Home is where the wins aren’t for Bulldogs
So much for home ice advantage.
In their past seven games — all at FirstOntario Centre, their York Boulevard abode — the Hamilton Bulldogs have mustered a single win. And it was in a shootout.
They lost five times by one goal and once by five — a 7-2 decision to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Sunday afternoon, which at the very least brought an end to a lengthy, and in some ways disastrous home stand.
“It’s supposed to be an advantage,” said head coach John Gruden. “But, for whatever reason, it is not.”
That the Bulldogs lost six of seven in their house isn’t the only cause for concern. In that stretch, they also sacrificed a mid- or late-game lead four times and suffered three defeats to teams lower than them in the standings.
And it’s not an isolated trend.
In 16 games on home ice this season, the Bulldogs have just won five times (they’re 8-6 on the road). Eight of their losses have been by a single goal. So what’s the problem? “I have no idea,” said Gruden. “I don’t care if we’re playing on the road or at home. We want to be known as playing a consistent game, playing hard, and we’re just ….
“It’s always something that keeps preventing us from winning games.”
Early on in the home stand special teams were the problem. The Bulldogs couldn’t score on the power play and couldn’t shut down the opposition while short-handed — a bad combination in one-goal games. Over the weekend, however, with the Soo and Saginaw in town, goaltending took over as the bigger issue.
Sunday, the Bulldogs played a team missing two of its top players.
Even with Hounds Zach Senyshyn and Blake Speers out, the Bulldogs fell into a hole early. Jack Kopacka beat Cole Ceci with a pair of soft goals in quick succession. That left Hamilton trailing 4-0 after 20 minutes — a gap that was ultimately intractable, despite Kaden Fulcher relieving Ceci to start the second, and Justin Lemcke scoring twice for Hamilton on the power play.
In the end, Kopacka notched two more goals, while Bobby MacIntyre, Colton White and Tim Gettinger chipped in singles. Fulcher had 11 saves in the loss and Ceci six. Matthew Villalta, meanwhile, stopped 34 shots at the opposite end of the rink.
The loss was the second for the Bulldogs in as many days. Less than 24 hours earlier against the Spirit, Connor Walters beat Evan Cormier with a deceptive shot from the point seven minutes into the first to unleash a torrent of toys onto the ice. He also gave his club an early lead — an advantage it couldn’t hang onto despite going into the third period up 2-1.
The Spirit ultimately won the annual teddy bear toss game 4-3 in a skills contest.
“It comes down to not staying focused — whether that’s not getting the puck out, not getting the kill, not getting the save,” said Gruden. “They’re kids still trying to learn and figure out how to win.” Lemcke called inexperience no excuse. “We’ve got to close out a third period,” he added. “We’ve all played hockey for 10 or 15 years, so we all know what’s at stake going into a third period.”
The Bulldogs, who have now lost eight of their last nine outings and slipped to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, are off until Thursday when they visit Mississauga. In spite of everything, Lemcke isn’t eager to hit the road.
“It’s always easier to play at home,” he said. “It just hasn’t worked out that way.”
Notes: Riley McCourt replaced Jesse Saban in the Bulldogs lineup Sunday. The veteran defenceman injured his leg blocking a shot in Saturday’s game against Saginaw.