AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Play Three Games This Weekend to Close out 2009-10 Regular Season

April 6, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(April 9):

Toronto plays their final road game of the season on Friday night when they travel to Rochester to take on the Americans, AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, at Blue Cross Arena. The Marlies picked up their first win against the Americans this season on March 28 in Rochester. Alex Foster led the way with two assists and Andre Deveaux scored the game-tying goal mid-way through the third period in the Marlies 4-3 shootout victory. The loss was Rochester's first shootout defeat of the season. In seven games against the Americans, the Marlies have posted a record of 1-5-1-0. Rochester currently ranks second in the North Division with a 43-31-2-1 record for 89 points. During the 2008-2009 season, the Americans finished in seventh place in the division with a record of 29-43-0-8 for 66 points. The Amerks haven't been defeated in regulation time over their past five games (4-0-0-1). Rochester plays well on home ice, registering a record of 22-14-2-1 at the Blue Cross Arena. Rochester's home power play ranks fifth in the AHL with a 21.8% success rate. Last season the Marlies played eight games against the Amerks, compiling a 6-1-1-0 record. Americans goaltender Tyler Plante was named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Apr. 4, 2010. Plante was 3-0-0 with a 1.30 goals-against average and a .961 save percentage, including wins over the top two teams in the entire league. Alexander Salak was named the AHL goalie of the month for October. Salak began his AHL career with a 6-0-0 mark in seven appearances, a 1.66 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage, helping the Americans to the best record in the league during the opening month. Salak has a record of 28-14-0 with a 2.83 goals-against average and 0.910 save percentage. He currently ranks fourth (tie) in the AHL with 28 wins and also has appeared in two games with the Florida Panthers this season. Forward Jamie Johnson paces the Amerks and ranks 13th in the AHL with 67 points (25 goals, 42 assists). Clay Wilson paces all defencemen in the AHL in power play assists with 24. Wilson ranks second amongst all defencemen in the AHL with 60 points (14 goals, 46 assists). Toronto native, Kenndal McArdle was named the 2008-09 Connors & Ferris Comeback Player of the Year.

(April 10):

The Marlies return to Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday to host the Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens at 4:00 p.m. The game will mark the final of 12 meetings between the two clubs. The two teams met last Thursday night in Hamilton, with the Bulldogs winning a 3-2 decision. Drew Paris scored his first career AHL goal for the Marlies in the loss; while Kyle Calder had the other Toronto tally. Hamilton currently leads the North Division and the Western Conference with a 51-16-3-7 record for 112 points. Last week, the Bulldogs recorded two wins and one shootout loss as they broke their franchise record for wins in a season, and record for most points in a season. Hamilton clinched the conference title with their 4-3 shootout loss to Rochester on Saturday. The Bulldogs will now have home ice advantage throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. Forward David Desharnais picked up three points on Sunday bringing his total to 78 on the season, which breaks their team record. Desharnais surpassed the record of 77 that was set by Jason Chimera in the 2001-02 season. He is tied for fourth in the AHL in scoring with 27 goals and 51 assists. Bulldogs defenceman P.K. Subban was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and was named an AHL First- Team All-Star; while goaltender Cedrick Desjardins was named an AHL Second-Team All-Star last week. Desjardins earned his 28th win of the season in their victory on Sunday over the Moose. He is tied with Yann Denis for most wins by a Bulldogs goalie in one season.

(April 11):

The Marlies end their 2009-10 regular season on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. against the Abbotsford Heat, AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. In their most recent matchup, the Marlies beat the Heat in a thrilling 2-1 overtime contest which was aired live nationally on CBC on March 21. Ryan Hamilton scored the game's tying goal late in the third period and then won it in overtime for the Marlies while shorthanded. Toronto posts a record of 3-3-0-1 against the Heat through the first seven games. The past three of four meetings between the two clubs has been decided in extra time. The Heat currently ranks third in the North Division with a record of 37-29-5-6 for 85 points. Abbotsford enters the week on a three-game winning streak. They closed out their six-game homestand last Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Grand Rapids. Abbotsford ranks first in the American Hockey League in penalty minutes with 1751. The Marlies and Heat have combined for 427 penalty minutes through their first seven games this season. Abbotsford has four players with over 100 penalty minutes this season (J.D. Watt, Garth Murray, Matt Pelech and Ryley Grantham). Watt ranks tied for sixth in the AHL with 252 penalty minutes. Jason Jaffray paces the Heat in goals, assists and points (25 goals, 29 assists) and also has a team-high plus-24 rating. Jaffray has been deadly on the penalty kill, scoring four shorthanded goals. Goaltender David Shantz has compiled a record of 14-10-3 with a 2.71 goals- against average and 0.910 save percentage. Former Heat defenceman, Keith Aulie played in 43 games with the Heat, tallying two goals and four assists for six points.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

