The Bulldogs hosted the Lake Erie Monsters today at 4pm, and it may be fair to say the honeymoon is over for Cedrick Desjardins. After two stellar starts for the Bulldogs, Cedrick the Entertainer was pulled half way through the game after allowing 4 goals.
It would be unfair to expect Desjardins to win all of his games, but for him to get yanked is a bit of a surprise for a guy who played so well last season, and in his two prior starts. I’m sure he’ll bounce back and regain form as the season progresses.
If you recall my last game recap, you might remember me jokingly saying that the Bulldogs game plan of outshooting their opposition wasn’t working. Well, today it didn’t work again. I don’t know what it is about the Bulldogs, but they outshot Lake Erie by a Monster margin (I’m not acting like Pierre McGuire I swear), recording 43 shots to the Monsters 27.
Clearly, the Dogs playing philosophy involves putting a lot of pucks on net; in fact only one Bulldogs player didn’t have a shot today, Brendan Nash. Aaron Palushaj and Kyle Hagel led the Bulldogs with 6 shots apiece, and herein lays the problem. We’ve all heard the expression it’s not quantity it’s quality, right? Well, what type of shots do you think Kyle Hagel is getting on net? Hagel has 5 career AHL goals in 105 games, and hasn’t scored since the 2010/2011 season.
In the first period the Monsters scored twice on 10 shots, David van der Gulik and Bill Thomas recorded goals for the Monsters. Both shots beat Desjardins down low.
In the second it was more of the same. Patrick Bordeleau snapped another low shot by Desjardins, and at the halfway mark of the period, Mark Olver snapped one up top to beat Desjardins. After the Olver goal Desjardins’ night was over after allowing 4 goals on 14 shots. Robert Mayer stepped in and was perfect, stopping all 13 shots he faced.
Towards the end of the second the Bulldogs got one by the Monsters’ Sami Aittokallio, Gabriel Dumont centered the puck to Aaron Palushaj in the slot who put the Bulldogs on the board.
The third period was scoreless and the Bulldogs dropped the game 4-1. Their next action will come on the 30th where they’ll visit Abbotsford to see if they can handle the heat.
Three Stars:
1. LE – 30 Sami Aittokallio (46 Saves)
2. LE – 29 Bill Thomas (1 goal 1 assist)
3. LE – 40 Mark Olver (1 goal 1 assist)
