AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Host Division Rivals Syracuse And Grand Rapids This Weekend

Published on February 3, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Feb. 7): The Marlies host the Syracuse Crunch - AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets - on Saturday night at Ricoh Coliseum. This will mark the fourth of eight meetings between the two clubs this season. Toronto dropped their previous matchup, 3-1 in Syracuse on January 23, 2009. Mark Bell scored the lone goal for the Marlies while Grant Clitsome notched the winner for Syracuse. The Crunch own a 2-1-0-0 record against Toronto this season and have outscored them 10-6. The Marlies defeated the Crunch last season in Game seven of the Semi-Finals, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Syracuse currently ranks fifth in the North Division with a 22-20-3-2 record for 49 points through 47 games. They sit four points behind the Marlies for fourth place in the division. The Crunch are 10-12-2-2 on the road this season and 5-4-1-0 in their past 10 games overall. Mike York leads all Crunch players with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists). Jon Mirasty ranks first on the Crunch and second in the AHL with 183 penalty minutes. Syracuse is the second most penalized team in the AHL averaging over 24 minutes in penalties per game. Syracuse currently is on a three-game winless streak. Their next meeting is on Wednesday, February 11 for an 11:30 AM start at Ricoh Coliseum.

(Feb. 8): The Marlies will play host to the North Division leading Grand Rapids Griffins - AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings - on Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. This will be the fourth of eight meetings between the two clubs. The Marlies were able to come back from an early 2-0 deficit before ultimately losing 3-2 in overtime in their previous matchup on January 21 at Van Andel Arena. Mark Bell and Bates Battaglia notched goals for the Marlies in the loss, while Griffins forward Justin Abdelkader tallied twice including the overtime winner. Grand Rapids currently rank first in the North Division with a 29-9-6-4 record for 68 points. The Griffins have a road record of 11-6-3-0 so far this season. Grand Rapids has earned at least a point in their past seven games (5-0-1-1). The Griffins rank first in the AHL in penalty killing (89.2%) and the Marlies rank eighth in the AHL on the power play (18.9%). Darren Haydar leads the Griffins with 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists). Griffins' goaltender Jimmy Howard's 2.38 GAA ranks him eighth in the AHL among goalies. Darren Helm played in each of the final 18 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season, helping them win the Stanley Cup. The Marlies hold a slight advantage over Grand Rapids in their all-time record games played, 13- 12-0. Their next meeting is on Saturday, February 14 at Ricoh Coliseum.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

Home Ice Advantage: The Marlies set a franchise record on Friday night with their seventh consecutive home victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs, 4-2. Toronto's only lost one home game since December 14, 2008 when their winning streak was snapped on Saturday against the Rockford IceHogs. The Marlies have out-scored their opponents at Ricoh Coliseum, 34-18 during an eight-game stretch. Toronto defeated Iowa and Philadelphia by identical 6-1 scores on January 2 and 3 at home; both wins tied season-highs for their largest margins of victory. Toronto has only allowed 12 goals against in their past six home games. The Marlies hold a 13-7-0-2 record at home on the season. The Marlies play their fourth and fifth games of their 11-game home stand this weekend.

On A Roll: Since November 19, 2008 the Marlies are 19-11-2-3 and have earned at least a point in 24 of 35 games (0.686 points percentage). Toronto's won four out of their past seven games decided by a shootout, despite losing their past two. Their home record since November 19 is 10-4-0-0.

Tim Becoming a Staple: This past weekend Tim Stapleton registered back-to-back multi-point games, including his second, three-point (two goals, one assist) night of the season on Friday versus Hamilton. On Monday, the American Hockey League named Stapleton the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for period ending February 1, 2009. Stapleton has recorded at least a point in 22 of his past 30 games (nine goals, 25 assists). In that span, Stapleton has notched 10 multi-point games. He's recorded nine assists in his past eight games. The Oak Park, Illinois native ranks first on the Marlies and third (tie) in the AHL with 18 power play assists. Stapleton ranks first in the AHL with seven shootout goals. In 42 games this season, Stapleton has 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) including two game-winning tallies. Stapleton's 32 assists rank eighth (tie) in the league. Stapleton ranks first on the Marlies in points and assists.

