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AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Weekly

January 27, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Jan. 30): The Marlies play their seventh of 12 meetings against their provincial-rival, the Hamilton Bulldogs - AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens - on Friday night at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies are 2-3-0-1 against the Bulldogs this season, losing their most recent matchup on December 30, 4-0 at Copps Coliseum. Marc Denis made 21 saves for the victory.

The Marlies lost their last home contest against the Bulldogs, 2-1 on a late goal from David Desharnais with under three minutes remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs currently rank third in the North Division with a 28-16-2-0 record for 58 points this season. They own a 14-7-1-0 record on the road.

The Bulldogs' 166 goals for ranks first in the Western Conference and second overall in the AHL. Yannick Weber took part in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic and was a teammate of Jaime Sifers for PlanetUSA. Weber is currently on a five-game point streak. Kyle Chipchura was chosen in the first round (18th overall) by Montreal in the 2004 Entry Draft. He played alongside Justin Pogge as the captain of the Gold Medal 2006 Canadian World Junior team.

Yanick Lehoux currently ranks first on the Bulldogs with 43 points. Greg Stewart's 131 penalty minutes is 10th best in the AHL this season and a club-high. The Marlies hold a 24-15-0-3 all-time advantage over their QEW-rival. Toronto and Hamilton meet again on February 20 at Ricoh Coliseum.

(Jan. 31): The Marlies host the Rockford IceHogs - AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks - on Saturday afternoon for their second meeting of the season. The game is Doug Gilmour bobblehead day at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies lost their matchup in Rockford on January 10, in a close game, 1-0. Evan Brophey scored the only goal in the game for the IceHogs. Justin Pogge made 21 saves in the loss. The IceHogs own a record of 23-19-0-4, ranking second in the West Division. Rockford is 6-10-0-2 on the road this season. The IceHogs begin a season-high, seven game road trip that begins on Thursday night in Manitoba.

Pascal Pelletier leads the team in points with 41 (22 goals, 19 assists) and is second on the club with 13 power play assists. Defenceman Danny Groulx is fifth among defenceman in points with 28 (three goals, 25 assists). Pelletier became the first IceHogs player in the AHL era to record two hat-tricks in one season when he recorded three goals against Chicago earlier this season. Forward Jack Skille played for Team USA at the 2006 World Junior Championships which is the same year Marlies goaltender Justin Pogge won Gold with Team Canada.

Skille ranks third on the club with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games this season. He was the Chicago Blackhawks first round, seventh overall selection, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The IceHogs penalty kill ranks 28th overall at 79.5%. The Marlies have yet to record a win against the IceHogs since the team came into the league last year. They have a 0-3-0 all-time record against Rockford.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

Home Ice Advantage: The Marlies have won their last six home games at Ricoh Coliseum. Toronto has out-scored their opponents at Ricoh Coliseum, 27-10 during their six-game home winning streak. The Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves last Saturday night 3-1 in their first home game in 21 days. Toronto defeated Iowa and Philadelphia by identical 6-1 scores on January 2 and 3 at Ricoh Coliseum. Both wins tied season-highs for their largest margins of victory. Toronto has only allowed four goals against in their past four home games. The Marlies play their next 10 games at home.

On A Roll: Since November 19, 2008 the Marlies are 18-10-2-3 and have earned at least a point in 23 of 33 games (0.697 points percentage). Toronto is 3-3-2-2 over their past 10 games. Toronto's won four out of their past seven games decided by a shootout, despite losing their past two.

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Mark Bell has recorded a goal in five of his past six 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 Saturday versus the Wolves. The Marlies forward ranks first on the team with 12 goals and third in points with 24. Bell's five power play goals rank first among active Marlies. In 45 games, he's collected 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists).

Tim Becoming a Staple: Tim Stapleton has recorded at least a point in 19 of his past 27 games (five goals, 22 assists). In that span, Stapleton has notched seven multi-point games. He's recorded seven assists in his past six 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 40 games this season, Stapleton has 36 points (six goals, 30 assists) including one game-winning tally. Stapleton's 30 assists rank seventh (tie) in the league. Stapleton ranks first on the Marlies in points and assists.

Bates On The Board: Bates Battaglia has registered almost a point-per-game so far this season. In 25 games he's tallied 11 goals and eight assists. He scored the game-tying goal last Wednesday night in Grand Rapids with four minutes remaining in regulation and was named the game's third star. Battaglia has scored at least a point in nine of his past 17 games and has 15 points in his last 19 contests.

Special Teams: Power Play: The Toronto Marlies power play has clicked for 25 goals in their past 31 games. The Marlies have registered seven, multi-power play goal games so far this season. Toronto's power play currently ranks 10th in the AHL with a 18.5% success rate. Their power play on the road ranks sixth 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 19 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. 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 nine multi-point games this season. Battaglia has three multipoint games over his past 11 contests. Boyd Devereaux notched his second multi-point game (one goal, one assist) on Saturday versus the Chicago Wolves. 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.

Making Their Debut: The Marlies have dressed 12 new players through their first 46 games this season. Ryan Hamilton suited up for his first game with the Marlies on Friday night 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 13-27-0-2 record for 28 points. Tyler Doig ranks second (tie) the Royals with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). Doig has recorded 15 points in his past 13 games (six goals, nine assists). Doig ranks first on the Royals in power play goals (five) and power play assists (13). Dan Rudisuela has seven goals and nine assists in 42 games. Maple Leafs prospect, Michael Ouzas who is currently playing for the Royals, has a record of 13-10-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average and 0.908 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 RECAP:

Monday, January 19 at San Antonio

Marlies Run Over By Rampage, 5-3

Marlies Goals: Battaglia (10), Earl (2), Bell (10)

Rampage Goals: Spina 2 (11), Smith 2 (9), Perrault (7)

Three Stars: 1. Smith (SAN), 2. Spina (SAN), 3. Perrault (SAN)

Recap: The Marlies couldn't fight there way back after falling behind 3-1 through two periods of play, dropping their third straight game, 5-3 in San Antonio. Bates Battaglia, Robbie Earl and Mark Bell each scored for the Marlies in the loss. Earl had a team-high, two points in the game. Justin Pogge made a Marlies season-high, 40 saves on 44 shots. Toronto gave up three special team's goals in the game, two on Rampage power plays and one shorthanded (empty net goal).

Wednesday, January 21 at Grand Rapids

Marlies Comeback Falls Short In OT

Marlies Goals: Bell (11), Battaglia (11)

Griffins Goals: Abdelkader 2 (14), Pare (15)

Three Stars: 1. Abdelkader (GRA), 2. