AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Begin Four-Game Week with Battle Against the Monsters

Published on December 15, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


(Dec. 17): The Marlies play their fifth of eight meetings against the Lake Erie Monsters - AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche - on Wednesday night at Ricoh Coliseum. The Monsters have beaten Toronto in their first four matchups so far this season, including most recently, 3-1 on December 12 in Toronto.

Robbie Earl scored his first goal of the season in that game. The Monsters currently sit in sixth place in the North Division with a 10-12-1-2 record for 23 points. Chris Durno paces the Monsters with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) and Jesse Boulerice has a team-high 68 penalty minutes. Durno was part of the Rampage last season when the Marlies played San Antonio in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Last season the Marlies owned a 6-1-0-1 record against Lake Erie. Darryl Boyce scored the Marlies first shorthanded goal of the season in their first matchup of the season on Sunday, October 12.

Tom Fristche played last season at Ohio State University where he recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). He was drafted by Colorado in the second round (47th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and is the younger brother of New York Rangers forward Dan Fritsche. Avalanche prospect T.J. Hensick led all NCAA Division I college players in points in 2006-07 with 69 (23 goals, 46 assists) while playing at the University of Michigan.

(Dec. 19): The Marlies face the Providence Bruins - AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins - on Friday night at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. This will be the first of two meetings, with the other matchup being played on March 4 at Ricoh Coliseum.

Providence currently ranks first in the Atlantic Division with a record of 16-10-1-1 for 34 points. They own an 11-4-0-0 record on home ice. Last season the Bruins won the MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy (regular season points champion) with a 55-18-3-4 record for 117 points. Providence lost to the Portland Pirates in the division finals in the postseason.

The Boston Bruins and Providence partnership is the longest active AHL/NHL affiliation in the league. The Bruins are led by Martin St. Marlies captain Ben Ondrus has scored five goals over his past five games, including two goals on Saturday night in Toronto's 4-2 victory over the Crunch. In 26 games this season, Ondrus has tallied seven points (six goals, one assist).

Pierre with 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 28 games. Peter Schaefer has played in 22 games for Providence this season, collecting two goals and seven assists. Schaefer has skated in 556 career NHL games, registering 259 points (98 goals, 161 assists) and 198 penalty minutes. This will be the first time the Marlies have faced the Bruins in club history.

(Dec. 20): The Marlies travel to Springfield on Saturday night to take on the Falcons - AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers - at MassMutual Center. Springfield currently ranks sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 12-11-3-1 record for 28 points. The Falcons are 7-5-0-0 on home ice this season.

Ryan Potulny ranks fifth (tie) in the American Hockey League with 15 goals and has a team-high 25 points. Rob Schremp led the Falcons in scoring last season with 76 points in 78 games and was Springfield's representative at the 2008 All-Star Classic. Schremp was Edmonton's first-round draft pick in 2004. Toronto is 1-0-1-0 all-time against the Falcons.

Starting goaltender Devan Dubnyk has played in 26 of the team's 27 games so far this season. Dubnyk has a 12-13-1 record with a 3.00 goals-against average and 0.903 save percentage. The two clubs will meet again on Sunday, February 15 at 4:00 p.m. at Ricoh Coliseum.

(Dec. 21): Toronto ends their three-game, Atlantic Division road-trip on Sunday afternoon when they battle the Hartford Wolf Pack - AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers - at 4:00 p.m. Hartford is right in the middle of the Atlantic Division with a 13-11-1-3 record for 30 points. Only eight points separate the first and seventh place teams in the division.

The Wolf Pack has earned at least a point in their past four games (3-0-0-1). Hartford is a strong home team this season with a record of 9-4-0- 2 at the XL Center. The Marlies defeated Hartford on October 18 at Ricoh Coliseum, 4-1. Justin Pogge made 30 saves and was the game's second star. Kris Newbury had a three-point night (two goals, one assist), including the gamewinner.

The Marlies are 2-0-0-1 all-time against the Wolf Pack in their club's history. Hartford's Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau leads the way with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists). Forward Justin Soryal has a team-high 75 penalty minutes.

MARLIES HEADLINES: Captain Benny: Ben Ondrus has scored five goals over his past five games. On Saturday night in Syracuse the Marlies captain scored a season-high two goals in Toronto's 4-2 win. Ondrus has appeared in all 26 games this season for the Marlies and has collected seven points (six goals, one assist) and 38 penalty minutes.

Jiri Powering It Up: Jiri Tlusty has scored a goal in four of his past seven games. On December 7 versus the Hamilton Bulldogs, Tlusty scored a goal and added an assist with both points coming on the power play. In 19 games this season, the Slany, CZE native has collected 11 points (five goals, six assists) with nine of those points coming on the manadvantage. Tlusty has also appeared in nine games this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Boyce Leading the Boys: Darryl Boyce recorded two goals and an assist, including the overtime winning penalty shot goal in the Marlies 6-5 comeback victory last Sunday against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Boyce's overtime goal was the first time an AHL game has been decided by a penalty shot since April 1, 2006 (Hamilton vs. Manchester).

