Former Viper Bishop & The Bulldogs Fall Short In Game 7 Of Conference Finals:

Former Vernon Vipers forward, Hunter Bishop and the Hamilton Bulldogs lost 4-3 in Game 7 of the AHL Western Conference Finals last night to the Houston Aeros. Houston now advances to the Calder Cup Finals. In 34 regular season games, Bishop collected (4-4-8) but never played a game during the Bulldogs playoff run. Bishop played three seasons in Vernon (2005-2008) before signing as a free agent with the NHL Montreal Canadiens in March of 2010.

This is posted on the Bulldogs website:

BULLDOGS ELIMINATED AFTER 4-3 GAME 7 LOSS TO AEROS

The loss eliminates the ‘Dogs from the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs while the Aeros will now advance to the Calder Cup Finals.

May 25, 2011

Houston, TX – The Hamilton Bulldogs were defeated by the Houston Aeros 4-3 in Game 7 of their Western Conference Finals series. The loss eliminates the ‘Dogs from the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs while the Aeros will now advance to the Calder Cup Finals.

The Aeros opened the game’s scoring at 7:03 of the first frame. Patrick O’Sullivan collected the puck behind the Bulldogs net before flipping a pass to the front of the net. Chad Rau whacked at the puck, sending it past Hamilton starting goaltender Drew MacIntyre. Casey Wellman gave Houston a 2-0 lead nine seconds after their first goal. Wellman carried the puck into the Bulldogs zone before rifling a shot towards the net. The puck bounced off the stick of a Hamilton defender and over the left shoulder of MacIntyre.

The Bulldogs made the game 2-1 at 9:13 of the opening period. Dustin Boyd received the puck from Mathieu Carle and skated into the Houston zone. Boyd fired a shot towards the net that redirected off the stick of an Aeros player and over the glove of Houston starting goaltender Matt Hackett. The ‘Dogs tied the game 2-2 at 13:21 while on the power play. Nigel Dawes sent the puck to the right point, where Carle was stationed. Carle released a wrist shot that sailed through traffic and past Hackett.

Houston regained the lead at 2:42 of the second stanza. Jean-Michel Daoust gave the puck to Wellman, who skated to the top of the right faceoff circle. Wellman blasted a slap shot that beat MacIntyre under the blocker.

Hamilton tied the game 3-3 at 9:57 of the middle frame with a power-play goal. Boyd fired a shot towards the net which bounced off players in front and trickled to the right side of the goal. Aaron Palushaj grabbed the loose puck before snapping a shot past the glove of Hackett.

The Aeros earned the game-winning goal at 18:47 of the final frame. O’Sullivan carried the puck down the left side of Hamilton’s zone before sending the puck to the front of Hamilton’s net. Jon DiSalvatore jammed at the puck, shoving it underneath MacIntyre and across the goal line.

Highlights of tonight’s game can be found on http://www.sendtonews.com/

Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
1. HOU – Chad Rau – 6 (Patrick O’Sullivan) – 7:03
2. HOU – Casey Wellman – 4 (Unassisted) – 7:12
3. HAM – Dustin Boyd – 5 (Mathieu Carle, Drew MacIntyre) – 9:13
4. HAM – Mathieu Carle – 3 (Nigel Dawes) – 13:21 (PP)

2nd Period:
5. HOU – Casey Wellman – 5 (Jean-Michel Daoust, Justin Falk) – 2:42
6. HAM – Aaron Palushaj – 7 (Dustin Boyd, Nigel Dawes) – 9:57 (PP)

3rd Period:
7. HOU – Jon DiSalvatore – 5 (Patrick O’Sullivan, Chad Rau) – 18:47

Scoring:
Houston: 2-1-1—4
Hamilton: 2-1-0--3

Shots:
Houston: 12-8-14—34
Hamilton: 7-8-12—27

Goaltending:
Houston: Matt Hackett (27 shots, 24 saves)
Hamilton: Drew MacIntyre (34 shots, 30 saves)

Power Play:
Houston: 0-for-1
Hamilton: 2-for-3

Attendance: 6,117

Three Stars:

1. HOU – Jon DiSalvatore (1 goal, +2, 3 shots)
2. HOU – Casey Wellman (2 goals, +2, 3 shots)
3. HAM – Dustin Boyd (1 goal, 1 assist, 6 shots)