Curtis Sanford's return from injury helped catapult the Hamilton Bulldogs into the AHL's Western Conference Finals at the expense of David Shantz's Abbotsford Heat.
Sanford, out with an ankle sprain for the last two months of the season, came back to clinch the series stopping 30 of 32 shots in his first game back and then 30 out of 30 last night to win the series.
Shantz, a native of Hamilton, Ontario, saw his season come to an end in the 6th game, but can feel good about his year overall. After signing with the Calgary Flames in the off-season, the 24 year old rose to become the third goalie on the Flames' depth chart.
Shantz was a NHL second round draft pick of the Florida Panthers. In his first year of OHL hockey, he took his team to the league finals. Dave eventually won the OHL title with the Peterborough Petes.
Sanford, who has played for the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks in the NHL, was signed by the Montreal Canadiens to add depth to their goaltending.
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