He recorded an assist and five penalty minutes on Sunday in Toronto's 2-1 loss to the Bulldogs. The Summerside, PEI native leads the Marlies with 72 penalty minutes. In 26 games this season, Boyce has racked up 13 points (six goals, seven assists). He leads the team and ranks second (tie) in the AHL with two shorthanded goals.

Tim Becoming a Staple: Tim Stapleton has recorded at least a point in six of his past nine games (one goal, seven assists). In his past 13 games he's recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists), including four multi-point games. On December 7 he recorded a season-high three assists and was named the game's first star. The Oak Park, Illinois native ranks first (tie) on the Marlies and second in the AHL (tie) with 13 power play assists. In 26 games this season, Stapleton has 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) including one game-winning tally.

Jimmy Two Times: On November 19, the Toronto Marlies announced Jim Hughes as the assistant coach of the club, replacing Doug Gilmour. Since Hughes' return, the Marlies have gone 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. Hughes was the Marlies assistant coach the previous two seasons (2006-08). Last season, the Bronx, New York native was responsible for the team's number one ranked penalty kill.

Pack Leader: Kris Newbury has potted 23 points over his past 18 games for the Marlies. During that stretch, he's scored six goals and added 17 assists. Newbury currently ranks first (tie) on the team in points, second in assists and fourth in penalty minutes. 13 of his 17 assists have come on the man-advantage, ranking second (tie) in the AHL. Newbury is the Marlies all-time leader in points (162), goals (56), assists (106), penalty minutes (429) and shorthanded goals (tie) with five.

Special Teams:

Power Play: The Toronto Marlies power play has clicked for 13 goals in their past 12 games. On December 7 the Marlies power play went an impressive 3-for-4 while on the man-advantage. Toronto's power play currently ranks fourth (tie) in the AHL with a 20.1% success rate. Their power play on the road ranks first overall at 28.6%. They've scored at least one power play goal in 11 of 13 road games. The Marlies have registered six, multi-power play goal games so far this season. Kris Newbury leads all Marlie skaters with 14 power play points. Williams has nine power play tallies and Newbury has 13 assists.

Penalty Kill: The AHL`s best penalty kill during the 2007-08 season, is a solid 65-for-76 (85.5%) killing penalties on home ice so far this season. Through 26 games, they rank ninth in the league with an 84.5% success rate. They've given up only 23 power play goals in 26 games. The Marlies have only allowed power play goals in 12 of their past 19 games. Darryl Boyce potted the Marlies first shorthanded tally of the season against Lake Erie on Oct. 12 to knot the game at 3-3 late in the third period. Alex Foster set a Marlies franchise record last season with five shorthanded goals.

Munny In The Bank: Adam Munro picked up his third win of the season on Saturday against his former team, the Syracuse Crunch. He turned aside a Marlies season-high 37 saves in the win. Munro shutout the Binghamton Senators on Friday, November 21 for his first shutout in a Marlies uniform, making 25 saves in the victory. He currently has a record of 3-3-0 and has a 2.80 goals-against average and 0.904 save percentage. He is the first Marlies goalie to earn a shutout on the road since Justin Pogge on October 27, 2006 in Grand Rapids.

Multi-Point Games: Kris Newbury has tallied five, three-point games so far this season. The only other players to record three-point nights are Andre Deveaux (three goals), Jeremy Williams (two goals, one assist) and Tim Stapleton (three assists).

Multi-Point Games

Newbury 6

Stapleton 6

Williams 5

Boyce 3

Aubin 2

Bell 2

Kronwall 2

Sifers 1

Foster 1

Deveaux 1

Giliati 1

Petiot 1

Devereaux 1

Tlusty 1

Boumedienne 1

Ondrus 1

Making Their Debut: The Marlies have dressed nine new players through their first 26 games this season. Joey Ryan made his AHL debut on Saturday night against the Syracuse Crunch. Defencemen Richard Petiot, Andy Schneider, Juha Uotila and Josef Boumedienne; forwards Andre Deveaux, Tim Stapleton and Mark Bell have all seen action in at least one game for the Marlies. Adam Munro made his Marlies debut on Sunday, October 19 in a relief effort, backing up Justin Pogge. Munro made 16 saves in the effort. Newcomer, Tim Stapleton scored the Marlies first goal of the 2008-09 season in the third period and also scored in the shootout on Friday night against the Binghamton Senators.

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). Toronto has 15 players that helped them to their title berth on the opening day roster.

Reading Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals currently rank seventh in the American Division with an 8-19-0-1 record for 17 points. Max Taylor has recorded five goals in four games since being loaned to Reading last week. Last Friday night, Taylor registered a hat trick in the Royals 3-2 win. Tyler Doig leads the Royals with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists). James Reimer has appeared in 10 games for Reading and has earned a record of 5-3-0. Maple Leafs prospect, Michael Ouzas who is currently playing for the Fresno Falcons (ECHL) has a record of 9-5-1 with a 2.77 goals-against average and 0.900 save percentage.

MARLIES QUICK HITS:

- Kris Newbury and Tim Stapleton lead the team with 23 points each. Jeremy Williams ranks third on the team in points with 14.

