Game Notes: 1/26/08 v. Hamilton Bulldogs
Crunch Defeat Dogs’ in Hamilton
Hamilton, ON (January 26, 2008) – The Syracuse Crunch defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs tonight, 2-0 at the Copps Coliseum in front of 4,448 fans.
The Crunch looked to snap a two-game slide coming off back-to-back losses in Manitoba. In the two previous games, Syracuse jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period. Tonight, The Crunch and Bulldogs played a scoreless first 20 minutes.
Syracuse had the edge in scoring chances and outshot Hamilton 13-5 in the frame. Neither team capitalized on two power play opportunities each.
Hamilton starter Carey Price came up with some huge stops, including a save with the knob of his stick on an Alexandre Picard chance.
The Crunch took a 1-0 lead just under five minutes into the second frame when Adam Pineault tallied his fourth power play goal of the year and 13th overall on the campaign.
Gilbert Brule took a one-timer feed from Clay Wilson and fired it from the top of the right circle. Pineault found the rebound and slid it past Hamilton starter Carey Price.
The Bulldogs had a great opportunity when the Crunch were caught in a line change and they broke in 3-on-1 on a power play. Dan Smith, the only Crunch player back, saved a great Hamilton scoring chance when he blocked a centering pass with his outstretched frame and cleared the puck out of the zone.
Through two periods, shots were 24-11 in favor of the Crunch.
The third period picked up when the Crunch were given a bench minor for too many men on the ice at the 10:43 mark. Things got interesting when Trevor Frischmon found the puck, raced in on a shorthanded breakaway and was pulled down from behind.
Frischmon was awarded a penalty shot. He came in and rang a shot off the right crossbar. That could have swung the momentum in Hamilton’s favor, but the Syracuse reacted posititvely.
Just two minutes later, the Crunch went up 2-0. Picard broke into the zone and left a drop pass for Wilson. Wilson rifled a slapper past Price for his seventh of the season.
The Crunch hung on and skated away with the 2-0 victory.
CRUNCHABLES: Joakim Lindstrom had a five-game scoring streak snapped last night @ Manitoba…He had 7 points (4g, 3a) during that span…The Crunch scored the first goal of the game tonight…That is the sixth game in a row that Syracuse has done that…Adam Munro notched his team-leading second shutout of the season tonight.