And then there’s ... Dhillon
IceDogs goalie has beaten the Bulldogs seven straight times
If the Hamilton Bulldogs were really clever and thinking ahead, they’d invite Stephen Dhillon over for a meal prior to Thursday’s Game 1 of their OHL quarter-final series. Just to be nice and, y’know, extend a warm hand of friendship.
Then they’d feed the Niagara IceDogs’ goalie an undercooked chicken sandwich slathered in mayo that’s been warming in the sun for a few hours. Laced with a generous splash of TurboLax.
You’re right, of course. Gastrobombing an opponent to throw him off his game would indeed be rather unsporting. Then again, the 19-year-old has done nothing but give the Bulldogs an upset stomach this entire season.
Five times he was in net when Niagara faced Hamilton during the regular season. The IceDogs were outshot in all of those yet won each time.
The only time he took a night off against the Bulldogs, his side lost. He also won the final two meetings between the teams last season and was first star both times.
Hang on all you fans of the black and gold, it gets worse. Much worse.
Through the regular season, he had a rather pedestrian save percentage of .899. When he faced Hamilton that number leapt up to a Jacques Plante-esque .941. Had he played all his games against the Bulldogs, he would’ve been the league MVP and a first-overall NHL draft pick. Geez, they might’ve named the best-goalie award after him.
Which is why you can come up with all kinds of fancy permutations and combinations but this series really comes down to Dhillon vs. Hamilton. Figure him out and they can win. Don’t, and the season ends in a week or so.
So why’s he so good against them? “I wish I had the answer,” head coach John Gruden told The Spectator’s Teri Pecoskie last month after yet another loss.
OK, that’s not exactly a reassuring answer. However, he wasn’t done.
“I just think you’ve got to throw more pucks at the net,” Gruden said. “You’ve got to get more bodies in front of him.” Let’s go with that. Dhillon is a big kid. Over sixfoot-four and closing in on 190 pounds. He’s also athletic and moves well. That makes him a formidable wall when you’re attacking on the rush and he can challenge the shooter, close the angles and basically take away the net. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are a good skating team with tons of offensive talent that likes to attack on the rush.
You see the problem. Or the challenge, if you prefer.
It means highlight-reel goals are unlikely to win this series. You may get one or two — Robert Thomas and Brandon Saigeon are two players who’ve had success against Niagara playing their usual style and Dhillon isn’t perfect — but most of the Bulldogs’ success will likely come ugly. Crowd the front of the net, set screens and wait for rebounds. As Gruden suggested.
In their second-last meeting of the year, Hamilton beat him three times. All from close range. In their final get-together of the season, one of the Bulldogs’ two goals was on a rebound after a screen. It’s clear evidence that success can be had if the top team in the conference is willing to play that way.
For Hamilton, it would be wise to do just that right off the bat. Because Dhillon is already playing exceptionally well and a game or two of further Bulldog stoning would only build his confidence. This would be trouble as confident goalies always play bigger and better.
Let him get in a groove and beating him becomes more and more difficult.
The reality is that even if he continues his dominance against Hamilton, there’s still a path for the Bulldogs to take this series. If their own goalie (Kaden Fulcher) can match Dhillon’s work and turn the goaltending battle into a wash, things tip back in the favour of the black and gold.
The Bulldogs are the morebalanced and deeper team. They finished 13 points ahead of the IceDogs in the regular season. Over 68 games they scored more goals, allowed fewer and were considerably better on the power play. They are the favourites for a reason. They should win this series.
Unless their personal bogeyman in Niagara’s net doesn’t let them.