NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Toronto Marlies

Marlies Look to Build Off Thrilling OT Win on Saturday with Two Home Games This Week

December 8, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Dec. 11): The Marlies continue their four game homestand on Friday night when they take on the Chicago Wolves, AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers, at 7:00 p.m. at Ricoh Coliseum. The game marks the first of four meetings between the two clubs. Toronto holds a 6-3-1 all-time advantage over Chicago. The Wolves currently rank sixth in the West Division with a record of 12-12-0-1 for 25 points. Last season the Marlies went 1-0-0-1 against the Wolves, including a 3-1 win at Ricoh Coliseum in their most recent matchup. Chicago holds a record of 4-7-0-0 on the road this season. Their power play has scored a goal in each of their past four games. The Wolves have allowed the fewest third period goals of any AHL club, and are outscoring opponents, 25-12, in the final frame, which includes holding their opponent scoreless in the third frame 14 times. Former Marlies forward, Tim Stapleton, ranks third on the Wolves in points with 18 (12 goals, six assists). He ranks second (tie) in the AHL in goals and tallied four points last week in three games. Stapleton set the Marlies single season points record last year, finishing the season with 79 points (28 goals, 51 assists), good for seventh in the AHL. He made his NHL debut last season with the Maple Leafs on February 26 against the New York Islanders. Jason Krog currently leads all Chicago scorers with 25 points (four goals, 21 assists). Former Toronto Maple Leaf, Johnny Pohl, has notched six goals and eight assists for the Wolves this season. Pohl played for the Maple Leafs for three seasons from 2005-08, registering 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 114 games. Chris Chelios potted his second career AHL goal last Friday night. Chelios has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and a plus-nine rating in 17 games with the Wolves this season.

(Dec. 13): The Marlies host their division rivals, the Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon for a 5:00 p.m. contest. The Griffins currently post a record of 14-9-0-0 for 28 points and rank fifth in the North Division. The match-up will be the fourth of six meetings, and final matchup at Ricoh Coliseum between the two division rivals. The Griffins hold a 4-6-0-0 record on the road; while their home record is 10-3-0-0. The Griffins won the previous matchup, 6-3, on November 21 at Ricoh Coliseum. Former Marlie, Jeremy Williams netted a goal and two assists to lead the charge for Grand Rapids. Williams currently ranks first on the club in goals with nine. Kris Newbury, the Marlies all-time goals leader, paces the Griffins in scoring this season with 15 points (fine goals, 10 assists) in 15 games. Newbury holds the record for most points all-time by a Marlie in the regular season, racking up 168 points (56 goals, 112 assists) in 198 career games. He is also two games shy of 400 as a pro. Defenceman, Jakub Kindl made his NHL debut during Detroit's 4-1 loss to Edmonton last Thursday. Kindl was reassigned to the Griffins on Monday after going scoreless in two games with the Red Wings. Marlies assistant head coach, Derek King played four seasons in Grand Rapids (1999-2000; 2002-04), and ranks seventh on their all-time games played list with 264. King ranks third on their all-time goals list (73), fourth in assists (130) and points (203), and second with a plus-71 rating. The Griffins nine-game winning streak (Oct. 23 - Nov. 13), snapped by Rochester on Saturday, tied for the second-longest run in their franchise history, falling two shy of the record set in March 2006. Prior to the game on Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs will hold a full team practice at Ricoh Coliseum starting at 1:30 p.m.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

A Look Back: After being shutout in their first two games last week, the Marlies bounced back with a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. Toronto hosted the Abbotsford Heat on Tuesday night but dropped a 3-0 decision to their division rivals at Ricoh Coliseum. On Friday night in Hamilton, the Marlies were blanked again by an identical score of 3-0. Adam Munro kicked aside 28 saves on 30 shots but suffered his fourth loss of the season. On Saturday, Viktor Stalberg netted the game-winning goal in overtime to give Toronto the 6-5 win. Stalberg and Andre Deveaux both scored two goals each for Toronto and Andrew Engelage recorded a Marlies season-high 42 saves for his first career AHL win. The Marlies currently rank sixth in the North Division with an 11-9-2-2 record for 26 points.

Home Sweet Home: The Marlies have been impressive on home ice so far this season, holding an 8-3-2-0 advantage at Ricoh Coliseum. With their 6-5 overtime win on Saturday against the Bulldogs, Toronto has won six of their last nine games and has earned at least a point in eight of their previous 10 contests on home ice. They have killed off 45- of-53 penalties (84.9%) at Ricoh Coliseum. Toronto will continue their four-game homestand this Friday night when they take on the Chicago Wolves.

