Depleted Bulldogs ready for tough weekend
Don’t be fooled by the standings. The Hamilton Bulldogs have a tough weekend ahead of them.
The team kicks off the second quarter of the OHL schedule at home against the Erie Otters Friday before heading to Mississauga for a Sunday matinee against the Steelheads.
At 2-7 and 1-8 respectively, both squads had an awful start to the season — but they seem to have turned the corner. In their last eight games, the sixth-place Otters and the eighth-place Steelheads each have just a single regulation loss.
It’s not the first time the Bulldogs have faced an opponent in this situation. The London Knights, who are tied for last in their conference, had won three in a row when they came to Hamilton a couple of weeks ago and downed the hosts in a shootout.
How do they feel about playing another couple of teams on a roll?
Here’s Zack Jackson: “We just try to come out the same way every night and bring energy and so, I mean, you don’t really look at it too much if they have momentum. We could change that just as quickly — turn them onto a losing streak.”
And his Bulldogs teammate Riley McCourt: “I think early in the
season it shows our character in the room and gives us a challenge. It gets us sort of in the mode for later down the road in the season and it kind of prepares us for what we’re going to see down the road in the playoffs and after Christmas.”
And their head coach John Gruden: “We’re banged up a little bit, but when we’re playing well, it’s always good to play teams that are playing well, because you still see where you’re at and what you need to do, and it can bring you back to earth if you think you’re better than what you are.”
The Bulldogs will be missing several players when they face the Otters and Steelheads this weekend, including Mackenzie Entwistle, who is sidelined with a boxer’s fracture, and Marian Studenic, Owen Burnell and Jake Murray, who are all day-to-day with head injuries.
Connor McMichael is also away at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, while Will Bitten will miss Sunday’s game for the Canada Russia Series. The team has recalled forwards Dylan D’Agostino and Liam Van Loon to help.
The Steelheads, meanwhile, will have a big piece of their lineup back in Owen Tippett. The 18year-old, who is probably the best pure goal scorer in the league, was returned to Mississauga by the Florida Panthers early this week.
The week ahead
Erie Friday, 7:30 p.m., FirstOntario Centre The storyline: After a 2-7 start, the OHL’s defending champions have six wins in their last nine games, including an 8-0 decision against Oshawa last weekend. Player to watch: Taylor Raddysh, who led the league with a plus-67 rating last season, has a team-high 26 points. Neat stat: The Otters are the only team that hasn’t won when trailing after one or two periods and hasn’t lost when they’ve had the lead. Local connection: Kyle Maksimovich was born in Hamilton.
At Mississauga Sunday, 2 p.m. The storyline: The Steelheads are only a point out of the Eastern Conference basement, but go into the weekend with wins in all but one of their last seven games. Player to watch: Lead scorer Albert Michnac is coming off a monster three-in-three in which he scored eight goals in less than 48 hours. Neat stat: At 30.9 per cent, Mississauga had the best power play record in the OHL as of Thursday. Local connection: Trent Fox played for the Bulldogs.