AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Hunt Down Moose Over Weekend; Continue Playoff Push

Published on April 7, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Apr. 8): The Marlies host the Rochester Americans - AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers - in the eighth and final meeting between the two clubs on Wednesday night at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies downed the Americans in their last matchup on February 22, 6-2 in Rochester. Jiri Tlusty scored two goals and added a helper; while Ben Ondrus chipped in with a pair of goals in the victory. Adam Munro stopped 30 of 32 shots for the victory. Rochester currently ranks seventh in the North Division with a 27-42-0-8 record for 62 points. Michal Repik paces the way for the Amerks with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists). Toronto native Michael Duco leads the Americans with 147 penalty minutes. Panthers prospect Kenndal McArdle was drafted in the first round (20th overall) by Florida in the 2005 Entry Draft. Shawn Matthias, a Mississauga-native, was originally drafted in the second round (47th overall) by Detroit in the 2006 Entry Draft and has 10 goals and 10 assists in 58 games with Rochester. Matthias helped lead Canada to a 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship Gold Medal, scoring five points in the tournament. Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Rory Fitzpatrick is the captain of the Amerks.

(Apr. 10): The Marlies welcome the Manitoba Moose - AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks - on Friday at Ricoh Coliseum. Last weekend in Manitoba, the Marlies won both games against the Moose, propelling them past the Syracuse Crunch and back into fourth place in the division. Justin Pogge started both games for Toronto and finished the weekend with 60 saves on 63 shots in the two wins. Manitoba ranks first in the AHL and the North Division with a 49-22-0-6 record for 104 points. Toronto is 5-2-0-0 against their division-rival this season, including a 2-0-0-0 record against them at Ricoh Coliseum. Manitoba's 0.675 points percentage ranks first (tie) in the AHL. The Moose are 24-9-0-4 on the road this season. Jason Krog paces the way for the Moose with 84 points (30 goals, 54 assists). Michael Grabner was drafted in the first round (14th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and 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 on March 27. That same night goaltender Cory Schneider recorded his 27th win, setting a Moose record.

(Apr. 11): The Marlies play their final game of the season on Saturday as they host their provincial- rival, the Hamilton Bulldogs - AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens - for a 5:00 p.m. start at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies are 5-5-0-1 against the Bulldogs this season, winning 4-3 in their most recent matchup on March 8 at Copps Coliseum. The Marlies were led by an outstanding performance from Jeremy Williams as he netted three goals, all on the power play, including the game-winner. The Bulldogs currently rank third in the North Division with a 46-27-4-0 record for 96 points through 77 games this season. They sit two points behind the Grand Rapids Griffins for second place in the division. Hamilton owns a 23-12-3-0 record on the road this season, with a 3-1-1 record at Ricoh Coliseum. The Bulldogs' 252 goals for ranks first in the Western Conference and third overall in the AHL. Yannick Weber took part in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic and was a teammate of Jaime Sifers for PlanetUSA. Marlies forward Ryan Hamilton and Bulldogs defenceman Shawn Belle were teammates last year with the Houston Aeros. Yanick Lehoux currently ranks first on the Bulldogs with 57 points (18 goals, 39 assists). Ben Maxwell and David Desharnais are currently tied for third in the AHL rookie scoring race with 55 points a piece. The Marlies hold a 27-17-0-3 all-time advantage over their QEW-rival.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

Playoff Push: The Marlies currently sit in fourth place in the North Division with 86 points, one more point than fifth place Syracuse. Toronto won their two games last weekend, both against the Manitoba Moose to move past the Crunch for the final playoff spot in the division. The Marlies play three games this week, all home games, against the Rochester Americans, Manitoba Moose and Hamilton Bulldogs. Toronto can clinch a playoff berth with three wins this week. The Crunch play their final three games of the season this week on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

First Star: Justin Pogge was named the game's first star in both games this past weekend in Manitoba. On Friday night, he turned aside 26 saves on 27 shots. The next night, Pogge made 34 saves and helped backstop the Marlies to a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose. In two games against the Moose last weekend, he posted a 2-0-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average and 0.952 save-percentage. Pogge has a home record of 10-2-1 over his past 14 starts at Ricoh Coliseum.

Jiri On Fire: Jiri Tlusty has recorded 23 points in his past 17 games (seven 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 63 games with the Marlies this season, Tlusty has racked up 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists); with 29 of his points coming on the power play. Tlusty ranks second on the team in points.

Special Teams: Power Play: Toronto's power play currently ranks second in the AHL with a 20.4% success rate. Over their past 19 games they've scored 21 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 20.3%. They scored at least one power play goal in 24 of 40 road games. Tim Stapleton leads all Marlie skaters with 36 power play points.