Leading the Marlies to Viktor-y: Viktor Stalberg notched the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday and finished the night with two goals and an assist in the Marlies 6-5 victory against Hamilton. Stalberg has netted at least a point in six of his past nine games (four goals, seven assists). Stalberg ranks first (tie) on the Marlies with six multi- point games. In 16 games this season, he's tallied seven goals and 11 assists for a team-high (tie) 18 points. He ranks fourth on the club in goals and is tied for first with two shorthanded points. Stalberg is tops on the team and fourth (tie) in the American Hockey League with two insurance goals. He ranks fifth (tie) in the AHL in rookie scoring with 18 points.

Killing Time: The Marlies penalty killing unit has only allowed two goals over their past six games and they've only allowed eight power play goals over their past 16 contests. During that span they've successfully killed off 66-of-74 penalties against (89.2%). The penalty killing unit ranks sixth on the road with an 87.7% success rate. The Marlies have only allowed seven power play goals in 11 games away from Ricoh Coliseum.

Christian Keeping the Faith: Christian Hanson was reassigned to the Marlies on Sunday evening after appearing in six games with the Maple Leafs. He tallied one assist and four penalty minutes in his six games with the big club. Hanson is tied for tops on the Marlies in points with 18 (eight goals, 10 assists). On November 20 in Lake Erie, he had the biggest night of his professional career, registering his first career AHL hat-trick and added an assist for four points. He currently ranks fifth (tie) in the American Hockey League in rookie scoring with 18 points, despite not skating in the past six Marlie games. The Venetia, PA native ranks first (active players) on the Marlies with a plus- four rating. He also ranks first (tie) on the Marlies in multi-point games with six.

Foster The Statistics: On November 23, the American Hockey League announced that Alex Foster was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending November 22. In three games, Foster recorded six points (five goals, one assist) and a plus-two rating. He's currently on a three-game goal streak which started on November 20 with a two-goal game against Lake Erie. Foster had missed the previous 10 games due to injury. In eight games this season, the Marlies assistant captain has registered six goals and two assists.

Another Brick in the Wall: James Reimer has guided the Marlies to at least a point in each of his past seven starts, with a record of 5-0-1 during that stretch. Over his past six starts, he's recorded a 0.938 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average. Reimer turned aside 25 saves for his team-leading sixth win of the season on November 25 against the Monsters. In nine games this season, Reimer has a record of 6-1-1 with a 2.29 goals-against average and 0.925 save percentage. Adam Munro appeared in his eighth game of the season on Friday night, turning aside 28 saves but suffered his fourth loss. In eight games this season, Munro has compiled a 2-4-1 record, with a 2.35 goals- against average and 0.923 save percentage. Andrew Engelage made a Marlies season-high 42 saves on Saturday and earned his first career AHL victory in Toronto's 6-5 overtime win.

Multi-Point Games: The Marlies had five players tally multi-point games in their 6-5 win on Saturday against Hamilton. Viktor Stalberg, Andre Deveaux, Troy Bodie, Greg Scott and Juraj Mikus all registered at least two points in the game. Christian Hanson and Stalberg share the team lead with six multi-point games this season.

Multi-Point Games
Hanson 6
Stalberg 6
Foster 3
Hamilton 3
Deveaux 3
Bozak 1
Slaney 1
Berry 1
Boyce 1
Ondrus 1
Bodie 1
Scott 1
Mikus 1

Jiri Traded to Carolina: Brian Burke, President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced last Thursday that Jiri Tlusty was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Philippe Paradis. Tlusty ranked second on the Marlies in points with 15 (eight goals, seven assists) prior to the trade. In 105 games with the Marlies over four seasons, Tlusty notched 43 goals and 60 assists for 103 points. He ranks sixth on the Marlies all-time list in points, goals and assists.

Reading Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals currently rank first in the East Division with a 13-8-1-1 record for 28 points. The Royals won all three games over the weekend against their division rivals, the Trenton Devils. Joey Ryan netted the overtime goal for the Royals on Sunday against Trenton. Stefano Giliati ranks fourth on the Royals in points with 18 (eight goals, 10 assists). Giliati ranks second (tie) on the Royals in goals (eight) and is fourth (tie) on the club in assists (10). He ranks first out of all forwards on the club with a plus-three rating.

Marlies Visit SickKids Hospital: On Wednesday the Marlies will be participating in their annual visit to The Hospital for Sick Children. The full team will take part in various activities with the children and their families. This event marks the official launch of an ongoing partnership between SickKids and the Toronto Marlies hockey club. A patient ambassador from the hospital will be at the Marlies/Griffins game this Sunday for a ceremonial puck-drop.

MARLIES QUICK HITS:

- Captain Ben Ondrus recorded his 300th penalty minute as a Marlie on Saturday. The Marlies all-time games played leader also registered an assist and a plus-three rating. In 24 games this season, Ondrus has tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) and 15 penalty minutes.

