MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -The Hamilton Bulldogs (American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) will battle the Houston Aeros (AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild) on Tuesday, October 27^th in Houston at 8:05 p.m. EST before returning to Copps Coliseum to host the Abbotsford Heat (AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames) on Friday, October 30^th at 7:30 p.m. The ‘Dogs close out the week when they welcome the Peoria Rivermen to Copps Coliseum on Sunday, November 1^st for a 4:00 p.m. match-up.

Last week, Hamilton posted a perfect record of 3-0-0-0 to extend their point streak to eight games, a franchise record for point streak to start a season. The Bulldogs hosted Manitoba on Tuesday, October 20^th where they defeated the Moose 4-1. The ‘Dogs then began a three-game road trip in San Antonio on Friday, October 23^rd by defeating the Rampage 3-0 before ending the week with a 2-1 shootout win over the Texas Stars on Saturday, October 24^th. 

WEEK IN REVIEW:

Tuesday, October 20^th, 2009 – HAMILTON BULLDOGS 4 vs. MANITOBA 1

Copps Coliseum – Hamilton, ON

Hamilton Goals: Mathieu Darche (2), Ryan White, Tom Pyatt

Manitoba Goals: Matt Pettinger

Goaltending: Hamilton – Cedrick Desjardins (W – 15 shots, 14 saves) / Manitoba – Cory Schneider (L – 29 shots, 25 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 1-4 / Manitoba 1-5

Attendance: 2,547

 

Friday, October 23^rd, 2009 – HAMILTON BULLDOGS 3 @ SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE 0

AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX

Hamilton Goals:  Tom Pyatt, Ben Maxwell, Mathieu Carle

Goaltending:  Hamilton – Curtis Sanford (W – 24 shots, 24 saves) / San Antonio – Al Montoya (L – 36 shots, 33 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 2-8 / San Antonio 0-4

Attendance:  4,650

 

Saturday, October 24^th, 2009 – HAMILTON BULLDOGS 2 @ TEXAS STARS 1 (S0)

Cedar Park Center – Austin, TX

Hamilton Goals: Mathieu Darche, Tom Pyatt (Shootout Game-Winner)

Texas Goals: Garrett Stafford

Goaltending: Hamilton – Curtis Sanford (W – 25 shots, 24 saves) / Texas – Matt Climie (L – 38 shots, 37 saves)

Power Play: Hamilton 0-6 / Texas 1-5

Attendance: 4,466

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NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS:

(As of Monday, October 26^th)

Rank	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA
1.	Rochester Americans	10	8	1	1	0	17	.850	33	22
2.	Manitoba Moose	12	7	4	1	0	15	.625	30	32
3.	Hamilton Bulldogs	8	6	0	1	1	14	.875	24	14
4.	Abbotsford Heat	11	4	4	2	1	11	.500	34	45
5.	Grand Rapids Griffins	8	4	4	0	0	8	.500	26	27
6.	Toronto Marlies	8	3	3	1	1	8	.500	23	28
7.	Lake Erie Monsters	9	4	5	0	0	8	.444	21	24

BULLDOGS NOTES:

Ø  The Bulldogs are currently on a three-game winning streak. They are also on an eight-game point streak which is a new franchise record for point streak to start a season. The ‘Dogs remain the only team in the AHL yet to suffer a regulation loss. 

Ø  C Mathieu Darche recorded his 200^th career AHL goal in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose. Darche currently leads the Bulldogs in goals with five.

Ø  Hamilton has the second lowest goals against, having only allowed 14 goals this season. Manchester is the only AHL to have surrendered fewer (12). G Curtis Sanford has posted two shutouts in only six games played.   

 

UPCOMING GAMES:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27^TH – HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ HOUSTON AEROS – 8:05 PM EST – TOYOTA CENTER

Ø  This will be the first of just two meetings this season between the Western Conference foes

Ø  Houston currently sits in 5^th place in the Western Division with a record of 5-4-0-0

Ø  The Bulldogs split two games with the Aeros last season, finishing with a 1-1-0-0 record

Ø  Hamilton will be looking to improve on a 3-3-0-1-1 all-time record against Houston

Ø  RW Jean-Michel Daoust (2-3-5) is currently leading the Aeros’ attack with five points in eight games this season

Ø  D Jamie Fraser (Sarnia) is the only Ontario native currently on the Houston roster

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30^TH  – HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. ABBOTSFORD HEAT – 7:30 PM EST – COPPS COLISEUM

Ø  Friday’s game will be the first of eight contests between the North Division rivals this season

Ø  Abbotsford is currently in 4^th place in the North Division, just three points behind Hamilton

Ø  Last season when the Heat played out of Quad City and were known as the Flames, the Bulldogs could not get a win and finished with an 0-1-1-0 record

