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AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Visit First Place Manitoba Friday, Saturday

March 31, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Apr. 3 & 4): The Marlies play their only two games this week when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Manitoba Moose - AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks - on Friday and Saturday at the MTS Centre. Manitoba ranks first in the AHL and the North Division with a 49-20-0-6 record for 104 points. Toronto is 3-2-0-0 against their division-rival this season, but lost both matchups at the MTS Centre in November. Bates Battaglia has recorded four assists in three games against the Moose this season. Manitoba's 0.693 points percentage ranks first in the AHL. The Moose are 25-11-0-2 at the MTS Centre. Jason Krog paces the way for the Moose with 83 points (29 goals, 54 assists). Michael Grabner was drafted in the first round (14th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft; he currently sits second on the team with 27 goals. Manitoba captain Mike Keane is a three-time Stanley Cup winner. He won with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and the Dallas Stars in 1999. He is a veteran of 1161 NHL games where he recorded 470 points (168 goals, 302 assists). Jason Krog won the Calder Cup last season with the Chicago Wolves and was named the playoff MVP and regular season MVP of the league. He became only the third player in AHL history to lead the league in goals, assists and points. Krog and Andre Deveaux were teammates with the Chicago Wolves last season. Manitoba ranks third (tie) overall in the AHL on the penalty kill with an 86.0% success rate. The Moose recorded their franchise best 48th victory of the season against Hamilton last Friday. That same night goaltender Cory Schneider recorded his 27th win, setting a Moose record.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

Playoff Push: The Marlies are currently tied with the Syracuse Crunch for the final playoff spot in the North Division with 82 points. Syracuse and Toronto each have five games remaining on their schedule and both clubs only play twice this week. The Marlies close out the season with games against the Moose (three times), Americans (once) and Bulldogs (once). The Crunch play their final five games against Rochester (three times), Rockford (once) and Binghamton (once).

Tim Becoming a Staple: Tim Stapleton recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in four games last week. Stapleton scored the game-winning goal on Friday night in Toronto's 3-0 win over Philadelphia. He has notched 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) over his past 26 games. Stapleton ranks first in the AHL with eight shootout goals. In 66 games this season, Stapleton has 73 points (24 goals, 49 assists) including five game-winning tallies. He ranks eighth in the AHL in points and fourth (tie) in assists. The American Hockey League named Stapleton the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for period ending February 1, 2009. Stapleton made his NHL debut on February 26 against the New York Islanders and scored his first career NHL goal in his next game in Ottawa.

Marlies Scoring Machine: Jeremy Williams posted five points (two goals, three assists) over his past three games, including a two-point afternoon on Sunday versus Syracuse. Williams currently ranks first on the Marlies in goals with 26. He's registered a goal in 13 of his past 23 games. In 42 games this season he has recorded 26 goals and 13 assists and has a club-high, six game-winning goals. Williams ranks first on the Marlies and third (tie) in the AHL with 18 power play tallies. He ranks eighth (tie) in the AHL in game-winning goals. Williams scored his first hat-trick of the season on March 8 in Toronto's 4-3 win in Hamilton. Williams is the Marlies all-time leader in goals (73) power play goals (34) and game-winning goals (19).

Home Ice Advantage: Toronto's only lost six home games in regulation time since December 14, 2008. The Marlies have won their past eight of 14 games at home. Toronto has out-scored their opponents 92-71 at Ricoh Coliseum during a 23-game stretch. The Marlies hold a 21-12-1-3 advantage at home on the season. The Marlies set a franchise record on Friday, January 30 with their seventh consecutive home victory when they defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs, 4-2. The Marlies finished their season-high, 11-game home stand on February 21 with a 7-4-0-0 record.

Bates On The Board: Bates Battaglia has registered an assist in each of the past three games. He's recorded 26 points in his last 28 contests (three goals, 22 assists). Battaglia's notched at least a point in nine of his past 12 games. He's totaled 13 assists in his past 17 games. Battaglia had his six-game assist streak snapped on February 21 against Rochester. In 54 games this season, he ranks third on the team in points with 45 (15 goals, 31 assists). His plus-13 rating ranks second on the Marlies.