- Juraj Mikus notched his first multi-point game of the season on Saturday with two assists. Mikus ranks first (tie) on the club with five power play helpers.

- Greg Scott scored his first career American Hockey League goal on Saturday afternoon. Scott was named the game's third star of the night, finishing with a goal and an assist for his first multi-point contest of the year.

- The Marlies own a record of 6-0-2-2 in one goal games this season.

- Tyler Bozak has recorded a point in four of his past seven games. On November 20 he added a career-high three assists, with two of them coming on the power play. In 17 games this season, he has tallied 10 points (two goals, eight assists).

- Brennan Evans' 81 penalty minutes currently ranks fourth in the AHL for defencemen.

- The Marlies have been out-scored 40-13 in the second period through 24 games this season, but have out-scored their opponents 26-14 in the third period.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE

For the week ending December 6, 2009, the Toronto Marlies nominated forward Viktor Stalberg for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. Stalberg was instrumental in the Marlies 6-5 overtime victory on Saturday afternoon against the Hamilton Bulldogs. He scored the game-winning goal at the 4:39 mark of overtime to snap the Marlies three-game losing skid. Stalberg finished the game with two goals, an assist and a plus-two rating, giving him second star honours. Stalberg ranks first (tie) on the team in points with 18 (seven goals, 11 assists) in 16 games.

MARLIES ON THE WEB

Follow the Marlies all season long for the latest, most up-to-date information on their official web site, torontomarlies.com

MARLIES UPCOMING PROMOTIONS:

Friday, December 11 vs. Chicago Wolves - Live Band
Sunday, December 13 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins - Maple Leafs practice at Ricoh Coliseum at 1:30 p.m.
Monday, December 14 vs. Milwaukee Admirals - Holiday Game

MARLIES RECAP:

Tuesday, December 1 vs. Abbotsford Heat

Heat Too Hot for Marlies
Marlies Goals: None
Heat Goals: Stuart 2 (7), Murray (6)
Three Stars: 1. Stuart (ABB), 2. Armstrong (ABB), 3. Keetley (ABB)

Recap: Toronto suffered their first shutout loss on home ice this season, falling 3-0 to the Abbotsford Heat on Tuesday night. The Heat got on the board with a goal by Colin Stuart, beating Marlies starting goaltender Andrew Engelage who was making his first home start of the season. Garth Murray and Stuart each scored second period goals. Despite the Marlies out-shooting Abbotsford in the third period, 9-3, they weren't able to crack Matt Keetley who made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season. Engelage made 17 saves in the loss. Toronto's penalty kill unit went 6-for-7 in the game.

Friday, December 4 at Hamilton

Marlies Shutout for Second Consecutive Game, 3-0
Marlies Goals: None
Bulldogs Goals: Trotter (6), Subban 2 (6)
Three Stars: 1. Desjardins (HAM), 2. Trotter (HAM), 3. Subban (HAM)

Recap: The Marlies were shutout for their second consecutive game, dropping a 3-0 decision to their divisional rivals, the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday night. Brock Trotter put Hamilton ahead 1-0 late in the first period with a shot that beat Marlies starting goalie Adam Munro. P.K. Subban scored his first of two goals on the night mid-way through the second. Subban added an empty net goal and finished the game with a plus-three rating. Cedrick Desjardins made 15 saves for his third shutout of the season. The Marlies registered only eight shots through the first two periods of play. Munro suffered his fourth loss of the season, turning aside 28 shots.

Saturday, December 5 vs. Hamilton

Marlies Explode for Six Goals in Victory over Hamilton
Marlies Goal: Deveaux 2 (5), Stalberg 2 (7), Bodie (5), Scott (1)
Bulldogs Goals: Glumac (5), Desharnais (6), Wyman (4), Neilson (1), Russell (6)
Three Stars: 1. Deveaux (TOR), 2. Stalberg (TOR), 3. Scott (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies snapped a three-game losing skid with a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. Viktor Stalberg's overtime winner, his second of the game, propelled the Marlies to their first overtime win of the season. Stalberg finished the contest with two goals and an assist. Andre Deveaux, the game's first star, notched two goals in the win. Greg Scott scored his first career AHL goal in the second period of the game. Andrew Engelage set a Marlies season-high with 42 saves for his first career AHL victory. Troy Bodie chipped in with a goal and an assist, for his first multi-point game as a Marlie. Juraj Mikus had a team-high two assists; while captain Ben Ondrus registered a game-high plus-three rating. Both clubs' power plays went 1-for-3 in the game.

Check out the Toronto Marlies Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from December 8, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Toronto Marlies Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central