve Quailer | 4 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 8 | 2 |
| 14 | Michael Blunden | 4 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 11 | 12 |
| 15 | Kyle Hagel | 4 | 0 | 0 | E | 7 | 5 |
| 16 | Olivier Fortier | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 9 | 2 |
| 17 | Brendan Gallagher | 4 | 1 | 2 | +2 | 17 | 2 |
| 18 | Michael Bournival | 4 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 13 | 0 |
| 20 | Louis Leblanc | 4 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 11 | 2 |
| 22 | Mike Commodore | 2 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | Joonas Nattinen | 4 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 7 | 2 |
| 28 | Aaron Palushaj | 1 | 0 | 0 | E | 6 | 0 |
| 32 | Frederic St-Denis | 4 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 4 | 2 |
| 37 | Patrick Holland | 4 | 0 | 0 | E | 11 | 0 |
| 40 | Gabriel Dumont | 4 | 2 | 0 | E | 9 | 7 |
| 44 | Morgan Ellis | 4 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 2 |
| 47 | Darryl Boyce | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 0 |
|
GOALIES |
|
# |
Player |
Record |
SV% |
GAA |
| 29 | Robert Mayer | 1-0-0 | .846 | 4.00 |
| 30 | Cedrick Desjardins | 1-2-0 | .907 | 2.70 |
|
Scoring |
Goals: Gallagher/Palushaj
(7)
Assists: Bournival/Gallagher (8)
Points: Brendan Gallagher (15)
+/-: Joonas Nattinen (+5)
PIMS: Zack Stortini (87)
Shots: Brendan Gallagher (79)
|
Schedule: |
December 18:
Hamilton vs Peoria
December 21: St. John’s vs Hamilton
December 22: San Antonio vs Hamilton
|
The |
Although the week didn’t get off to a strong
start for the Habs’ ECHL affiliate in Wheeling, the offence took off over the
weekend leading to a pair of wins.
As the Habs/Bulldogs now have players
affiliated with four different teams, the table below now covers all of those players, not
just the ones with Wheeling.
|
SKATERS |
| Player | Team |
GP |
G |
A |
+/- |
SH |
PIMS |
| Phillipe Lefebvre | Wheeling | 4 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 12 | 4 |
| Daultan Leveille | Wheeling | 3 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 7 | 0 |
| Ian Schultz | Utah | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 17 |
| Joe Stejskal | Wheeling | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 7 | 2 |
|
GOALIES |
| Player | Team |
Record |
SV% |
GAA |
|
Peter Delmas |
Wheeling |
1-0-0 | .815 | 5.00 |
Scott Gomez (injury) and Olivier
Fortier (recall) did not play. Colby Armstrong has not yet played since
signing with Utah.
|
Schedule: |
December 18: Greenville vs Wheeling
December 19: Greenville vs Wheeling
December 21: Elmira vs Wheeling
December 22: Elmira vs Wheeling
|
Final |
To call the 2011-12 season a
disappointment for the Habs would be quite the understatement. It became
clear early on that Montreal was likely to have a top-5 selection in the draft
but could the promise of whichever prospect they selected be enough to help fans
forget how truly bad the year was? Although Alex Galchenyuk has yet to put
on a Montreal Canadiens jersey, it’s pretty much safe to say the answer to that
question is a resounding yes. He has lit up the OHL this season (he sits
second in league scoring with 61 points in 37 games) and has quickly put to rest
any concerns about his surgically repaired knee.
What makes him a top storyline
though isn’t his early season success but rather the attention he is getting
from fans. I’ve been writing for HabsWorld since its inception over nine
years ago, never have I seen any one prospect receive even half the amount of
interest that Galchenyuk is getting in his junior season. Heck, I’m not
sure too many Habs have been followed this closely. Yes, the lockout has
something to do with that, but fans are genuinely tantalized by his potential.
Despite there being no NHL hockey right now a lot fans are excited, something
I’d have never guessed would be the case even a few months ago. That’s
some kind of first impression for Galchenyuk.
If you have any questions/comments, please feel
free to drop me a line at b.larose@habsworld.net.