Bulldogs gone after fast start
Hamilton punches ticket to off-season with 4-1 playoff loss to Grand Rapids

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 27, 2009)

The Hamilton Bulldogs are left to contemplate what could have been.

The Dogs dropped a 4-1 decision to the Grand Rapids Griffins last night at Copps Coliseum and were eliminated 4-2 in the best-of-seven AHL North Division semifinal.

The defeat came just two weeks and a day after they had concluded one of the best regular seasons in their history, a season in which they closed with five straight wins, including three over Grand Rapids and overtook the Griffins for second place.

That streak had earned them home-ice advantage in their first round series with Grand Rapids. It did them little good, however, as the Griffins won all three games played in the Steel City.

“It’s disappointing because I don’t think we played our best hockey at all,” said Dogs coach Ron Wilson. “I don’t know if we just got satisfied with the good (regular) season we had. We got second place, which was our goal, and then we just seemed like we were never able to raise the level of our play again.”

The Dogs got off to a great start yesterday. Greg Stewart deflected a shot over goaltender Jimmy Howard on a perfect pass from J.T. Wyman in the corner just nine seconds into the game.

What obviously they had not done, however, was to learn anything from their previous games about not taking penalties.

Chad Anderson and Yanick Lehoux both took roughing penalties at the same time and Milton’s Darren Haydar, the AHL’s all-time leader in playoff scoring, took advantage to tie the game at 5:25.

Justin Abdelkader, who has been a thorn in the Bulldogs’ side all series, scored what would turn out to be the winner at 4:18 of the second, when he jumped on a loose puck in the high slot, spun and fired a quick, low shot that beat Marc Denis through the five-hole.

If the Dogs had any hope of forcing a Game 7, it ended when Cory Emmerton beat two Hamilton defencemen and scored from one knee at 13:45 of the third.

Ville Leino added one into the empty net at 19:22.

“It seems like we finished the season on such a high and then took a couple of steps back,” said veteran Dog defender Dan Jancevski. “We were just running uphill after that, trying to get back in the series.”

The Bulldogs are meeting tomorrow to clean out their lockers, some for the last time, and then begin to ponder why they were so good in the regular season and so mediocre in the playoffs.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Ville Leino, Grand Rapids. 2. Justin Abdelkader, Grand Rapids. 3. Darren Haydar, Grand Rapids.

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game (hardest working Bulldog): J.T. Wyman.

Shots on goal: Hamilton 23 Grand Rapids 18.

Attendance: 3,179.

Results

Game 1. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 3

Game 2. Grand Rapids 3, Hamilton 1

Game 3. Hamilton 5, Grand Rapids 4

Game 4. Hamilton 4, Grand Rapids 3 (OT)

Game 5. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 1

Game 6. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 1