Scott Radley: Bulldogs full of confidence heading into season’s most must-win game

SAINT JOHN - Say this for the Hamilton Bulldogs. They do not lack for confidence.

Just minutes after a tough 3-2 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes Thursday that dropped them to 0-2 at the Memorial Cup, you might have expected some frustration or perhaps some hints of doubt to emerge. After all, this was the first time this team has lost back-to-back games since Dec. 3.

Nope.

It's obviously not something you want," says Mason McTavish, but, I mean, it's two games. It really isn't that much in the grand scheme of things."

Especially when these two losses could essentially be meaningless.

You might not want to mention that to the lovely folks in New Brunswick who've paid good money for their seats to the games so far but a Hamilton win over Edmonton on Friday night (6 p.m. Hamilton time on TSN) and everything that's been done thus far becomes moot. Irrelevant. All is forgiven, the slate is basically clean, etc., etc.

A win and Hamilton is in the playoffs and the Oil Kings are on a plane home.

All we have to do is win one game," says Logan Morrison. We've been doing that all year."

They have. They've won and won and won. That's why they're here. Thus it's far from unrealistic. Their confidence is surely warranted. Friday could be redemption night.

There's just one catch.

It has to be in regulation time. Overtime won't do it. They have 60 minutes to save their season. Here's why.

The Oil Kings have two points courtesy of an overtime win a couple days ago. If they beat Hamilton, the situation is pretty obvious. If Hamilton wins in overtime, they'd get two points of their own but Edmonton would get one and that would be the end of the Bulldogs. But if Hamilton beats them clean, it's three points - this is the new scoring system this year - and it's adios Edmontonians.

Of course, if the opposite happens, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport will be beckoning the locals. A dream will be finished and a magical season over.

So that's where we're at now," says head coach Jay McKee. But if we can carry over that performance, I'm confident in our club."

He's talking about how his guys played on Thursday.

A few days after playing what was likely their worst game of the season, they were really good against the Quebec champions. Clearly the better team. They dominated play, had great chances and did everything they would have wanted to do.

Except for one thing. They couldn't contain the Cataractes' powerplay. All three goals they surrendered came while down a man. Worse, according to McKee, they came on plays that had been pre-scouted.

But, if they play like this again and catch a few breaks - in the first period, a puck that had flipped up in the air landed on the Shawinigan goalie's back and began rolling into the net ... only to fall into his pants instead - they should have a great shot at it.

It's why this confidence doesn't seem misplaced despite the two losses. For a team that's been this good for months now, this isn't a wish upon a star, cross your fingers, toss some chicken bones and buy a lottery ticket chance. It's a real, plausible, reachable chance.

If we win the game tomorrow in regulation, we're in the semis," Morrison says.

It all brings to mind one of the greatest and most insightful quotes in movie history. Namely, Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber.

So you're saying there's a chance?

Yes. And a pretty good one at that.

Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com