HAYES & MCTAVISH RECORD 4 POINTS EACH AS BULLDOGS TAKE 3-0 LEAD
HAMILTON, ONTARIO. With a chance to press the Peterborough Petes’ backs to the wall, the Hamilton Bulldogs entered Game 3 on Wednesday night looking to continue the offensive momentum that has staked them to a 2-0 series lead.
Hamilton came out with speed in the opening frame, looking to pour more shots to the net of Michael Simpson who has already seen 96 in the series’ first two games. After a pair of successful first period penalty kills, the Bulldogs got their first chance with the man-advantage with just under 3-minutes to play and made it count. Nathan Staios broke the puck out of the zone, dropping back for an exchange between Avery Hayes and Jan Mysak which got the puck to Mason McTavish over the line on the right-wing side. McTavish ripped a shot that dented both posts and caught the inside of the goal to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead on his 2nd of the playoffs at 17:30. Marco Costantini followed up the McTavish goal making his finest save of the frame, stopping J.R. Avon’s bid for the top corner and sending the Bulldogs to the locker room up 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The offences opened up a little more in the second period as the Bulldogs power-play got off to a quick start in the middle frame with Nathan Staios finding Mason McTavish in the right circle for a one-timer that Michael Simpson stopped, only to have Avery Hayes cash the rebound on the doorstep for his 1st of the playoffs to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Peterborough struck back at 6:31 as Tucker Robertson found a loose puck in the Hamilton zone and rifled into the Bulldogs goal to cut the Hamilton lead in half. A parade to the penalty box once again ensued for both sides with the Bulldogs penalty kill keeping their side ahead, including at one point being down to three defensemen for a stretch of penalty kill time. Marco Costantini made his best stop of the period with the Bulldogs shorthanded as the puck rolled to Chase Stillman in the right circle off a left-dot draw and Costantini robbed the Petes’ sniper with a brilliant glove stop. Before the period was out Hamilton bubbled the lead, once again on the power-play Hayes flipped the puck from below the goal line to Staios who fed McTavish in the right circle for a perfect one-timer off the back bar and down for his 2nd of the game, 3rd of the playoffs and a 3-1 lead heading to the second intermission.
The Bulldogs offence exploded in the third period to secure the commanding lead in the series, striking four times in the final frame. With their period opening double minor power-play expiring, Jan Mysak and Avery Hayes combined to get the puck from the right circle to the left for Ryan Winterton to record his first of the playoffs at 3:34. At 5:45 Brendan Anderson sprang Giordano Biondi on the right wing side, firing 5-hole on Simpson for his 2nd of the playoffs and a 5-1 lead. Sam Alfano got one back jumping on the rebound of a great Costantini save at 7:08 to get the Petes to 5-2 but that’s as close as they would get. Logan Morrison went 5-hole at 12:12 for his OHL leading 6th of the playoffs quickly followed at 12:45 for the Bulldogs 5th power-play of the goal of the night as McTavish got the puck low on the right side, feeding to Morrison in the left circle and back in front of the net to Hayes going tic-tac-goal for 2nd of the game and a 7-2 lead that the Bulldogs would hold, sending themselves to a 3-0 series lead as the clock struck zeros.
The Hamilton Bulldogs have a chance to advance to the second round of the OHL playoffs with a win in Game 4 on Thursday night, April 28th at the Peterborough Memorial Centre with a 7:00pm puck drop.
For more information on Hamilton Bulldogs 2022 playoff tickets or playoff flex packs call 905-529-8500 or visit hamiltonbulldogs.com
