Bulldogs out of playoffs for 3rd year

When the Charlotte Checkers beat Grand Rapids last night, the Hamilton Bulldogs were officially eliminated from the playoff race in the American Hockey League for the third consecutive season.

You might think the Bulldogs would be taking it easy after being eliminated from playoff contention — but this was just a short pause in their practice. The Dogs are still going full tilt because — with only three games remaining — there’s a lot on the line.

Head coach Sylvain Lefebvre: “Who wants to be here next year, who wants to play for the Bulldogs? We’ll assess that at the end of the season.”

Forward Jack Nevins, 21, is the fifth player the Dogs have welcomed in the last two weeks. After playing in both the OHL and Quebec junior league, he’s now looking for work in the pros. “Pretty physical player, like to bring energy, stick up for teammates and chip in with some offence if I can.”

“It’s kind of like a training camp for me here. I get to go out and show what I got.”

Lefebvre: “When you’ve got guys coming in like this you’ve got guys want to keep their jobs and inner-competition gets in. Guys want their spot on the lineup. It brings competition and sometimes that’s a good thing.”

While Nevins is hoping to find a home in Hamilton, netminder Dustin Tokarski, 24, is likely to find himself back in Montreal when the Bulldogs’ season wraps-up next weekend. He won two of the three games he appeared-in with the Habs this season — and recorded his first NHL shutout.

Tokarski is thrilled by the mere thought of playoff hockey, but his cool-and-collected persona keeps him grounded. “I’ve done the same thing my whole career, approached it the same way. Just play our game, stay calm, and if the odd chance I get in there, that’s what I’ll do.”