What Happened Last Week: The Marlies went 1-2-0-0 in three games last week and were eliminated from playoff contention. They opened up their week on Thursday night with a 3-2 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs at Copps Coliseum. Drew Paris and Kyle Calder scored the goals for Toronto; while James Reimer earned third star honours by making 27 saves. Paris' goal was his first career AHL goal. The Marlies dropped a 3-1 decision to the Moose on Friday night. Mario Bliznak led the charge for Manitoba with two goals. Ben Ondrus had the lone Marlie goal. On Saturday, the Marlies won 2-1 in a shootout over the Moose, but were knocked out of the playoffs despite the win. Tim Brent had the lone Marlie goal, and Josh Engel was credited with the shootout winner. Toronto is currently in fifth place in the North Division with a 32-34-6-5 record for 75 points.

Another Brick in the Wall: James Reimer: Reimer has appeared in goal for each of the Marlies past five games. He's guided the Marlies to at least a point in 15 of his past 21 starts (12-6-2). Over his last 21 starts, he's recorded a 0.932 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average. He made 23 saves on Saturday afternoon in the Marlies 2-1 shootout victory. He recorded his first career AHL shutout on February 20, making 31 saves and earning first star honours in the club's 2-0 win over Manitoba. In 24 games this season, Reimer has a record of 13-8-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average and 0.926 save percentage. He ranks fourth in the AHL with a 0.824 shootout save percentage.

Home Sweet Home: The Marlies have played their best hockey on home ice this season, holding a 21-12-3-2 advantage at Ricoh Coliseum. With their 2-1 win on Saturday over Manitoba, the Marlies have won four of their past six games at home, and have earned at least a point in 13 of their last 21 home contests. The Marlies two home games over the March 20-21 weekend drew a total of 13,954 fans at Ricoh Coliseum. Toronto has two more home dates on their 2009-10 regular season schedule, both against division opponents.

Hammer Time: Ryan Hamilton had his four-game home goal scoring streak snapped on Friday versus Manitoba. Hamilton collected an assist in the club's 2-1 victory over Manitoba, extending his point streak to five games (two goals, three assists). Hamilton scored the tying, and game-winning goals in the Marlies 2-1 overtime victory on March 21. The Oshawa, Ontario native has posted a point in nine of his last 10 games (six goals, four assists). In 44 games this season, Hamilton has tallied 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) to go along with 37 penalty minutes. He ranks tied for first on the club in goals and is seventh in points.

We're Going Streaking: Tim Brent's game-tying shorthanded goal on Saturday afternoon was his third point over his past four games. Brent has recorded a point in six of his past nine games (three goals, five assists). Ryan Hamilton has posted points in five straight games (two goals, three assists). Alex Foster has recorded four assists over his past five contests. Marlies leading point scorer, Andre Deveaux, has notched a goal and an assist over his past four games.

Keeping It Close: The Marlies have a very impressive record this season when the game is decided by one goal, marking a record of 22-3-6-5. 22 of their 32 victories this season have come in one-goal contests. Josh Engel's shootout game-winning goal was his second of the season, tying him with Greg Scott for first on the club in that category. The Marlies own a 20-0-3-2 record when taking the lead into the third period. Toronto holds a 20-8-6 record when scoring the game's opening goal and are 25-7-6 when they score three or more goals in a game.

Multi-Point Games: The Marlies had six players post multi-point games over their past six contests. Kyle Calder's three point night led the way to the Marlies 5-2 victory on March 24 against the Senators. Tim Brent, Greg Scott, Alex Foster, Juraj Mikus and Josh Engel each registered two point games as well. Christian Hanson paces the club with nine multi-point games this season.

Multi-Point Games

1. Hanson 9

2. Stalberg 8

3. Brent 7

4. Deveaux 6

Calder 6

Reading Report: The Toronto Maple Leafs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals open up their playoffs tonight against the Kalamazoo Wings at 7:00 p.m. The Royals finished their regular season in second place in the East Division with a 37-29-1-5 record for 80 points. Reading closed out their season on Saturday night with an 8-4 win over Trenton. Stefano Giliati had four assists and a plus-four rating in the win. Greg Scott, Alex Berry and Todd Perry were all assigned to the Royals on Monday morning. Giliati tallied 55 points (23 goals, 32 assists) in 46 games with Reading, ranking fourth on the club in points this season.

MARLIES QUICK HITS:

- The Anaheim Ducks loaned defenceman Brendan Mikkelson back to the Marlies on Saturday. He returned to the Marlies line-up on Saturday in the club's 2-1 shootout win.

