Lake Erie struck quick and early on Wednesday, but Hamilton struck when it counted most: with just :33 seconds left in overtime.  The Monsters fell on the road, 2-1, in OT to the Bulldogs. 

Despite the loss, it was the eighth straight game Lake Erie has recorded at least a point in the standings. It was also the sixth time in the past eight contests that the Monsters have gone to either overtime or shootout, and having not lost in regulation during that time. 

In fact, the last time the Monsters and Bulldogs met - January 23rd in Hamilton - it was a shootout loss for Lake Erie.  

The visiting team got on the board almost immediately, as Philippe Dupuis scored just :54 seconds into the game.  His fourth goal as a Monster was assisted by Eric Healey and Dale Purinton.

The Monsters held the one-goal lead for just 10 minutes, before Eric Manlow tied it up for the Bulldogs, scoring off helpers from Mathieu Carle and Matt D'Agostini at 11:08 of the opening period.

And that would do it for the scoring. Neither team would find the back of the net for the rest of regulation.

Lake Erie could barely even muster a shot in the second period, putting up just two in the stanza.  The Bulldogs outshot the Monsters by seven in the middle set, but it still wasn't enough to light the lamp.

The Monsters emerged from the second intermission with guns blazing, blasting Hamilton with 17 shots on goal.  The Bulldogs put up 11 shots in the final period.  Despite the increased shooting, still neither team could gain the advantage, sending the game into overtime.

It looked as though the contest was headed for a shootout - just like the last time the teams played in Ontario - but with just :33 seconds to spare in the extra session, Corey Locke scored to give the Bulldogs the win. 

Both goaltenders put up strong performances on the night.  Mike Wall recorded 32 saves on 34 shots for Lake Erie, while across the ice Jaroslav Halak deflected 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

Unfortunately for Lake Erie, rookie right wing David Jones had his 10-game point streak snapped in Hamilton. 

The Monsters will return home for three games, including a back-to-back with Grand Rapids, beginning on Friday.