Tim Becoming a Staple: Tim Stapleton has recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in his last six contests. Stapleton ranks second (tie) in the AHL with eight shootout goals. In 68 games this season, Stapleton has 73 points (24 goals, 49 assists) including five game-winning tallies. He ranks ninth in the AHL in points and sixth (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 five games. Williams currently ranks first on the Marlies in goals with 26. In 44 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 fourth in the AHL with 18 power play tallies. He ranks ninth (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 three of his past five games. He's recorded 26 points in his last 30 contests (three goals, 22 assists). Battaglia's notched at least a point in nine of his past 14 games. He's totaled 13 assists in his past 19 games. Battaglia had his six-game assist streak snapped on February 21 against Rochester. In 56 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.

On A Roll: Since November 19, 2008 the Marlies are 34-22-3-5 and have earned at least a point in their past 42 of 64 games (0.656 points percentage). Their home record since November 19 is 17-9-1-1. The Marlies will play their final three games all at Ricoh Coliseum to close out the 2008-09 regular season.

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 (10th in the AHL) and rank third for shots against with 27.1 per game. Tim Stapleton set a Marlies single-season high with 10 shots on goal on January 31 versus the Rockford IceHogs.

Multi-Point Games: Tim Stapleton leads the team with 20 multi-point games this season. Stapleton and Jeremy Williams have notched two multi-point contests in their past five games.

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 77 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 finished the regular season ranked seventh in the American Division with a 24-42-3-3 record for 54 points. Tyler Doig ranked first on the club with 59 points (18 goals, 41 assists). He ranked second on the club with seven power play tallies. Dan Rudisuela finished with 21 goals and 28 assists in 72 games. Rudisuela potted 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in the final 15 games of the season. Maple Leafs prospect James Reimer has appeared in six games with the South Carolina Stingrays, posting a 6- 0-0 record with a 1.32 goals-against average and 0.961 save percentage. Reimer earned two shutouts in his first three starts with South Carolina in mid-March.

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 fourth in the North Division with a 38-29-3-7 record for 86 points through 77 games.

- Tim Stapleton has registered at least a point in 11 of his past 15 games (six goals, eight assists).

- Toronto's 0.818 winning percentage when they score the game's first goal ranks first in the American Hockey League.

- Greg Scott was reassigned to the Toronto Marlies on Monday morning. In 65 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) he led the team in goals (32), assists (44) and points (76).

- Darryl Boyce is currently on a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists).

- Toronto's penalty kill unit went a perfect 9-for-9 this past weekend in Manitoba. - Joe Ryan scored in back-to-back games over the weekend for the Marlies. He's recorded at least a point in four of his past five games. Ryan has posted 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 34 games this season.

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

- Jay Rosehill ranks first on the team and second in the AHL with 264 penalty minutes and Phil Oreskovic ranks first on the club with a plus-16 rating.

- The Marlies are 27-2-1-1 when taking a lead into the third period this season and are 26-5-1-1 when they record the game's first goal. When Toronto scores three or more goals in a game, they own a record of 37-8-0-2.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE For the week ending April 5, 2009, the Toronto Marlies nominated goaltender Justin Pogge for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. Pogge posted back-to-back wins in the only two Marlie games this past week. He was named the game's first star in both contests and backstopped Toronto to two very crucial wins for the team's bid for the playoffs. Pogge turned aside 60 saves on 63 shots against the Manitoba Moose on Friday and Saturday night. In two games, Pogge earned a 2-0-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average and 0.952 save percentage.

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:

Friday, April 3 at Manitoba

Pogge Propels Marlies Over Manitoba
Marlies Goals: Ryan (2), Rosehill (7), Hamilton (15)
Moose Goal: Collins (11)
Three Stars: 1. Pogge (TOR), 2. Keane (MTB), 3. Oreskovic (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies began their two-game week with a 3-1 win over the Manitoba Moose on Friday night at the MTS Centre. After a scoreless first period, Joe Ryan blasted home his second of the season while on a Toronto power play. The Moose tied it mid-way through the second period, but Jay Rosehill netted his seventh of the season four minutes into the final frame. Ryan Hamilton put the game away with an empty net goal. Justin Pogge made 26 saves and was named the game's first star. Phil Oreskovic had a team-high four shots on goal and was the game's third star.

Saturday, April 4 at Manitoba

Marlies Drop Moose Again
Marlies Goals: Tlusty (25), Ryan (3), Boyce (12)
Moose Goals: Krog (30), Cullen (14)
Three Stars: 1. Pogge (TOR), 2. Ryan (TOR), 3. Grabner (MTB)

Recap: The Marlies built off their success from the night before, downing the Moose 3-2 on Saturday night. Jason Krog put the Moose ahead in the first period with his 30th of the season but the Marlies responded late in the frame with goals from Jiri Tlusty and Joe Ryan. Despite being outshot 15-9 in the second period, Darryl Boyce put the Marlies ahead 3-1 late in the middle frame. Manitoba added a late goal, but it wasn't enough as Justin Pogge put another strong effort, turning aside 34 saves and was the game's first star of the night. Ryan recorded his first game-winning goal of the season in the victory.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2009


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