A Month to Remember: Jiri Tlusty was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Month for February. In 11 games in February, Tlusty notched 12 goals and 11 assists while recording a plus-11 rating. Tlusty began the month by scoring Toronto's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Syracuse on Feb. 7, and then matched a franchise record with four assists in a 10-5 win over Grand Rapids the next day. He had his biggest game of his young career on Feb. 18, scoring five goals on five shots and posting a plus-six rating. Tlusty had a season-high, nine-game point streak during the month.

Jiri On Fire: Jiri Tlusty has recorded 22 points in his past 16 games (six goals, 15 assists). Tlusty set the Marlies franchise record with six points in one game on March 4 with two goals and four assists in Toronto's 6-4 win over Providence. Tlusty's six-point game is the AHL season-high so far this season. Tlusty set the Marlies franchise record with his five-goal night on February 18 versus Syracuse, also setting the Marlies season-high with a plus-six rating. He registered a Marlies season-high, four assists on Sunday, February 8 against Grand Rapids. In 61 games with the Marlies this season, Tlusty has racked up 63 points (24 goals, 39 assists); with 29 of his points coming on the power play. Tlusty ranks second on the team in points.

On A Roll: Since November 19, 2008 the Marlies are 32-22-3-5 and have earned at least a point in their past 40 of 62 games (0.645 points percentage). Their home record since November 19 is 17-9-1-1. The Marlies will play their next two games in Manitoba and then return to Ricoh Coliseum to play their final three games at home.

A Franchise Night: On Sunday, February 8 the Marlies had a franchise game when they defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 10-5 at Ricoh Coliseum. The 10 goals the Marlies scored was a franchise-high and their five first period tallies was a season-high. Tim Stapleton led the way with four-goals in the game, three of which came in a span of four minutes and forty seconds. Andre Deveaux also scored a hat-trick in the game, his second of the season. In all, eight different Marlies players registered a multi-point game. Jiri Tlusty had a season-high four assists. The Marlies five power play goals was also an all-time high.

Shooting For The Stars: The Marlies rank in the top-10 in the AHL in both shots for and shots against this season. The Marlies average 30.9 shots per game against their opponents (ninth in the AHL) and rank third for shots against with 26.9 per game. Tim Stapleton set a Marlies single-season high with 10 shots on goal on January 31 versus the Rockford IceHogs.

Special Teams:

Power Play: Toronto's power play currently ranks second in the AHL with a 20.6% success rate. Over their past 17 games they've scored 20 power play goals. On March 8, the Marlies struck for three goals while on the man-advantage. Tim Stapleton has scored two power play goals in his past four games. Their power play set a franchise record with five goals on Sunday, February 8 versus the Grand Rapids Griffins when they went an impressive 5-for-7 in the game. The Marlies have registered 15 multi-power play goal games so far this season. Their power play on the road ranks fourth overall at 20.6%. They've scored at least one power play goal in 23 of 38 road games. Tim Stapleton leads all Marlie skaters with 36 power play points.

Multi-Point Games: Tim Stapleton leads the team with 20 multi-point games this season. Stapleton, Andre Deveaux and Jeremy Williams each recorded a two-point game last week.

Multi-Point Games
Stapleton 20
Tlusty 13
Williams 11
Battaglia 8
Newbury 7
Foster 6
Stralman 4
Boyce 4
Deveaux 4
Sifers 3
Devereaux 3
Bell 3
Aubin 3
Kronwall 3
Hamilton 3
Giliati 2
Petiot 2
Taylor 2
Ondrus 2
Ryan 1
Engel 1

Blue & White: So far this season there has been 13 different players to suit-up for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies. Most recently Phil Oreskovic made his NHL debut on March 9 against the Ottawa Senators. Joining Phil are Justin Pogge, Jaime Sifers, Nikolai Kulemin, Andre Deveaux, Kris Newbury, Anton Stralman, Jeremy Williams, Jiri Tlusty, Boyd Devereaux, Tim Stapleton, Ben Ondrus and Ryan Hollweg who have all seen action with both clubs.

