HabsWorld.net --
To begin this week’s recap, I am introducing a new segment which covers a
brief monthly review and that will then lead into my picks for the Hamilton
Bulldogs 3-Stars of the Month.
The schedule for the month of November had the Bulldogs playing 13 games, of which they finished with a record of 7 wins and 6 losses. The Bulldogs earned their 500th regular season victory on November 28th, defeating the Lake Erie Monsters 3-0.
Brock Trotter capped off a strong November by scoring four points in a pair
of Bulldogs victories over those same Lake Erie Monsters in that game, as well
as the previous contest the night before on November 27th. He has tallied three goals and nine assists for 12 points during November, including two goals and eight assists for 10 points in the final nine games of the month.
Bulldogs rookie P.K. Subban, showed off some late-game heroics as he scored in overtime to give Hamilton a 5-4 victory over the Manitoba Moose on November 21st. The former Belleville Bull turned up his play a notch in November, scoring eight points, including his first career AHL goal, and first career AHL game-winning goal.
Mathieu Carle has had no trouble re-establishing himself as one of the top defensemen on the roster since his return to the lineup after a three game stint with the Montreal Canadiens. On November 21st, against Manitoba, in just his third game back with the Dogs, he scored two goals and two assists for a career-high four point night. He then followed up that effort with a goal and an assist in the Bulldogs 4-0 win against Lake Erie on November 27.
Bulldogs RW Mike Glumac recently achieved three major milestones in his AHL career by scoring his 150th career AHL goal on November 24th against the Rochester Americans; scoring his 300th career AHL point in the Dogs 5-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch on November 14th; and playing in his 400th AHL game on November 6th against the Binghamton Senators.
Here now, are my picks for the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-Stars of the Month…….
1. Brock Trotter (3 goals; 9 assists; Hardest Working Bulldog in 2 games)
2. David Desharnais (6 goals; 4 assists; Hardest Working Bulldog in a game)
3. Mike Glumac (4 goals; 3 assists; Hardest Working Bulldog in a game)
The Hamilton Bulldogs Goaltender of the Month goes to Cedrick Desjardins, who has recently emerged as one of the top goalies in the AHL with his remarkable play throughout the month. Overall (at the end of November), Desjardins was ranked 3rd in the AHL with a 1.80 goals against average and a .985 save percentage. His numbers have improved even more during the beginning of December, which we will now take a look at.
Friday, December 4 marked the second of twelve meetings this season between the Hamilton Bulldogs and their North Division arch-rival, the Toronto Marlies. Coming off their two shutout victories vs the Lake Erie Monsters, the Bulldogs and Cedrick Desjardins wasted little time in welcoming the affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs into their Dog Pound home at Copps Coliseum and made sure to slam the door shut behind them as the Bulldogs recorded their third shutout in a row with a 3-0 win.
With this victory, the Bulldogs shutout streak reached 198 minutes and 51 seconds. It was also the first time in Bulldogs history that the team has recorded three shutouts in a row.
Cedrick Desjardins would have his shutout streak reach 158 minutes and 51 seconds, which has elevated him to currently being ranked as the 2nd best goaltender in the AHL, holding a 1.63 GAA and a .937 save percentage.
Brock Trotter would open the scoring at 18:35 of the 1st period, assisted by Yannick Weber, to give the Baby Habs a 1-0 lead over the Baby Leafs. This first goal seemed to drive a knife straight into the heart of the Marlies, who were being very badly outshot by the Bulldogs, and decided that their only course of action was to start playing “goon hockey”. The remainder of the game was thus to filled with roughing, fighting, crosschecking, and boarding penalties.
The Bulldogs would have momentum on their side and, sensing the victory, made it so with P.K. Subban scoring in the 2nd period at 11:52 (assisted by J.T. Wyman and Andre Benoit), and then Subban once again in the 3rd period at 19:08 into an empty Toronto net (assisted by Alex Henry).
The following day, Saturday, December 5, the Bulldogs would travel the short distance down the highway from Hamilton to Toronto as they faced the Marlies again in the second game of this two-game back to back series. Scoring for the Dogs in the rematch would be Mike Glumac, David Desharnais, J.T.
Wyman, Eric Neilson, and Ryan Russell, but this outpouring of goal-scoring would
not be enough as the Bulldogs had their shutout streak snapped at 207 minutes
and 21 seconds and lost the game by a final score of 6-5 in overtime. Curtis
Sanford, who had been out of action with muscle spasms in his back, was between
the pipes for this one and picked up the loss.
