The veterans are giving the Bulldogs bite : Brunet
Mar 29, 2005 21:44:41 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Mar 29, 2005 21:44:41 GMT -5
29-03-2005
The veterans are giving the Bulldogs bite
Mathias Brunet
La Presse
The playoffs approach in the AHL and the good old Bulldog veterans are baring their teeth.
The Canadiens farm team are only in fourth place in their division (the last playoff spot) this weekend and the team's management can thank Jason Ward, Steve Bégin, Mike Komisarek, Ron Hainsey and company. To think that hardly a month ago the Bulldogs were 12 points out of fourth place.
The Bulldogs defeated their arch-rivals, the Edmonton Roadrunners, 7-3 and 5-1, Friday and Saturday in Edmonton, thanks mainly to the team's four lockouts [or mercenaries as BC would call them]. Ward, the club's captain, scored two goals and picked up two assists in these two games (+4), Bégin scored three times and Hainsey tallied three points in the last game.
"It's the time of year when it's necessary to raise our play a notch when we step up to the plate", Ward mentioned yesterday at the other end of the phone, using a classic sports expression. "It's an exciting time. All our games are crucial.The veterans must produce."
Ward, Bégin and rookie Andrei Kostitsyn form the trio of the hour in Hamilton. "We played together this weekend and we clicked like magic", says Ward.
One would have expected better offensive production from young Kostitsyn in the second half of the season. The 20 year-old rookie got only four points, a goal and three assists, in his last fifteen games. Ward is not worried for him. "He has clearly improved. He was more hesitant at the beginning of the season. He didn't always understand the game plan. He's gained confidence and it's easier to communicate with him."
Kostitsyn registered a helper this weekend. He set up the club's insurance goal, scored by Ward, in the first game against the Roadrunners, after having intercepted an enemy pass.
Ward is the team's scoring leader over the last ten matches. The right winger recorded ten points, including four goals, during this period. He has a total of 44 points in 67 games, after having had a painful first half of the season. "I was lethargic and my confidence suffered. The whole team slumped at the same time this winter."
The return to action of big Mike Komisarek, Steve Bégin and Antti Miettinen, a Dallas Stars prospect, seems to have transformed the club. Komisarek has improved after some difficult games, Bégin is also finding his form, as his five goals in six games testifies, and Miettinen has 20 points in 25 matches, with a superb +9, since his return from a long convalescence.
"The return of players of this calibre certainly doesn't hurt a team", notes Ward. "They bring talent and experience."
Defenseman Ron Hainsey seems to be riding the wave too. The Canadiens first choice in 2000 was having a dreadful season but his offensive contribution has picked up for a few weeks now. He has picked up seven points, including four goals, in his last ten games (+3). Hainsey scored two goals and an assist in Saturday's match.
"He helps us a lot, especially on the power play", mentions Ward, who would be playing in the NHL if not for the lockout. "We want our defensemen to go to the opponent's net when they shoot from the point and that's what he did this weekend, with the results we saw."
The Bulldogs play their next game tomorrow in Hamilton (RDS, 7pm) against the Manitoba Moose, second in the Northern division, fourteen points ahead of the Canadiens farm team.
- texte français original
The veterans are giving the Bulldogs bite
Mathias Brunet
La Presse
The playoffs approach in the AHL and the good old Bulldog veterans are baring their teeth.
The Canadiens farm team are only in fourth place in their division (the last playoff spot) this weekend and the team's management can thank Jason Ward, Steve Bégin, Mike Komisarek, Ron Hainsey and company. To think that hardly a month ago the Bulldogs were 12 points out of fourth place.
The Bulldogs defeated their arch-rivals, the Edmonton Roadrunners, 7-3 and 5-1, Friday and Saturday in Edmonton, thanks mainly to the team's four lockouts [or mercenaries as BC would call them]. Ward, the club's captain, scored two goals and picked up two assists in these two games (+4), Bégin scored three times and Hainsey tallied three points in the last game.
"It's the time of year when it's necessary to raise our play a notch when we step up to the plate", Ward mentioned yesterday at the other end of the phone, using a classic sports expression. "It's an exciting time. All our games are crucial.The veterans must produce."
Ward, Bégin and rookie Andrei Kostitsyn form the trio of the hour in Hamilton. "We played together this weekend and we clicked like magic", says Ward.
One would have expected better offensive production from young Kostitsyn in the second half of the season. The 20 year-old rookie got only four points, a goal and three assists, in his last fifteen games. Ward is not worried for him. "He has clearly improved. He was more hesitant at the beginning of the season. He didn't always understand the game plan. He's gained confidence and it's easier to communicate with him."
Kostitsyn registered a helper this weekend. He set up the club's insurance goal, scored by Ward, in the first game against the Roadrunners, after having intercepted an enemy pass.
Ward is the team's scoring leader over the last ten matches. The right winger recorded ten points, including four goals, during this period. He has a total of 44 points in 67 games, after having had a painful first half of the season. "I was lethargic and my confidence suffered. The whole team slumped at the same time this winter."
The return to action of big Mike Komisarek, Steve Bégin and Antti Miettinen, a Dallas Stars prospect, seems to have transformed the club. Komisarek has improved after some difficult games, Bégin is also finding his form, as his five goals in six games testifies, and Miettinen has 20 points in 25 matches, with a superb +9, since his return from a long convalescence.
"The return of players of this calibre certainly doesn't hurt a team", notes Ward. "They bring talent and experience."
Defenseman Ron Hainsey seems to be riding the wave too. The Canadiens first choice in 2000 was having a dreadful season but his offensive contribution has picked up for a few weeks now. He has picked up seven points, including four goals, in his last ten games (+3). Hainsey scored two goals and an assist in Saturday's match.
"He helps us a lot, especially on the power play", mentions Ward, who would be playing in the NHL if not for the lockout. "We want our defensemen to go to the opponent's net when they shoot from the point and that's what he did this weekend, with the results we saw."
The Bulldogs play their next game tomorrow in Hamilton (RDS, 7pm) against the Manitoba Moose, second in the Northern division, fourteen points ahead of the Canadiens farm team.
- texte français original