Making Their Debut: The Marlies have dressed 20 new players through their first 75 games this season. Alex Berry made his Marlies and AHL debut on March 20 against the Grand Rapids Griffins, becoming the 20th new player to dress for the club. Defensemen Richard Petiot, Andrew Martens, Jeremy Swanson, Andy Schneider, Josh Engel, Joey Ryan, Juha Uotila and Josef Boumedienne; forwards Andre Deveaux, Ryan Hamilton, Nikolai Kulemin, Ryan Hollweg, Ashton Rome, Jay Rosehill, Tim Stapleton and Mark Bell have all seen action in at least one game for the Marlies.

Reading Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals currently rank seventh in the American Division with a 23-40-2-3 record for 51 points. Tyler Doig ranks first on the club with 55 points (17 goals, 38 assists). Doig has scored five goals in his past five games. Dan Rudisuela has 20 goals and 26 assists in 68 games. Rudisuela has potted six points (two goals, four assists) in his past four games. He's registered 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in his past 12 games.

On The Road: The Marlies finished their season-high, nine-game road trip with a 2-3-2-2 record for eight points on January 23 at Syracuse. They opened their road swing with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Milwaukee Admirals. Justin Pogge and Adam Munro had a combined 2.26 goals-against average and 0.918 save percentage on the road trip. Pogge started six games and Munro three. Maple Leafs prospect Nikolai Kulemin made his AHL debut on Thursday, January 8 in Milwaukee. Bates Battaglia and Alex Foster each scored a shorthanded goal on the trip.

Unveiling the Banner: The Marlies opened up the 2008-09 season by unveiling their North Division championship banner from the year before. The Marlies won their division with a 50-21-3-6 record for 109 points, nine more points then next closest Syracuse (100 points).

MARLIES QUICK HITS:

- The Marlies currently rank fifth in the North Division with a 36-29-3-7 record for 82 points through 75 games.

- Tim Stapleton has registered at least a point in 11 of his past 13 games (six goals, eight assists).

- Toronto's 0.813 winning percentage when they score the game's first goal ranks first in the American Hockey League.

- Anton Stralman, Ben Ondrus, Phil Oreskovic and Justin Pogge were all reassigned by the Maple Leafs to the Marlies over the weekend.

- Andrew Martens has recorded at least a point in three of his previous five games.

- Alex Foster and Jaime Sifers both surpassed John Mitchell on the all-time games played list on Wednesday night in Hershey. Foster ranks first on the all-time list with 205 career games as a member of the Toronto Marlies.

- Phil Oreskovic scored his first career NHL goal on Tuesday night in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-2 shootout victory over Washington. Oreskovic registered his first career NHL assist on March 28 vs. Boston.

- Justin Pogge has a home record of 10-2-1 over his past 14 starts at Ricoh Coliseum.

- Joe Ryan has collected an assist in two of his past three games.

- Adam Munro has won six of his past eight starts in goal.

- Jay Rosehill ranks first on the team and second (tie) in the AHL with 247 penalty minutes and Phil Oreskovic ranks first on the club with a plus-15 rating.

- The Marlies are 26-2-1-1 when taking a lead into the third period this season and are 25-5-1-1 when they record the game's first goal. When Toronto scores three or more goals in a game, they own a record of 35-8-0-2.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE

For the week ending March 29, 2009, the Toronto Marlies nominated forward Jeremy Williams for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. Williams posted five points last week (two goals, three assists) in four games. His 26 goals this season ranks first on the Marlies this season, despite only appearing in 42 games. Williams notched a power play goal on Sunday afternoon and now ranks third (tie) in the AHL with 18 power play tallies. He ranked first on the Marlies in shots in all four games this past week.

IN THE BOOTH:

The Marlies and Rogers Cable TV announced their 29 game broadcast schedule, which will comprise of Friday, Saturday and Sunday home dates. The television play-by-play duties will be handled by the voice of the Marlies, John Bartlett, who returns for his fourth season with the organization. Former NHLer and Toronto Maple Leaf, Bob McGill, will join Bartlett in the booth for all 29 games.