Ø  C Jamie Lundmark (4-6-10) is currently leading the Heat in scoring, with LW Jason Jaffray (5-4-9) and RW Kris Chucko (4-5-9) not far behind

Ø  There are three Ontario natives currently on the Abbotsford roster: C John Armstrong (Unionville), D Matt Pelech (Toronto), and former Hamilton Reps AAA standout G David Shantz (Burlington)

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1^ST – HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. PEORIA RIVERMEN – 4:00 PM EST – COPPS COLISEUM

Ø  Sunday afternoon’s game will be the final meeting between the clubs this season, with Hamilton prevailing 4-3 in overtime on a goal by current team captain Mathieu Darche back on October 16^th

Ø  Peoria is in 4^th place in the West Division, with a 4-2-1-1 record

Ø  The Bulldogs split two games with Peoria last season, and finished with a 1-1-0-0 record against the Rivermen

Ø  The all-time series between the squads currently sits with the Bulldogs holding a 3-6-0-0 record

Ø  D Jonas Junland (5-5-10) is leading the Rivermen in goals (3), points (10), power play goals (3), and +/- with a +6 rating

Ø  There are currently five Ontario natives on Peoria’s roster: LW Chris Porter (Thunder Bay), C Julien Talbot (Wahnapitae), RW Anthony Peluso (North York), C Derek Armstrong (Ottawa), and D Brendan Bell (Ottawa)

 

 

 

ALUMNI WATCH:

There are over 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:

Ø  After a short stint with the Bulldogs this season, Montreal D Marc-Andre Bergeron wasted no time in making his presence felt with the big club, as he combined for 2 goals – both on the power play – 1 assist and 6 shots on net in wins over the Islanders (Oct. 22) and the Rangers (Oct. 24)

Ø  Boston RW Michael Ryder scored 1 goal, had 3 shots, and was +1 as the Bruins defeated Nashville 3-2 (Oct. 21)

Ø  Montreal C Tomas Plekanec had a combined 3 assists and +2 rating in wins over the New York Islanders (Oct. 22) and the New York Rangers (Oct. 24)

Ø  Boston G Tim Thomas got the win with a 28-save performance against Nashville (Oct. 21) and followed that up by stopping Ottawa’s trio of Alex Kovalev, Daniel Alfredsson, and Jason Spezza in the shootout as the Bruins squeaked by Ottawa 4-3 SOW (Oct. 24)

Ø  Dallas C Steve Ott notched 1 goal, 1 assist, and 6 shots on net in a 4-2 victory over Anaheim (Oct. 21) and had 1 assist, 2 shots, and finished +1 as the Stars beat St. Louis 4-1 (Oct. 24)

Ø  Montreal C Maxim Lapierre scored his first goal of the season while adding 3 shots on net and finishing +1 as the Canadiens thumped the Islanders 5-1 (Oct. 22)… Lapierre also added an assist in Montreal’s 5-4 OTW over the Rangers (Oct. 24)

Ø  Atlanta D Ron Hainsey dished out 1 assist and had 3 shots on net while finishing +1 in a 4-3 loss at the hands of San Jose (Oct. 24)

Ø  Boston LW Steve Begin continued his strong start to the 2009-2010 campaign by scoring 2 goals in as many nights last week – 1 in a win over Nashville (Oct. 21), and another in a loss to Philadelphia (Oct. 22)

Ø  Montreal RW Matt D’Agostini notched his first goal of the season in the Canadiens’ 5-4 overtime win against the Rangers (Oct. 24)

Ø  Los Angeles C Jarrett Stoll totaled 4 points last week as he scored 3 goals and added an assist in wins over Phoenix (Oct. 24) and Columbus (Oct. 25)

Ø  Columbus LW Jason Chimera scored a goal, had 4 shots on net, and finished +1 in a loss to Edmonton (Oct. 22) and dished out one assist while finishing with 3 shots on net as the Blue Jackets beat Anaheim (Oct. 24)

Ø  Montreal LW Max Pacioretty notched his first goal in 33 games as the Canadiens defeated the Islanders (Oct. 22)

Ø  Chicago G Cristobal Huet stood tall and stopped all 27 shots he faced to earn the shutout as the Blackhawks downed the Predators 2-0 (Oct. 24)

Ø  Dallas C Mike Ribeiro had 1 assist, 4 shots on net, and finished +1 in a win over Anaheim (Oct. 21)

Ø  Philadelphia D Danny Syvret contributed a combined 2 assists, and +2 rating as the Flyers beat Boston (Oct. 22) and fell to San Jose (Oct. 25)

Ø  Dallas D Trevor Daley scored a power play goal and amassed 2 shots on net as the Stars prevailed over Anaheim (Oct. 21)

Ø  Columbus LW Raffi Torres scored 1 goal and finished with 2 shots on net as the Blue Jackets fell to the Oilers (Oct. 22)

