Dustin Tokarski started the for the second time in as many nights after leading Hamilton to a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday night.
The Dogs started the game off well but at 14:28 of the first period the wheels abruptly fell off.
All-time Hamilton Bulldogs leading point and goal scorer Corey Locke opened the scoring, tipping a Kane Lafranchise shot past Tokarski.
It would only take 18 seconds for Abbotsford to double their lead, this time on a shot from the point by Chad Billins that found it’s way through traffic and beat Tokarski clean.
Hamilton would call a timeout after the goal but it didn’t help as just 34 seconds later it was Ben Street giving the Heat a 3-0 lead cleaning up a Corbin Knight wraparound.
The second period was slow, with the Dogs unable to get anything going and with Louis Leblanc in the box for closing his hand on the puck Sven Baerstchi fired a one-timer over a prone Dustin Tokarski for the 4-0 lead.
The third period began with Devan Dubnyk in net for the Dogs, Coach Lefebvre would say after the game that the pull wasn’t performance related but was more intended to give the Dogs a jump start and provide Dubnyk with some extra prep time for the team’s next game on Tuesday.
Hamilton would finally get on the board in the third period, with Kyle Ostrow off for boarding Nathan Beaulieu would collect a loose puck at the side of the net and fire home his sixth of the season.
The Dogs would pull Dubnyk with over two minutes to go but failed to find the back of the net and with 49 seconds to go Max Reinhart would ice the game with an empty netter.
The loss meant the Dogs stay impossibly far out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with now only 12 games remaining in their season.
Attendance was a solid 5,344 as the crowds continue to come out despite the team’s playoff hopes growing thinner and thinner.
However, the fans will only have two more chances to see Hamilton at home as the team embarks on a nine game 20 day road trip through Texas, Oklahoma, Grand Rapids and St. John’s.
Hamilton’s next home game is April 12th when they take on the Rochester Americans. The Dogs’ next game will be Tuesday when they visit the Texas Stars.
