The Bulldogs came into yesterday’s matchup looking for revenge, in their previous meeting on October 23^rd, the Rochester Americans defeated the Bulldogs 3-1. Although the ‘Dogs put up a valiant effort in Friday’s game; tying the game with less than 5 minutes remaining, they did drop their second meeting of the season with Americans 3-2 in a shootout.

Rochester grabbed an early lead 6:31 into the first period; Zemgus Girgensons tipped an Alex Biega point shot that found its way by Robert Mayer.

The rest of the period went by scoreless, and so did the entirety of the second; but just because it was scoreless doesn’t mean it was uneventful. At about the halfway point of the period Brendan Gallagher decided to drop the gloves with Frederick Roy (Patrick’s son), for a fight that can only be described as a "battle of the lightweights". Roy is listed as 5’10 and Gallagher at 5’9 (though having seen him in person, he has to be about 5’7 without skates).

I have to give it up to Gallagher for showing up and handling himself well but it is a peculiar time to fight, it’s not what the team expects or needs from him. After seeing Louis Leblanc get hurt in a fight with Jesse Blacker, the Dogs’ can’t risk losing Gallagher in another meaningless fight.

With Gabriel Dumont in the box for high sticking, the Amerks doubled their lead just over 2 minutes into the third. Kevin Porter deflected a Mark Mancari shot and the puck just trickled past the goal line.

The resilient Bulldogs answered Porter’s goal just 41 seconds later. It was Brendan Gallagher (who ended the game an assist away from a Gordie Howe Hat trick) who put the Dogs’ on the board. Gallagher got his stick on a Brendon Nash point shot to deflect the puck past the Americans' starting goalie, David Leggio. Michael Bournival was also awarded an assist on the play.

The Dogs’ kept pushing and tied the game 15:39 into the third. Darryl Boyce grabbed a loose Fredric St-Denis rebound after Michael Blunden took a whack at it, and put it in for his first goal as a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs.

A scoreless OT period sent the game into a shootout where the Bulldogs fell to the Americans. Only Darryl Boyce scored for the Bulldogs while the Amerks had 3 scorers, Phil Varone, Brian Flynn and Marcus Foligno.

The Bulldogs will have an opportunity to get back on the winning side later today when they host the very same Rochester Americans.