Kronny In The Clutch: Staffan Kronwall has recorded three game winning goals this season which is tops amongst all AHL defensemen. His most recent game winner was against the Chicago Wolves on Saturday, January 24 in a 3-1 Marlies victory. So far this season Kronwall has recorded 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) which ranks him third (tie) on the Marlies. Kronwall is currently on a four-game point streak where he's recorded one goal and three assists.

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Mark Bell has recorded a goal in five of his past eight games. He set a Marlies season-high with a five-game goal scoring streak which began on January 14 at Chicago and was snapped on January 24 versus the Wolves. The Marlies forward ranks first (tie) on the team with 12 goals and fifth in points with 24. Bell's five power play goals rank first among active Marlies. In 47 games, he's collected 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists).

Shooting For The Stars: The Marlies rank in the top-five in the AHL in both shots for and shots against this season. The Marlies average 31.6 shots per game against their opponents and rank third for shots against with 26.9 per game. The Marlies have greatly out-shot their opponents in the second period, 550-440. Tim Stapleton set a Marlies single- season high with 10 shots on goal on Saturday versus the Rockford IceHogs.

Bates On The Board: Bates Battaglia has registered almost a point-per-game so far this season. On Saturday he notched his 12th goal of the season, tying him with Mark Bell for the club lead. In 27 games he's tallied 12 goals and eight assists. His plus-four rating ranks third out of the Marlies forwards. Battaglia has scored 16 points in his past 21 games.

Special Teams:

Power Play: The Toronto Marlies power play has clicked for 28 goals in their past 33 games. The Marlies have registered eight, multi-power play goal games so far this season. Toronto's power play currently ranks eighth in the AHL with an 18.9% success rate. Their power play on the road ranks fifth overall at 20.7%. They've scored at least one power play goal in 17 of 26 road games. Tim Stapleton leads all Marlie skaters with 21 power play points.

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.

Multi-Point Games: Tim Stapleton leads the team with 11 multi-point games this season. Tim Stapleton, Jiri Tlusty and Kris Newbury each registered a multi-point game this past weekend. Stapleton led the charge for the Marlies, notching back-to-back multi-point games. Stapleton now has two, three-point contests this season. The only players to record three-points or more in a game are Stefano Giliati, Andre Deveaux, Jeremy Williams, Jiri Tlusty, Bates Battaglia and Tim Stapleton.

Multi-Point Games
Stapleton 11
Newbury 7
Williams 5
Battaglia 4
Tlusty 4
Bell 3
Foster 3
Kronwall 3
Boyce 3
Giliati 2
Devereaux 2
Petiot 2
Taylor 2
Aubin 2
Sifers 1
Deveaux 1
Ondrus 1

Making Their Debut: The Marlies have dressed 12 new players through their first 48 games this season. Ryan Hamilton suited up for his first game with the Marlies on Friday, January 23 in Syracuse, becoming the 12th new player to dress for the club. Defencemen Richard Petiot, Andy Schneider, Joey Ryan, Juha Uotila and Josef Boumedienne; forwards Andre Deveaux, Nikolai Kulemin, Tim Stapleton and Mark Bell have all seen action in at least one game for the Marlies. Newcomer, Tim Stapleton scored the Marlies first goal of the 2008-09 season in the third period of their home opener on October 10 against the Binghamton Senators.

Reading Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals currently rank seventh in the American Division with a 14-28-0-2 record for 30 points. Tyler Doig ranks second the Royals with 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists). Doig has recorded 17 points in his past 15 games (six goals, 11 assists). Doig ranks first on the Royals in power play goals (five) and power play assists (14). Dan Rudisuela has nine goals and nine assists in 44 games. Maple Leafs prospect, Michael Ouzas who is currently playing for the Royals, has a record of 14-11-1 with a 2.82 goals- against average and 0.909 save percentage, including three shutouts.

