Canadian Game
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Pretty strange considering Templeton now plays for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL and hasn't been with Hamilton since late November.
Hamilton Bulldogs 2018 Offseason Thread
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Hammer9001
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Well after that game, I think Gruden needs to work on getting this guys firing on all cylinders. Flint to their credit played a gutsy game, but there seemed to be some coordination mistakes. Missed passes, passing to where players aren't, that kind of thing. Glad we pull off a win and stayed out of the box for the most part, but we didn't look very good out there tonight.
Hammer9001
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Bad beat in Owen Sound, the team ain't looking the greatest right now, despite the apparent roster improvements.
Bulldogs/Fronts tonight--I will be in attendance. Hamilton needs to wake up and win and not pull the same crap they did vs. Owen Sound--especially against a team that they may be playing in the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs.
bulldogsbaby
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Really fun game to watch but I think I'd be happier with a slightly larger goal differential. Plus two PPG's for Kingston, I can't remember who took the first penalty but I think maybe Entwistle's slash was avoidable.
Regardless, I think they played well tonight and I think things seemed to click a little bit more than the past few games for the Dogs. Awesome goals by Strome, Thomas & Saigeon and a solid performance by Fulcher (& Helvig as well).
Regardless, I think they played well tonight and I think things seemed to click a little bit more than the past few games for the Dogs. Awesome goals by Strome, Thomas & Saigeon and a solid performance by Fulcher (& Helvig as well).
Canadian Game
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Excellent game tonight! Kingston is often a tough team to play against, and with their recent additions, everyone knew that tonight would be no exception.
I think Gruden is starting to figure out better line combinations. The lines for the first 2 games (and the frequent adjustments throughout games) were odd at times and were short-lived which didn't allow players to form chemistry. Tonight it was clear from the beginning that the Entwistle - Saigeon - Studenic line was matched as a shutdown line against Kingston's top line of Nyman - Vilardi - Pu, which worked well 5 on 5. I'd like to see this line some more.
Caamano - Thomas - Bitten seemed to work well, and it's great to see everyone on the top 2 lines with good speed. There were 2 or 3 plays where I think the Thomas line got too fancy trying to pass when guys should have shot. Thomas had a golden opportunity to shoot point blank right at Helvig (I think in the second?) and he tried passing, which missed. Reading up on him prior to arriving, he's been trying to work on shooting more as he tends to really like passing at almost every opportunity. In the third period, he took advantage of a shooting opportunity and tied the game.
Tonight the Bulldogs were all about puck possession again. It was quite evident almost all game except the second period...which leads to the next topic. After taking 3 penalties in the second period, including a 5 on 3, it certainly looked like the importance of discipline was a bit of a wake-up call to the team since nobody took another penalty. Kingston is too lethal to give a powerplay to. Vilardi has a heck of a shot and put it to use twice on the PP (the one time Gruden can't line match against Vilardi as well). However, it was great to see before the third period started, Gruden was trying to energize the bench and patted many of the players on the backs to boost their confidence. Having seen George Burnett coach for years, it's awesome seeing a coach like Gruden motivating the team to start the third after a disappointing second period, and it worked.
Fulcher also had a great game. He looked a bit shaky and had to scramble at times but also made some nice saves, and overall he helped get the job done. You couldn't ask for much more out of a goalie after facing 36 shots and having a .944 save percentage against a strong team like Kingston. He helped keep the Bulldogs in the game.
Faceoff wins were an issue tonight but overall the Bulldogs are a good faceoff team, so it's not a big concern. Even without winning many faceoffs, they still played a good possession game.
Looking forward to their game versus Ottawa tomorrow!
I think Gruden is starting to figure out better line combinations. The lines for the first 2 games (and the frequent adjustments throughout games) were odd at times and were short-lived which didn't allow players to form chemistry. Tonight it was clear from the beginning that the Entwistle - Saigeon - Studenic line was matched as a shutdown line against Kingston's top line of Nyman - Vilardi - Pu, which worked well 5 on 5. I'd like to see this line some more.
Caamano - Thomas - Bitten seemed to work well, and it's great to see everyone on the top 2 lines with good speed. There were 2 or 3 plays where I think the Thomas line got too fancy trying to pass when guys should have shot. Thomas had a golden opportunity to shoot point blank right at Helvig (I think in the second?) and he tried passing, which missed. Reading up on him prior to arriving, he's been trying to work on shooting more as he tends to really like passing at almost every opportunity. In the third period, he took advantage of a shooting opportunity and tied the game.
Tonight the Bulldogs were all about puck possession again. It was quite evident almost all game except the second period...which leads to the next topic. After taking 3 penalties in the second period, including a 5 on 3, it certainly looked like the importance of discipline was a bit of a wake-up call to the team since nobody took another penalty. Kingston is too lethal to give a powerplay to. Vilardi has a heck of a shot and put it to use twice on the PP (the one time Gruden can't line match against Vilardi as well). However, it was great to see before the third period started, Gruden was trying to energize the bench and patted many of the players on the backs to boost their confidence. Having seen George Burnett coach for years, it's awesome seeing a coach like Gruden motivating the team to start the third after a disappointing second period, and it worked.
Fulcher also had a great game. He looked a bit shaky and had to scramble at times but also made some nice saves, and overall he helped get the job done. You couldn't ask for much more out of a goalie after facing 36 shots and having a .944 save percentage against a strong team like Kingston. He helped keep the Bulldogs in the game.
