Marlies and Comets Kick off North Division Semifinals
April 21, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release
The Toronto Marlies will open the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs at home on Saturday as the North Division Semifinals get under way.
Coming off a season that saw the Marlies win their second Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy in the past three years, they'll be looking to build off a ten-game point streak to finish the year and carry that momentum into the postseason.
Throughout the season series, the Marlies won five of eight games against the visiting Utica Comets, including three of four at Ricoh Coliseum.
The series will showcase some of the league's top goaltenders, with Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award winners Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard guarding the goal for Toronto while Thatcher Demko is between the pipes for Utica.
Sparks (1.79 GAA, .936 SV%) and Pickard (2.31 GAA, .918 SV%) combined to allow the fewest goals in the league, as the Marlies only gave up 170 throughout the regular season. Demo (2.44 GAA, .922 SV%) finished with the sixth-best save percentage in the league.
Ben Smith led the Marlies in scoring against the Comets this season, averaging a point-per-game with four goals and four assists in the eight meetings. Defenceman Justin Holl was second in goals against the Comets this year, finding the back of the net three times and adding three helpers throughout the series.
Patrick Wiercioch and Carter Bancks led the charge for the Comets, with each collecting five points throughout the season against Toronto.
Both teams will look to start strong and score that all-important first goal, as the Marlies won 26 of 31 games when leading after the first period while Utica won 21 of 26. When trailing after the first 20 minutes, the Comets only came back to win four of 19 games, meaning an early Marlies lead could go a long way in making Utica uncomfortable.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 and fans can tune in on Leafs Nation Network (TV) or AHL Live. Limited tickets are still available.
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