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.

MARLIES QUICK HITS:

- The Marlies currently rank fourth in the North Division with a 22-18-2-5 record for 53 points through 48 games.

- Jiri Tlusty has recorded three points (two goals, one assist) over the past two games for the Marlies. Tlusty ranks third on the team with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) with 13 of his points coming on the power play.

- Mark Bell has recorded a goal in five of the Marlies past seven games.

- Richard Petiot is on a two-game assist streak and Kris Newbury has collected three assists in his past three games. - Mark Bell and Bates Battaglia share the team lead with 12 goals apiece and Tim Stapleton has a team-high 32 assists and 41 points.

- The Marlies have played the most overtime games so far this season in the AHL with 14. Toronto has three wins in overtime and four shootout victories.

- Darryl Boyce ranks first on the team with 106 penalty minutes and Phil Oreskovic has a team-high plus-nine rating.

- The Marlies are 16-0-1-1 when taking a lead into the third period this season and are 16-4-1-1 when they record the game's first goal. When Toronto scores three or more goals, they own a record of 23-5-0-1.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE For the week ending February 1, 2009, the Toronto Marlies nominated forward Tim Stapleton for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. Stapleton posted back-to-back multi-point games in the Marlies two games this past weekend. On Friday night, the Oak Park, IL native scored two goals (including the game-winner) and collected an assist in the Marlies 4-2 win over the Bulldogs. Stapleton was also a plus-two and helped guide the Marlies to their franchise record setting, seventh consecutive home victory. He was named the game's first star of the game. On Saturday afternoon against the Rockford IceHogs, Stapleton registered a goal and an assist for his 11th multi-point game (club leading) of the season and was also named the game's third 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, February 7 vs. Syracuse Crunch - Doug Gilmour Mini-Banner Day
Sunday, February 8 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins - Nickelodeon Family Fun Day
Sunday, February 15 vs. Springfield Falcons - Matt Stajan Bobblehead Day

MARLIES RECAP:

Friday, January 30 vs. Hamilton

Marlies Set Franchise Mark With Seventh Straight Home Win
Marlies Goals: Tlusty (8), Rogers (4), Stapleton 2 (8)
Bulldogs Goals: Glumac (20), Trotter (9)
Three Stars: 1. Stapleton (TOR), 2. Rogers (TOR), 3. Boyce (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies set a franchise record with their seventh consecutive victory at home with a 4-2 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs. Jiri Tlusty who ended up with a goal and an assist opened the scoring for Toronto just six minutes into the game. After the Bulldogs tied it at 1-1, Kyle Rogers scored his second goal in as many games to put Toronto ahead. Tim Stapleton then scored back-to-back goals and also collected an assist for his fourth, three-point night of the season. Justin Pogge picked up his 16th win of the season, kicking aside 18 saves.

Saturday, January 31 vs. Rockford

IceHogs Down Marlies 6-3
Marlies Goals: Stapleton (9), Battaglia (12), Tlusty (9)
Rockford Goals: Brophey (10), Radja (10), Blackwater 2 (3), Hjalmarsson (2), Brent (12)
Three Stars: 1. Blackwater (RFD), 2. Brophey (RFD), 3. Stapleton (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies were denied extending their home winning streak even further when the Rockford IceHogs downed Toronto, 6-3 at Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The IceHogs opened the game with three first period tallies. The Marlies cut into the lead with goals from Tim Stapleton and Bates Battaglia both on the power play to make it 3-2. The IceHogs put the game out of reach when they added two more to give them a 5-2 cushion heading into the third period. Jiri Tlusty scored his ninth of the season late in the third but the IceHogs added an empty net goal to seal the victory, 6-3. Kris Newbury registered two assists in the game and Stapleton finished with a goal and an assist. Two of the three Marlies goals were scored on the power play.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 3, 2009


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