Faceoff wins were an issue tonight but overall the Bulldogs are a good faceoff team, so it's not a big concern. Even without winning many faceoffs, they still played a good possession game.
Looking forward to their game versus Ottawa tomorrow!
911 Tribute Game on Jan 27 at 4pm vs Oshawa Generals
going to be a great time for all in attendance
get your tickets from this special link to help support a great charity
Friends and Family of Mitchell Brewer Special Ticket Offer
going to be a great time for all in attendance
get your tickets from this special link to help support a great charity
Friends and Family of Mitchell Brewer Special Ticket Offer
Nice bounce back after the loss to Owen Ound heard from my cousin that next Sunday game against Sarnia is a night game.
Hammer9001
Registered User
Looks like said wake up happened. Looks like you got treated to quite the game digi. Then went in to Ottawa and turned the 67's into a fine red mist. Good to see the team starting to click again.
Where's Fulcher? Donofrio's starting and a Junior C goalie from Grimsby, Riley Maskell is the backup. Did Fulcher get hurt during the week between games?
Canadian Game
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Observations from last night: Bad bench management. Mental errors. #17 needs to pass the puck. Having said that we should've won. Cant fault the effort. Good weekend overall.
hockeynorth
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- Aug 31, 2017
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I don't follow the bulldogs closely but was very interested in kalievs stats, noticed he's the top producing rookie from the 2017 draft and was curious, are his numbers being propped by talented players on his line or is he so talented and many teams just missed on him. He seems especially dominant for a 2nd round pick playing his first year in the league especially to have come in straight from the draft. If someone could give a but of a description that'd be great
He plays on a top line with great players and is on the #1 PP. He's got great hands and is deadly around the net. The only criticisms might be that he tends to disappear when the going gets rough and is somewhat lost in his own end, but then again he's only 16. So I guess to answer your question its a bit of both. Talent along with opportunity. Fantastic 'get' by the bulldogs.
Canadian Game
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Kaliyev has had an opportunity on all lines but has mostly played on the third line this season (since November?). Since the trade deadline, he's mainly been on the fourth line, and he is often part of the PP. He has played with Hamilton's top players on higher lines (including a cup of coffee with Robert Thomas for part of a game), but I think a big reason for playing him on lower lines might be because he's still a reliable producer on lower lines while more experienced players play more minutes. I think he's a legitimate top prospect for next year's NHL draft and will continue to develop and produce while Hamilton is in selling/rebuild mode next season. Overall, Kaliyev looks like a pure sniper.
To get an idea of who he's been playing with on a regular basis, you can find a lot of the lines for each game here. Kaliyev is #34. Media Tweets by Teri Pecoskie (@TeriatTheSpec) | Twitter
Canadian Game
Registered User
For the most part I agree. Overall they played a great game. Those 2 bench minors for too many men hurt, which I'm sure they'll learn from, since . One area where I thought Sarnia did really well was keeping Hamilton away from the high quality scoring areas (shooting lanes near the goalie between the hash marks). Guys who like skate the puck in and get a shot off near then net were often shutdown, and the majority of our shots came from areas closer to the boards and blue line.
The one part I don't agree with is #17 because I don't think it's fair to knock scorers for getting Hamilton on the score sheet. If a player was shooting a lot and not scoring, I could understand. However, Saigeon is our second highest scorer, and was one of the goal scorers last night. Do we want reliable scorers to shoot less? I think he's a balanced player with 27 goals and assists each. Currently he is the top PP scorer in the OHL, while Bitten has the second most PP assists. Hamilton has great depth of scorers and passers. We have a few guys who doing one more than the other, while some have a very balanced game of goals and assists. With that said, too much passing can be a problem, which happens often. If a pass is missed or intercepted, it leads to a turnover. Something that happens almost every game and is quite frustrating, is watching Hamilton generate an odd man rush and when a player has a quality shooting opportunity while possessing the puck, they pass it. More often than not, that quality shooting opportunity turns into a wasted play with no shot at all because the pass either missed the tape of their partner, the partner didn't expect a last second pass so close to the net, or a defender shut down the play. In my opinion, it's better to face one defender (a goalie one-on-one) rather than two (pass through a defender, then shoot at the goalie). Something else we've seen a few time this season which hasn't happened as often, is watching a player with a breakaway opt for a drop pass. I don't know if some players lack confidence in their shooting but the body language from the coaches on the bench after a failed attempt is a good enough indication that they'd rather players take full advantage of a quality opportunity rather than passing.
There are situations in a game where a failed pass on a goal scoring chance is still the 'right' play to try. In last nights game I can recount at least two occasions where a back door tap in was available by a team mate and the pass wasn't made. There are reasons why a player with his skill goes through two drafts and no-one selects him. The talent is undoubtedly there however the vision isn't always. His scoring ability is on show most games on the PP where he excels. We will agree to disagree.
Big game yesterday from the newest Bulldog Jake Gravelle. Two goals for his Mississauga Chargers. He'll be in the conversation for a spot on next years blue line for sure.
Hammer9001
Registered User
My thoughts leaving that game were that the Bulldogs could have won that game, especially looking at the shot clock numbers we posted, but they were their own worst enemy. In particular Matt Strome, who caused two bone headed penalties that game. The first is when he was out of the box, decided that he'd go head hunting and the second when he called for a change and then stayed on the ice. Clean that stuff up, mix it up a bit more around the net (like parking a guy in front to screen on the occasion) and work a bit more of shot placement and I think we'll be good.
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