Bulldogs wake up with pair of wins
Less than a week ago, with the Guelph Storm in town, the Hamilton Bulldogs laid a big, fat egg in a 6-3 contest they had “no business” leading after the first two frames — their head coach said.
“It went off the rails at the drop of the puck in the first period. We weren’t ready,” John Gruden added at the time. “We did not win any battles, we did not play the way we normally play. Obviously we can’t have that happen.”
It hasn’t. Not since. After one of their worst efforts this season, they rebounded with wins over the Saginaw Spirit and Mississauga Steelheads this weekend. Every player — from the top of the lineup to the bottom — played a role.
“We knew,” said defenceman Jack Hanley. “That game made us hit the reset button and from there we knew we couldn’t play like that.” Brandon Saigeon agreed: “It woke us up.” “I think we have a whole new expectation for our hockey team,” added the Grimsbyborn forward.
“We expect to win every night — that is our goal and anything short of that is kind of a disappointment.”
Saigeon, the squad’s top scorer, led the way with a pair of goals in a 5-2 win over the Steelheads on Sunday. He also chipped in three assists Saturday as Hamilton dropped the Spirit, 7-1.
After the Guelph game, Gruden switched up some lines and pairings in a bid to build some chemistry. It clearly worked. Up front, his players generated a ton of scoring chances, and, unlike earlier in the campaign, had no trouble capitalizing on them. In fact, they chased the starting goalies at the end of the first period in both games.
On the back end, they were steady, clearing pucks and minimizing scoring chances. Kaden Fulcher, meanwhile, was outstanding — particularly in Mississauga, where he made a whopping 45 saves.
For Gruden, the one problem spot against the Steelheads was that his team took too many penalties, especially in the second half of the game. The Bulldogs received nine minors beyond the 30-minute mark, including five in the final frame.
“I can’t comment about the refereeing, but we can’t have them running those power plays in the third period,” Gruden said. “That’s something we’ve got to continue to get better at.”
That said, the penalty kill was almost perfect, allowing only one goal on 13 tries (Mississauga was 1-for-8 on the power play, while Saginaw was 0-for-5). On top of that, Will Bitten scored short-handed to put the firstplace Bulldogs on the board against the lastplace Steelheads, who have now lost nine games in a row.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Bitten also struck first against Saginaw — a power-play goal that unleashed a torrent of stuffed animals onto the FirstOntario Centre ice during their annual teddy toss game. Every line contributed at least a goal in the win, which was their second against the Spirit in 10 days.
“That’s how we’ve got to play and it’s why we’re in first place,” Gruden said in the aftermath. “We’ve been pretty consistent, but to have a bounceback game of that kind of a statement was huge for our group.”
The Bulldogs visit North Bay and Sudbury this week before hosting Peterborough in one last matchup before the OHL’s holiday break. Game time is 2 p.m. Sunday. NOTES: Navrin Mutter has been suspended indefinitely for a check to the head in Wednesday’s tilt with Guelph. Video from the game appears to show the rookie forward making contact with a Storm player while driving to the net. There was no call on the ice, however, despite a referee having a clear view of the play. … On top of Mutter, Jake Murray, Justin Lemcke and Owen Burnell were scratched against the Spirit. Lemcke has a shoulder injury and Burnell a concussion. … The Bulldogs collected 4,587 toys at Saturday’s teddy toss game. The bears will be delivered to the Salvation Army’s Toy Mountain at Limeridge Mall Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the help of a few players. There will also be an autograph session after the big delivery. … Connor McMichael’s third period goal against the Spirit was his first in the OHL. “It’s about time,” the 16-year-old rookie said after the game. “All I remember is McCourt giving me a nice pass back door and I just saw the puck freeze when it hit the back of the net. It was unreal.” He scored his second a day later in Mississauga. … On top of Bitten and McMichael, Nick Caamano, Matt Strome and Marian Studenic had singles against Saginaw, while Arthur Kaliyev contributed a pair of goals. Aidan Prueter was the lone Spirit scorer. Caamano also had a goal Sunday, while Michael McLeod scored both the Steelheads markers.