HAMILTON 3, TORONTO 2 (OT)
Second-year defenseman Yannick Weber scored 1:47 into overtime to lift the red-hot Hamilton Bulldogs to a 3-2 win over Toronto at Copps Coliseum on Tuesday.
Hamilton matched a franchise with its ninth consecutive victory and reduced its magic number to clinch a 2010 Calder Cup Playoff berth to three points. Any combination of Bulldogs points earned or Lake Erie points lost totaling three will send the ‘Dogs back to the playoffs for the second straight spring.
The Bulldogs had to battle back from a pair of one-goal deficits in regulation, as Brendan Mikkelson and Alex Foster scored for the Marlies in the first and second periods, respectively. Defenseman Drew Paris assisted on both goals for the visitors.
Hamilton forward David Desharnais netted his 21st goal of the season on the power play late in the opening period, and Ryan White notched another man-advantage marker 7:43 into the third to tie the contest at 2-2.
Brock Trotter earned an assist on White’s goal and then helped out on Weber’s game-winner, with defenseman Shawn Belle also picking up an assist on the overtime goal.
Bulldogs goaltender Curtis Sanford secured the victory with 21 saves on 23 shots between the pipes.
This marks the third time in team history that the Bulldogs have won nine consecutive games. Hamilton previously accomplished it from Feb. 20 to Mar. 17, 1999, and again from Dec. 21, 2002 to Jan. 10, 2003.