- Philippe Paradis made his AHL debut on Friday night with the Marlies. On Friday afternoon he signed an ATO contract with the club. Paradis was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 3, 2009 in exchange for Jiri Tlusty.

- Ryan Hamilton is currently on a five-game point streak (two goals, three assists).

- Juraj Mikus has posted points in three of his past seven games (one goal, three assists).

- Alex Foster has notched four assists over his past five games.

- Andre Deveaux currently leads the team in goals (15; tie), assists (24), points (39), power play goals (six) and penalty minutes (211).

- The Marlies scored a season-high four power play goals on March 24 in their 5-2 win at Binghamton. Kyle Calder's three points (one goal, two assists) all came on the power play.

- Brennan Evans' 190 penalty minutes currently ranks second in the AHL for defencemen and 11th overall.

- The Marlies signed defenceman Drew Paris and forward Tom Zanoski to PTO contracts on Thursday. Paris scored his first career AHL goal on Thursday night in Hamilton.

- The Marlies recalled Andrew Engelage from the Reading Royals on Thursday afternoon. In 11 games with the Royals, Engelage earned a record of 7-3-0.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE

For the week ending April 6, 2010, the Toronto Marlies nominated goaltender James Reimer for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. Reimer started all three games for the Marlies last week, including the team's 2-1 shootout win on Saturday. He compiled a record of 1-2-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and 0.928 save percentage. The Winnipeg, MB native has appeared in each of the past five games for the Marlies. Reimer was named the game's third star in Thursday and Saturday's games.

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, April 10 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs - Bring Your Dog to the Game Day

Sunday, April 11 vs. Abbotsford Heat - Fan Appreciation Day

MARLIES RECAP:

Thursday, April 1 at Hamilton Bulldogs

'Dogs Edge Marlies in Steel City

Marlies Goals:

Paris (1), Calder (14)

Bulldogs Goals:

White (17), Desharnais (25), Wyman (15)

Three Stars:

1. Desjardins (HAM), 2. Benoit (HAM), 3. Reimer (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies had an opportunity to tie the game in the dying seconds of the game, but fell just short as the Bulldogs dropped Toronto 3-2 on Thursday night. Hamilton scored two first period goals to give them a 2-0 advantage at the first intermission. Drew Paris scored his first career American Hockey League goal at the 14:38 mark of the second period to cut the lead. J.T. Wyman scored an empty net goal with just over a minute remaining in regulation time to make it 3-1. With the Marlies net empty for a sixth attacker, Kyle Calder scored his 14th of the season with 23 seconds left on the clock. Toronto had a two-on-one attempt with seconds remaining but couldn't capitalize. James Reimer made 27 saves in the loss and was the game's third star.

Friday, April 2 vs. Manitoba Moose

Moose Hurt Marlies Playoff Chances with 3-1 Win

Marlies Goal:

Ondrus (7)

Moose Goals:

Clark (2), Bliznak 2 (11)

Three Stars:

1. Bliznak (MT), 2. Schneider (MTB), 3. Clark (MTB)

Recap: Mario Bliznak's two-goal night, including the game winning tally was too much for the Marlies as the Moose dropped Toronto 3-1 on Friday night. Manitoba jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a goal from Kevin Clark. Bliznak scored in both the second and third periods to put the Moose in front 3-0. Ben Ondrus finally solved Cory Schneider with four minutes remaining in the third period to put Toronto on the board. Ryan Hamilton and Greg Scott both collected assists on Ondrus' seventh score of the season. James Reimer made 27 saves in the loss. Simon Gysbers had a game-high six shots on goal.

Saturday, April 3 vs. Manitoba Moose

Marlies Down Moose in Shootout, But Eliminated From Playoffs

Marlies Goals:

Brent (11), Engel (SOW)

Moose Goal:

Desbiens (18)

Three Stars:

1. Schneider (MTB), 2. Brent (TOR), 3. Reimer (MTB)

Recap: The Marlies beat the Moose 2-1 in a shootout on Saturday afternoon, but despite the victory, were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the game Toronto needed to beat Manitoba in regulation time to keep their playoff dreams alive. Guillaume Desbiens opened the scoring in the first period with a power play goal. After a scoreless second period, Tim Brent knotted the game at 1-1 with a shorthanded goal midway through the third stanza. Brennan Evans and Ryan Hamilton both collected assists on Brent's 11th of the season. Hamilton extended his point streak to five games with the helper. The Marlies played the final two minutes with an empty net for an extra attacker, attempting to win the game in regulation time, but failed to score. The Marlies first two shooters scored in the shootout and James Reimer made three saves to pick up the win. Reimer finished the game with 23 saves for his 13th victory of the season.

Check out the Toronto Marlies Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2010


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