February 21, 2010

MONTREAL, QC – Tom Pyatt and Brock Trotter each had two goals and one assist as the Hamilton Bulldogs shutout the Adirondack Phantoms 5-0 Sunday afternoon in front of 15,529 fans at the Bell Centre, home of the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens.

The game began as expected with a defensive battle and neither team wanting to yield much room in their own zone. Adirondack created some good scoring chances and out-shot the Bulldogs 8-6 in the period, but failed to beat goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. Late in the frame the Bulldogs got on the board when Tom Pyatt won a battle behind the Phantoms cage and scored on a wrap-around shot at 18:25, giving Hamilton a 1-0 lead.

It did not take long for the Bulldogs to double their advantage as Brock Trotter scored 46 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0, assisted by David Desharnais and Ryan Russell. The Phantoms had three power plays in the frame, including almost 60 seconds of five-on-three, but failed to convert on their opportunities. Trotter scored again in the final minute of the period, tallying his second of the game at 19:13 off an Adirondack turnover to make it 3-0 Hamilton.

In the third period during the Phantoms’ sixth power play Chad Anderson stole the puck and sent Pyatt off on a shorthanded two-on-one. Pyatt then slid a pass across to Grant Stevenson for a one-timer that beat Backlund to the far post for a shorthanded goal at 9:49. The Bulldogs made it 5-0 at 15:09 when Pyatt took a hard wrist shot from the right circle that found the net for a power play goal, his second of the day.

Cedrick Desjardins stopped all 16 shots that he faced to record his sixth shutout of the season as Hamilton improved to 36-14-3-5 on the year. Johan Backlund made 15 saves on 20 shots as Adirondack fell to 26-27-2-2. The Bulldogs out-shot the Phantoms 20-16 and went 1-for-5 on the power play; Adirondack was 0-for-7 with the man-advantage.

Adirondack now returns home to prepare for a home game against the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, February 24th at 7:00 pm at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

There is no better way to watch Phantoms Hockey than by sharing it with a group of your family and friends. Bring a group of 15 or more people to the Glens Falls Civic Center and qualify for incredible discounted ticket prices off the regular box office rates. For more information about group tickets, contact the Phantoms at (518) 480-3355 or online at www.phantomshockey.com. Don’t miss a minute of the exciting action of the Adirondack Phantoms 2009-2010 Season presented by Bud Light.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Adirondack Phantoms 0 At Hamilton Bulldogs 5 - Status: Final
Feb 21, 2010 - Bell Centre

Adirondack 0 0 0 - 0
Hamilton 1 2 2 - 5

1st Period-1, Hamilton, Pyatt 12 (Trotter, Desharnais), 18:25. Penalties-St. Denis Ham (tripping), 0:18; Curry Adk (high-sticking), 4:54; Trotter Ham (double minor - high-sticking), 6:04; Curry Adk (cross-checking), 11:25.

2nd Period-2, Hamilton, Trotter 27 (Desharnais, Russell), 0:46. 3, Hamilton, Trotter 28 19:13. Penalties-Stephenson Adk (boarding), 11:36; Maxwell Ham (holding), 12:26; Subban Ham (hooking), 13:10; Stewart Ham (hooking), 16:56.

3rd Period-4, Hamilton, Stevenson 5 (Pyatt, Anderson), 9:59 (sh). 5, Hamilton, Pyatt 13 (Benoit, Subban), 15:09 (pp). Penalties-Clackson Adk (interference), 3:10; Glumac Ham (tripping), 8:22; White Ham (roughing), 12:24; Laliberte Adk (holding), 14:45.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 8-4-4-16. Hamilton 6-9-5-20.

Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 of 8; Hamilton 1 of 5.

Goalies-Adirondack, Backlund 18-12-2 (20 shots-15 saves). Hamilton, Desjardins 21-7-2 (16 shots-16 saves).

A-15,529

Referees-Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Kevin Ferguson (31), Matt Traub (88).