[AHL Game Report] Toronto Marlies vs. Hamilton Bulldogs

[GMGates]

Saturday March 5th 2011

AHL Game Wrap up -
Toronto Marlies vs. Hamilton Bulldogs

While in Hamilton, I got the opportunity to watch an American Hockey League rivalry and my first AHL game. Of course, I took out the notepad and wrote down a few prospect reports... enjoy!

The game ended 2-0 for the visiting Marlies. Both goals were scored by forward Glenn Scott late in the third period, his 8th and 9th of the season. One was well deserved and the other, an empty netter.

The Three Stars were :
3) G - Drew MacIntyre (Bulldogs), 2) RW - Glenn Scott, and 1) G - Ben Scrivens (Marlies)

In a very defensive game, Ben Scrivens did a great job securing a 33 save shut out. He made quite a few timely saves, had great rebound control and just oozed in confidence.

Game studs -

Nazim Kadri's best asset? Clearly his vision. He made excellent tape to tape passes all game and seemed to always be in the right spot. He had a boom of a shot but his accuracy wasn't the greatest, missing the net a few times. While his line didn't score, Kadri, Mike Zigomanis and Jeff Cowen played extremely well together. They cycled the puck with ease and created nifty plays in front and around the net. Kadri will inevitably be an outstanding playmaker at the NHL level.

Aaron Palushaj, the Bulldog workhorse of the game, was quite speedy and skates very well. He sneaks around opposing players and makes finding the puck look easy. He made some creative plays and followed through on a couple of nice one-timers that made Scrivens work for his shut out. Needless to say, he made sure to prove his worth and have his play noticed... it worked.

Another player I was impressed with was the Canadian's 2nd Round pick in 2006, defenseman Mathieu Carle. He made stellar passes the entire 60 minutes. He had excellent offensive drive and joined the rush with flare. He found ways to keep the puck in play, especially on the power play and held his ground defensively. His game reminded me a lot of Marc-Andre Bergeron (PP wise), but better defensively.

Honourable mention : Mike Zigomanis, the Marlies' leading scorer.

Game Duds -

On the other hand, Joe Colborne did not really look like a coveted prospect. He made a couple of nice checks and used his body in the corners but other than that he was not that impressive. To his defense, this is just a one game sample but I was expecting more out of him and his hype.

Then there was Fabian "Weak-strom" Brunnstrom - terrible game on his part. Simply trying too hard to create fancy plays. His game was riddled with incomplete passes and some how managed to always fumble the puck and fall behind. With games like this, he will find it pretty tough to get a regular spot in the NHL, so owners, don't hold your breath.

Lastly Dustin Boyd had a complete fail in front of the net on a Hamilton power play. Boyd completely missed the net with a square shot four feet from Scrivens. It was the unofficial turning point in the game as it was an excellent chance to put the Bulldogs on the board. The arena was left in shock after what seemed to be a sure goal and it was the joke of the game following the loss.

--

It's looking like I'll be making the move from Sudbury to Hamilton by next fall, so hopefully I'll be able to cover a lot more Bulldog games.

GMG

[TK12555]

Nice article Gates. I don't have time to get to Ricoh Collesium, so it's nice to know how my Marlies are doing.

Dont worry about Joe. He's been fantastic since entering the Marlies locker room. Tonight must have been an off night.

Kadri is playing as good as I would want him to play in the "A". He's a creative player, and it's nice to let his confidence be boosted while racking up the points, so next year he shines.

Continue to provide AHL commentaries, it's very useful to both fantasy owners and hockey fans!

[GMGates]

Yeah Colborne bounced back tonight, recording a goal.

It was a home and home, the second being this evening. Hamilton won 3-2.

Three Stars:
1. HAM - Brendon Nash (one goal, plus-1, one shots)
2. TOR - Joe Colborne (one goal, plus-1, two shots)
3. HAM - Aaron Palushaj (one goal, plus-2, three shots)

Nigel Dawes assisted on two of the Bulldogs goals meaning he now has 6G, 2A in six games played since arriving in Hamilton.

As you can see, Palushaj continued his strong play and so did Mathieu Carle, who assisted on the overtime goal.

As for me covering the AHL, I won't be doing so until I'm a resident of Hamilton. Maybe I should go support the Sudbury Wolves while I still can...

[TK12555]

Yeah Colborne bounced back tonight, recording a goal.

It was a home and home, the second being this evening. Hamilton won 3-2.

Three Stars:
1. HAM �€“ Brendon Nash (one goal, plus-1, one shots)
2. TOR �€“ Joe Colborne (one goal, plus-1, two shots)
3. HAM �€“ Aaron Palushaj (one goal, plus-2, three shots)

Nigel Dawes assisted on two of the Bulldogs goals meaning he now has 6G, 2A in six games played since arriving in Hamilton.

As you can see, Palushaj continued his strong play and so did Mathieu Carle, who assisted on the overtime goal.

As for me covering the AHL, I won't be doing so until I'm a resident of Hamilton. Maybe I should go support the Sudbury Wolves while I still can...

how's Zigomanis playing in the A Gates?

[GMGates]

I was actually sitting beside some Marlies fans and they were saying that Zigomanis has been one of their favorite players this year, and for good reason. He's leading the Marlies with 11G, 32A and 62 PIMs in 58 games played. While that's only good for 48th in the league, he plays much better than that - I really enjoyed his game.

Sadly, having played for five different NHL teams, with his best season (23 points) back in 05-06 with the Yotes, it's unlikely that he'll ever see a permanent roster spot again. That is a-ok for Marlies fans though, since like mentioned above, they love their Zigomanis!

In addition to my Dawes comment above, the newly acquired Bulldog is leading the A in goals with 33 on the season.

[TK12555]

Ziggy played so well at the beginning of the year!