Ø  Montreal G Jaroslav Halak picked up 3 big wins last week – he made 22 saves and stopped Ilya Kovalchuk’s shootout attempt in Montreal’s 2-1 SOW over Atlanta (Oct. 20)… he followed that up with a 21-save performance to earn a 5-1 victory against the Islanders (Oct. 22), and made 23 saves to backstop the Canadiens to a 5-4 OTW against the high-powered New York Ranger offense

 

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:

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27^TH – HAMILTON BULLDOGS @ HOUSTON AEROS – 8:05 PM EST – TOYOTA CENTER

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30^TH  – HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. ABBOTSFORD HEAT – 7:00 PM EST – COPPS COLISEUM

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1^ST – HAMILTON BULLDOGS vs. PEORIA RIVERMEN – 4:00 PM EST – COPPS COLISEUM

 

MOLSON CUP – THREE STAR LEADERS:

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

Player :	Points :
1. Curtis Sanford	11
2. Mathieu Darche	10
3. Tom Pyatt	8
4. Sergei Kostitsyn	5
5. Ryan White	3
5. Brock Trotter	3
7. Ryan Russell	2
7. Ben Maxwell	2
9. J.T. Wyman	1

 

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

Player:	Points:
1. Brock Trotter	20
2. J.T. Wyman	10
2. Marc-Andre Bergeron	10
2. Cedrick Desjardins	10
2. Andre Benoit	10
2. Ryan White	10
2. Curtis Sanford	10

 

HAMILTON BULLDOGS TEAM STATISTICS:

(As of Monday, October 26^th, 2009)

#	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PP	PPA	SH	SHA	GW	FG	IG	OT	UA	EN	SOG	SOA	SOGW	SO%	Pt/G	PIM/G	Shots	Sh%
	27	Tom Pyatt	LW	8	4	3	7	6	2	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1.000	0.88	0.25	16	0.250
	19	Brock Trotter	C	8	2	5	7	6	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0.500	0.88	1.00	14	0.143
	21	Mathieu Darche	LW	8	5	1	6	6	2	1	0	0	0	1	2	1	1	0	0	2	2	0	1.000	0.75	0.25	44	0.114
X	47	Marc-Andre Bergeron	D	3	0	6	6	6	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	2.00	0.00	6	0.000
	91	Ben Maxwell	C	8	3	2	5	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.000	0.63	0.00	20	0.150
	74	Sergei Kostitsyn	RW	6	2	3	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.83	0.00	7	0.286
	25	Ryan White	C	8	2	3	5	1	13	1	2	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.63	1.63	21	0.095
	10	J.T. Wyman	RW	8	1	4	5	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.63	0.25	26	0.038
	61	Andre Benoit	D	8	0	5	5	3	6	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.63	0.75	12	0.000
	20	Ryan Russell	C	8	2	2	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.50	0.00	21	0.095
	72	Mathieu Carle	D	8	1	2	3	3	6	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.38	0.75	13	0.077
*	12	Andrew Conboy	LW	7	1	1	2	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.29	0.57	4	0.250
	15	Mike Glumac	RW	8	0	2	2	-1	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.000	0.25	0.88	17	0.000
*	76	P.K. Subban	D	8	0	2	2	2	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.25	1.50	15	0.000
*	8	Maxime Lacroix	LW	6	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.17	0.33	6	0.000
	7	Yannick Weber	D	6	0	1	1	1	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.17	2.00	13	0.000
	30	Cedrick Desjardins	G	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	0.00	0	0.000
	44	Shawn Belle	D	6	0	0	0	1	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	1.00	3	0.000
	1	Curtis Sanford	G	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	0.00	0	0.000
*	32	Frederic St. Denis	D	6	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	0.33	5	0.000
	6	Chad Anderson	D	7	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	0.29	2	0.000
	29	Eric Neilson	RW	8	0	0	0	-1	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.00	4.25	4	0.000
		BENCH		8	1				2																	1
		TOTALS		8	24	43	66	42	122	6	12	0	0	5	5	3	1	1	0	4	9	1	0.444	0.44	0.79	270	0.086

 

	#	Goalie	GP	MINS	W	L	SOL	SO	EN	GA	GAA	SOGP	SOW	SOL	SOGA	SOA	SO%	SA	SVS	SV%
	1	Curtis Sanford	6	374	4	1	1	2	0	8	1.28	2	1	1	5	10	0.500	157	149	0.949
	30	Cedrick Desjardins	2	120	2	0	0	0	0	5	2.50	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	49	44	0.898
		TOTALS	8	494	6	1	1	2	0	13	1.58	2	1	1	5	10	0.500	206	193	0.937

 

Commissioner Bud Selig shaved drug suspensions of players and broke the rules of MLB. Will Manny Ramirez and three others do a year? What will happen to dozens of minor league players whose records, teams, and leagues are affected? Read the whole story at SZ ( www.mlnsports.com).