BUJOLD STRIKES TWICE IN BULLDOGS 4-2 VICTORY
HAMILTON, ONTARIO. The Hamilton Bulldogs were back in action Saturday afternoon for the first game of their Girls in Hockey Weekend partnership with the Stoney Creek Sabres, hosting the Kingston Frontenacs for the second time in a week.
Tristan Malboeuf had to be sharp in the early goings of the game, making a quick pad save off a point-blank chance just 90-seconds in, picking up where he left off against the Rangers. Mason Vaccari came up big in his own right early, turning aside Sahil Panwar who accepted a Patrick Thomas pass and tried blasting the puck over his shoulder. Luca Testa was next to create for the hosts, striding down the right boards and making an excellent one-handed pass, net front, to Noah Nelson for a quality chance that was stopped by Vaccari. While a man down, Nick Lardis, Lawson Sherk and Jorian Donovan managed to get loose for a 3-on-1 opportunity. Lardis crossed the puck to Sherk on the right side who faked a shot and slid it back to Donovan but Vaccari was able to stretch out his right pad keeping the game scoreless. With 1:17 left in the opening frame, Lawson Sherk received a 5-minute major and game misconduct for a head check on Kingston’s Ben Roger, causing him to go down the tunnel and not return. The game halted after 20-minutes scoreless.
After the Bulldogs killed off the remainder of the 5-minute major, the hosts opened the scoring. Masen Wray drew the puck to Luca Testa who dusted it off and laid it back for Noah Van Vliet to fire past Vaccari for his 3rd of the season at 5:34 giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Just before the halfway point of the period, Nick Lardis scooped up the puck and beat the Fronts defender to head in for a breakaway, he chipped it over the shoulder of Vaccari but found the crossbar. Lardis would earn yet another breakaway just minutes later, but this time Vaccari denied him with his right pad. Tristan Malboeuf put all parts of his equipment to use in keeping the puck out of the net, including his mask, using his head to deny an Owen Outwater slapshot from the right circle. With two periods in the books, the Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead over a severely shorthanded Frontenacs side which had Thomas Budnick not return for the middle frame and an injury to Maleek McGowan, leaving the team with just 13 skaters heading to the final frame.
After Tristan Malboeuf opened the final frame with a tremendous cross-crease save and the Bulldogs killed off an extended 5-on-3, Ben Bujold grabbed the puck on the right side and raced around a Fronts defender tucking a puck that got up on edge short side on Vaccari for his 4th of the season, doubling Hamilton’s lead at 3:32. Kingston struck right back at 4:46 with Gage Heyes whistling a shot off a faceoff past Malboeuf to cut the Hamilton lead back to 2-1. At 8:41, Sahil Panwar and Ben Bujold got loose for a 2-on-1 chance, Panwar carried the puck up the right side, backhanded it to Bujold who crashed the crease to hammer home his 2nd of the game & 5th of the season, making it 3-1 Hamilton. Kingston again responded, at 16:09, a scramble play in front of the Hamilton goal led to Alec Belanger pushing a loose puck through the five-hole of Malboeuf to close the gap to 3-2. Florian Xhekaj was inches away from responding just seconds later as he fired the puck right off the far post and out. With the extra attacker on for the Frontenacs, Sahil Panwar received the puck after Marek Vanacker & Patrick Thomas worked the puck ahead to hit the empty net for his 23rd of the season, sealing the Bulldogs 4-2 win.
The Bulldogs are back in action Sunday afternoon as they host the visiting Sudbury Wolves. The puck drops at 2pm at the FirstOntario Centre.
For more information on Hamilton Bulldogs 2022-23 single game tickets or flex packages call 905-529-8500 or visit hamiltonbulldogs.com
