Surging Bulldogs have playoffs within their sights
Mar 28, 2005 18:03:32 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2005 18:03:32 GMT -5
sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=cp-hky_ahl_hot_bulldogs&prov=cp&type=lgns
HAMILTON (CP) - In February, the AHL playoffs looked like a pipe dream for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
On Feb. 1, the club trailed the Edmonton Roadrunners by 12 points for the North Division's final playoff berth as the two teams prepared to meet at Hamilton's Copps Coliseum.
But the Bulldogs won that game 7-4, kick-starting a 12-5-1-0 run that has vaulted them over a suddenly struggling Edmonton squad and into control of their playoff destiny.
You're looking at the board everyday in the locker-room and you see you're 12, 14 points out with two months left to go in the season," said forward Chris Higgins, Hamilton's leading goal scorer. "It's a pretty daunting task for the entire team. You realize you could be done April 15.
"Many guys in the locker-room didn't want to have such a long summer."
With 10 regular-season games remaining, Hamilton (31-27-7-5, 74 points) sits alone in fourth spot for the first time since Nov. 19. But the Bulldogs can't afford to rest on their laurels because upcoming are crucial games with the Manitoba Moose (second in division, 88 points), St. John's Maple Leafs (third, 84 points) and Syracuse Crunch (72 points).
Edmonton (28-28-4-10) is tied with Cleveland for last in the division, but still trails Hamilton by just four points.
Up first for the Bulldogs are the Moose, who visit Copps Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, are riding an incredible wave of confidence.
The power play, which was sputtering in February, is now clicking while first-year goaltender Yann Danis is getting a lot of defensive support that's allowing Hamilton to establish leads and close out games.
The addition of centre Steve Begin and defenceman Mike Komisarek, both regulars with the Canadiens, has also helped with depth and leadership.
"It's a combination of all of those things working together as a team," said Bulldogs coach Doug Jarvis. "Those things coming together and a realization from the players in the room about where they stood and where they wanted to get to.
"At that point in time (early February), we had certainly changed our game from the first couple of months in that we were now playing .500 hockey. Then we talked as a group that .500 wasn't going to do it, .500 wasn't going to close the gap. We weren't going to be able to look too far ahead. We had to keep our focus very short term. That's how we went about business."
Edmonton's disastrous fall has also contributed to Hamilton's ascent. In fact, the Bulldogs have won the last five meetings between the two clubs.
"That really helped us out when they were struggling," said Hamilton captain Jason Ward. "We saw an opportunity and we built on it.
"They kept losing games and we weren't winning every game, but we were winning a majority of them. That kept us confident."
Ward and Higgins have both been involved with teams that have made late regular-season runs before.
Ward fondly remembers being traded from the OHL's Erie Otters to the Windsor Spitfires, who were last in their division at the time of his arrival.
"We were in last place and we ended up missing the playoffs by I think two points," said Ward. "The turnaround was amazing.
"We had a great team and they had made a couple of deals at the end of the year to bring guys in. We were about 15 points behind and our team was second on the power play in the second half. We had a lot of positives. We just missed out by one game."
Added Higgins: "I remember my freshman year at Yale, we had to win five out of the last six games to make it and we did. We won four in a row and then one of two the last weekend. It was pretty amazing because the college hockey schedule is so tight.
"Professionally, I haven't seen this."
Higgins, who has three two-goal games the past month, says there's a real sense of excitement in the Hamilton locker-room now that the Bulldogs have climbed back into contention.
But Jarvis isn't taking anything for granted.
"We're just thinking about energy on a game-to-game basis," he said. "We know we're in the hunt.
"The energy and enthusiasm should just be a product of being in the hunt. Right now, Wednesday is our focus."
HAMILTON (CP) - In February, the AHL playoffs looked like a pipe dream for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
On Feb. 1, the club trailed the Edmonton Roadrunners by 12 points for the North Division's final playoff berth as the two teams prepared to meet at Hamilton's Copps Coliseum.
But the Bulldogs won that game 7-4, kick-starting a 12-5-1-0 run that has vaulted them over a suddenly struggling Edmonton squad and into control of their playoff destiny.
You're looking at the board everyday in the locker-room and you see you're 12, 14 points out with two months left to go in the season," said forward Chris Higgins, Hamilton's leading goal scorer. "It's a pretty daunting task for the entire team. You realize you could be done April 15.
"Many guys in the locker-room didn't want to have such a long summer."
With 10 regular-season games remaining, Hamilton (31-27-7-5, 74 points) sits alone in fourth spot for the first time since Nov. 19. But the Bulldogs can't afford to rest on their laurels because upcoming are crucial games with the Manitoba Moose (second in division, 88 points), St. John's Maple Leafs (third, 84 points) and Syracuse Crunch (72 points).
Edmonton (28-28-4-10) is tied with Cleveland for last in the division, but still trails Hamilton by just four points.
Up first for the Bulldogs are the Moose, who visit Copps Coliseum on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, are riding an incredible wave of confidence.
The power play, which was sputtering in February, is now clicking while first-year goaltender Yann Danis is getting a lot of defensive support that's allowing Hamilton to establish leads and close out games.
The addition of centre Steve Begin and defenceman Mike Komisarek, both regulars with the Canadiens, has also helped with depth and leadership.
"It's a combination of all of those things working together as a team," said Bulldogs coach Doug Jarvis. "Those things coming together and a realization from the players in the room about where they stood and where they wanted to get to.
"At that point in time (early February), we had certainly changed our game from the first couple of months in that we were now playing .500 hockey. Then we talked as a group that .500 wasn't going to do it, .500 wasn't going to close the gap. We weren't going to be able to look too far ahead. We had to keep our focus very short term. That's how we went about business."
Edmonton's disastrous fall has also contributed to Hamilton's ascent. In fact, the Bulldogs have won the last five meetings between the two clubs.
"That really helped us out when they were struggling," said Hamilton captain Jason Ward. "We saw an opportunity and we built on it.
"They kept losing games and we weren't winning every game, but we were winning a majority of them. That kept us confident."
Ward and Higgins have both been involved with teams that have made late regular-season runs before.
Ward fondly remembers being traded from the OHL's Erie Otters to the Windsor Spitfires, who were last in their division at the time of his arrival.
"We were in last place and we ended up missing the playoffs by I think two points," said Ward. "The turnaround was amazing.
"We had a great team and they had made a couple of deals at the end of the year to bring guys in. We were about 15 points behind and our team was second on the power play in the second half. We had a lot of positives. We just missed out by one game."
Added Higgins: "I remember my freshman year at Yale, we had to win five out of the last six games to make it and we did. We won four in a row and then one of two the last weekend. It was pretty amazing because the college hockey schedule is so tight.
"Professionally, I haven't seen this."
Higgins, who has three two-goal games the past month, says there's a real sense of excitement in the Hamilton locker-room now that the Bulldogs have climbed back into contention.
But Jarvis isn't taking anything for granted.
"We're just thinking about energy on a game-to-game basis," he said. "We know we're in the hunt.
"The energy and enthusiasm should just be a product of being in the hunt. Right now, Wednesday is our focus."