The Marlies announced on Friday, October 10 in conjunction with the FAN 590, that all 80 regular season games will be live on the FAN 590. Marlies play-by-play announcer John Bartlett, along with colour commentator, Bob McGill will provide the live action for Marlies fans this season. Fans can also tune into all of the action on the Marlies official website, torontomarlies.com

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, April 10 vs. Manitoba Moose - Pay Day Fridays Presented by Ricoh
Saturday, April 11 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs - Team Awards Night

MARLIES RECAP:

Wednesday, March 25 at Hershey

Bears Comeback and Drop Marlies 4-3
Marlies Goals: Deveaux 2 (13), Perry (2)
Bears Goals: Giroux (51), Aucoin (23), Joudrey (5), Osala (23)
Three Stars: 1. Aucoin (HER), 2. Osala (HER), 3. Neuvirth (HER)

Recap: The Marlies weren't able to hold onto a two-goal, second period lead as the Bears fought their way back and beat the Marlies 4-3 on Wednesday night. Andre Deveaux put Toronto on the board five minutes into the game with a power play marker. After the Bears tied the game early in the second period, Todd Perry netted his second goal of the season. Deveaux scored his second power play tally of the game five minutes later, putting the Marlies ahead 3-1. Hershey fought their way back, and Oskar Osala won it for the Bears at the 8:15 mark of the third period. Tim Stapleton collected two assists and Justin Pogge made 26 saves and registered an assist in the loss.

Friday, March 27 at Philadelphia

Munro Shuts Out Phantoms
Marlies Goals: Stapleton (23), Sifers (4), Hamilton (14)
Phantoms Goals: None
Three Stars: 1. Munro (TOR), 2. Stapleton (TOR), 3. Williams (TOR)

Recap: Adam Munro turned aside all 27 shots faced on Friday night to end the Marlies four-game winless skid. Tim Stapleton fired a shot past Scott Munroe just 1:22 into the game to put Toronto ahead 1-0. Eight minutes later Jaime Sifers scored his fourth of the season on the power play. Ryan Hamilton notched his 14th tally of the season four minutes into the second stanza to give the Marlies a 3-0 lead, which would stand to be the final score. Williams and Stapleton each finished the game with two points each. Munro's shutout was his second of the season.

Saturday, March 28 at W-B/Scranton

Penguins Freeze Marlies 5-2
Marlies Goals: Giliati (6), Williams (25)
Penguins Goals: Satan (2), Johnson (13), Minard 2 (34), James (18)
Three Stars: 1. Minard (W-B/S), 2. Satan (W-B/S), 3. Taffe (W-B/S)

Recap: The Marlies couldn't cap their three-game, East Division road trip with a win, as they fell to the W- B/Scranton Penguins 5-2 on Saturday night. Chris Minard registered a four-point (two goals, two assists) night against the Marlies and was named the game's first star. Stefano Giliati and Jeremy Williams potted the two Marlie goals. James Reimer made 35 saves on 39 shots and registered his first career AHL point (assist) on Giliati's first period tally. The Marlies and Penguins were tied heading into the third period, but the Penguins scored two power play goals early in the third period to separate them from Toronto. The Marlies power play failed to connect on four attempts.

Sunday, March 29 vs. Syracuse

Marlies Edged in Shootout
Marlies Goals: Stapleton (24), Williams (26), Ondrus (10)
Crunch Goals: Filatov 2 (16), Blunden (11), Mayorov (SOW)
Three Stars: 1. Williams (TOR), 2. Munro (TOR), 3. Filatov (SYR)

Recap: The Marlies entered the game one point ahead of the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division, but Toronto was defeated 4-3 in a shootout. The two teams combined for four goals in the first six minutes of the game. Nikita Filatov had to the two Crunch goals, and Tim Stapleton and Jeremy Williams had the Marlie tallies. Three of the first four goals were scored on the man-advantage. Ben Ondrus connected on a penalty shot early in the second period to give the Marlies a 3-2 edge. Syracuse's Michael Blunden tied the game at 3-3 with his 11th of the season mid-way through the second frame. After a scoreless third period, the two teams went back and forth in the overtime period. Adam Munro made 17 saves in the final 25 minutes of play to force a shootout. Maksim Mayorov scored the shootout winner. Stapleton and Williams each finished the game with a goal and a helper. The Crunch scored three power play goals.

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