AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Look to Use Raucous Ricoh Coliseum Crowd against Comets

Published on April 20, 2018 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


The Toronto Marlies don't have to look back very far to know the importance of home cooking during the postseason.

During last year's Calder Cup Playoffs, they won all five games played at Ricoh Coliseum. In the North Division Finals, the home team took every game through the grueling, back-and-forth battle. As they enter the Calder Cup Playoffs eleven months later with home ice secured as long as they're playing, that reminder remains fresh.

"Despite the fact that we've been a very good team on the road this season, I think you always want to play the big games on home ice. Certainly last season was an example of that," head coach Sheldon Keefe said after securing the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy on April 6. "We failed to secure home ice late in the season and then ultimately ended up losing Game 7 on the road in a series where the home team won every game. So it's fresh in your mind, for sure."

Many can attest to the fact that Ricoh Coliseum provides unfriendly confines to road teams. This season, over 6,600 fans packed into the arena on the average night to cheer on the boys in blue, creating an unfavourable atmosphere for road teams.

"We love playing here. We love our fans," said Trevor Moore of the crowds at Ricoh Coliseum. "We always have a good feeling when we come on the ice."

Over the course of the season, the Marlies had a .645 points percentage at home, good enough for eighth best in the league. In the head-to-head series, the Marlies won three of four games on home ice against the Comets.

Utica are no slouches on the road, having gone 21-12-4-1 when playing away from home during the regular season. Creating a tough atmosphere on the visiting bench could be an important key throughout the series.

"The fans here are fantastic, it gets really loud in here," said defenceman Justin Holl of starting the series in Toronto. "We love playing at home and it's a tough place for teams to come into and compete with us. That's a huge thing for us and not having to travel anywhere is a definite advantage as well."

Captain Ben Smith, who was a part of the Marlies run to the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago, recalls the energy within the building and how the team was able to harness it.

"We like playing at the Ricoh," Smith said. "I remember two years ago in the playoffs we had great crowds and a lot of support. We expect the same and we're going to try and put on a show."

The importance of taking care of business is not lost on the Marlies, particularly in a short best-of-five series in the opening round.

"You want to win your games at home because the road is always sort of a crapshoot," said Holl.

Most importantly is making the most of that advantage and opportunity when tomorrow's opening face-off goes.

"It's nice now you have home ice," said Keefe. "But you have to take care of it when the puck drops."

The Marlies will open the North Division Semifinals on Saturday, April 21 at 4:00. Tickets are still available or fans can tune in on Leafs Nation Network.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 20, 2018


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.

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