Bulldogs score 6-3 victory; battle sets the stage for playoffs.
April 04, 2009
Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator

The Hamilton Bulldogs opened their pre-playoff series with a 6-3 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins last night at Copps Coliseum.

The game was the first of three the two teams will play against each other in the five regular season games they have left.

Hamilton’s win last night means the Griffins, who are second in the AHL’s North Division, can’t catch first-place Manitoba. It also means that Hamilton and Grand Rapids will face each other in the first round of the playoffs.

What hasn’t been decided is who will have the home-ice advantage. With their win last night the Dogs are now only two points back of Grand Rapids and they play each other again tonight.

Both the Griffins and Bulldogs have four games remaining on their schedules including tonight (7 p.m.) at Copps Coliseum and next Friday in Grand Rapids.

The Dogs also host Manitoba next Wednesday and finish the regular season next Saturday night at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto against the Marlies.

Grand Rapids also has games in Rochester this Sunday and then finishes the season at Peoria next Saturday.

Brock Trotter set a franchise record for the Dogs last night when he scored a back door goal from David Desharnais just nine seconds into the game.

It broke the old record of 11 seconds from the start of the game set last year by Matt D’Agostini.

The Griffins got an equalizer from Darren Helm just 35 seconds into the second.

Desharnais put the Dogs back in front at 15:15 on a one-timer from the slot on a feed from Trotter.

Desharnais’s second of the game, just 35 seconds into the third, put Hamilton up 3-1 but the Dogs couldn’t hold it.

The Griffins battled back to tie it on a pair of power play goals.

Justin Abdelkader got them to within one at 6:17 and Milton’s Darren Haydar tied it with a shot from the point at 13:11.

Late goals by Yannick Weber and Desharnais, both when the Dogs had two-man advantages, and an awarded goal to Alex Henry gave the Dogs the victory.

Henry was credited with the goal when Grand Rapids defenceman Jakub Kindl closed his hand on the puck in the empty Griffins net.

Notes: The Dallas Stars returned defenceman Dan Jancevski to the Bulldogs yesterday. He wasn’t dressed for last night’s game but is expected to play today.

The Dogs had goaltender Marc Denis back from Montreal last night. He dressed as a backup to Cedrick Desjarins. Denis is expected to rejoin the Habs tonight in Toronto if Carey Price is still feeling the affects of the flu.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. David Desharnais, Hamilton. 2. Brock Trotter, Hamilton. 3. Mike Glumac, Hamilton.

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game (hardest working Bulldog): Mathieu Carle.

Scratches: Dan Jancevski, Chad Anderson, Andrew Conboy, Ryan Kinasewich, Max Pacioretty.

Shots on goal: Hamilton 49 Grand Rapids 32.

Attendance: 5,085.

Up next: The Dogs and Griffins meet again tonight at 7 p.m. at Copps.