Excerpt from the Canadiens.com article by Heather Engel


It may be the dead of winter with cold and snowstorms wreaking havoc in the East but those looking for a reprieve needn’t go far; the Hamilton Bulldogs are providing plenty of heat.

Boasting a 7-3-0-0 record in their past 10 games, the Habs’ farm team has moved into a tie for second in the North Division with 46 points, just three shy of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Much of the success is due to the resiliency and consistency of Don Lever’s troop, which has yet to endure a slide longer than three games this season.

The team’s knack for finding the back of the net has also worked in their favor; the Bulldogs remain one the league’s top offensive juggernauts, tied for second with 129 tallies. That’s been propelled by a successful power play that has converted at a 20.4% clip, to rank fifth in the league.

Like their NHL brethren, the Bulldogs have also been able to count on call-ups and new faces stepping in and not missing a beat.

Up came Olivier Latendresse, Thomas Beauregard and Loic Lacasse from the Cyclones, the club’s ECHL affiliate. On Monday, depth was added to the blue line and the wing with the acquisition of T.J. Kemp from Pittsburgh and the inking of Steve Gainey to a professional tryout contract.