Lapierre’s
first career hat-trick
Tom Palko (HV)
After becoming only the second team
this year to defeat the Rochester Americans in regulation
time, the Hamilton Bulldogs continued on their winning
ways behind Maxim Lapierre’s first career hat-trick
and another solid performance by Jaroslav Halak, and
defeated the Milwaukee Admirals 6-1.
To say that the Bulldogs opened the
scoring early would be an understatement, as quite
a few fans hadn’t reached their seats in Copps Coliseum
before Maxim Lapierre scored just 41 seconds into
the first period. Lapierre took the feed from Matt
D’Agostini on a 2-on-1 to beat Admirals’ net minder
Frederic Cloutier.
Halfway through the first, the Hamilton
potent power play went to work as Jonathan Ferland
scored, bouncing the puck off Ville Koistinen’s leg
and in behind Cloutier.
Milwaukee cut the ‘Dogs’ lead in half
with less than 2 minutes remaining in the opening
stanza as Pat Leahy went to the net alone, and beat
Jaroslav Halak high, stick side.
Andrei Kostitsyn tallied his third
goal of the season, and his second goal in two games,
when he showed his quick release and surprised Cloutier,
midway through the second. Mikhail Grabovski picked
up the assist, which extended his point scoring streak
to 5 games.
Only 32 seconds later, Lapierre netted
his second of the game from Zack Stortini and Mathieu
Roy. Admirals’ head coach, having seen enough, pulled
Cloutier and sent in Scott Reid.
Hamilton took full advantage of a
late period high sticking major to Milwaukee’s Kelsey
Wilson, as Duncan Milroy spun around in front of the
crease, and perfectly tipped home a cross ice pass
from Andrei Kostisyn. That marked Milroy’s tenth goal
of the season, which leads the Bulldogs.
With Wilson still serving his major,
Lapierre completed his hat trick, taking a pass from
Ryan O’Byrne and quickly wristing his shot to Reid’s
left side.
There may not have been any scoring
in the third, but there were plenty of opportunities.
Hamilton took 5 of their 9 penalties during the third
including referee Francois St. Laurent calling 7 penalties
on one play. The Admirals recorded 9 shots while the
Bulldogs only registered 2.
The win lifts the Bulldogs into a
tie with the Manitoba Moose for second in the North
Division and sixth in the conference, at 10-8-0-1.
The loss drops the Admirals to 7-9-2-0, good for eleventh
in the Western conference.
Game Notes: Milwaukee went 0-4 on
the power play; Hamilton went 3-9 on the power play;
the three stars - 1. Maxim Lapierre, Hamilton. 2.
Jaroslav Halak, Hamilton. 3. Duncan Milroy, Hamilton;
these two teams will meet again this Tuesday in Hamilton;
Hamilton’s penalty kill is 16-17 in the last three
games.