- Darryl Boyce ranks first on the team with 72 penalty minutes and Phil Oreskovic leads the team with a plus-five rating.

- The Marlies are 10-0-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period this season and are 9-3-0-0 when they record the game's first goal.

- Anton Stralman joined the Marlies on Sunday after being re-assigned by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stralman was a plus-one and had four shots on goal in the Marlies 2-1 loss versus Hamilton. In 21 games this season with the Maple Leafs, he collected one goal and six assists.

- Jaime Sifers made his NHL debut on Monday night for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had 17:26 minutes of icetime and was a plus-one. Jeremy Williams, who was also recalled this past weekend, scored a goal and recorded his first career NHL assist in the Maple Leafs 4-2 win over the NY Islanders. Williams was named the game's second star. On Friday night, Williams netted his second goal in two games with the Maple Leafs.

- Former Toronto Marlies goaltender Scott Clemmensen has sparkled for the New Jersey Devils since Martin Brodeur's injury. In 11 games this season with the Devils, he has an 8-3-0 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and 0.919 save percentage. He's also won eight of his past nine games. Last season with the Marlies, Clemmensen posted a 23-14-2 record with a franchise-best, 0.910 save percentage.

- The Marlies host the Lake Erie Monsters for the second time in six days on Wednesday night at Ricoh Coliseum at 7:00 p.m. Toronto then hits the road for three games this upcoming weekend, all against Atlantic division opponents. They play Providence on Friday night, Springfield on Saturday and finish the road-trip with a Sunday afternoon game in Hartford at 4:00 p.m.

- The Marlies currently rank fifth in the North Division with a 12-12-0-2 record for 26 points through 26 games.

- The Marlies won the North Division last season with a record of 50-21-3-6 for 109 points. The 109 points set a Maple Leafs affiliate record.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE For the week ending December 15, 2008, the Toronto Marlies nominated forward Ben Ondrus for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native has registered five goals in his past five games, including three over his past two contests. In three games last week the Marlies captain had three goals and had a plusone rating. On Saturday night in Syracuse, Ondrus scored the game's first two goals and was named the first star.

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:

Saturday, December 27 vs. Manitoba Moose - Curtis Joseph Bobblehead Day

Sunday, December 28 vs. Manitoba Moose - Nickelodeon Day

Friday, January 2 vs. Iowa Chops - Pay Day Friday's presented by Ricoh

Saturday, January 3 vs. Philadelphia Phantoms - Anton Stralman Bobblehead Day

MARLIES RECAP:

Friday, December 12 vs. Lake Erie

Marlies Dropped by Monsters, 3-1

Marlies Goals: Earl (1)

Monsters Goals: McCutcheon (1), Campbell (1), Fritsche (4)

Three Stars:

1. Durno (LEM)

2. Weiman (LEM)

3. Bell (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies got on the board only 2:44 into the first period when Robbie Earl potted his first goal of the season. Josef Boumedienne fired a puck on goal and Earl deflected it past Tyler Weiman for the game's first goal. Mark Bell collected the second assist on the goal. In the second period, the Monsters scored two goals to put them ahead 2-1. The Marlies couldn't solve Weiman the rest of the way and Lake Erie added a late empty net goal to beat Toronto 3-1. Justin Pogge made 19 saves in the loss.

Saturday, December 13 at Syracuse

Marlies Crunch Syracuse, 4-2

Marlies Goals: Ondrus 2 (5), Kronwall (4), Battaglia (2)

Crunch Goals: Harvey (2), Sestito (4)

Three Stars:

1. Ondrus (TOR)

2. Foster (TOR)

3. Harvey (SYR)

Recap: Ben Ondrus scored six seconds into the Marlies first power play of the night to give Toronto an early 1-0 edge over their division-rivals. After Tim Stapleton won the draw, Staffan Kronwall fired a slapshot from the point that Ondrus tipped past the Crunch starting goalie Ryan Munce. Five minutes later, Ondrus took a pass from Robbie Earl and fired home his fifth of the season to put Toronto in front 2-0. After the Crunch made it 2-1, Kronwall backhanded a rebound that beat Munce blocker-side to give the Marlies a 3-1 lead. After killing two penalties, Bates Battaglia took a shot from the side boards that deflected off a Crunch player into the net to seal the Marlies 4-2 win. Adam Munro was sharp, making 37 saves on 39 shots.

Sunday, December 14 vs. Hamilton

Dog's Bite Marlies, 2-1

Marlies Goals: Ondrus (6)

Bulldogs Goals: Glumac (11), Desharnais (6)

Three Stars: 1. Desharnais (HAM)

2. Desjardins (HAM)

3. Foster (TOR)

Recap: Despite heavily out-shooting their opposition, the Marlies fell to the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, 2-1. Mike Glumac opened the scoring for the Bulldogs with his 11th of the season mid-way through the opening period. Toronto out-shot Hamilton 30-10 through the first two periods of play. Ben Ondrus finally solved Bulldogs starting goalie Cedric Desjardins at the 6:57 mark of the third period to tie the game at 1-1. Darryl Boyce and Robbie Earl each collected assists on the goal. David Desharnais scored the gamewinner with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to give Hamilton the victory, 2-1.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2008


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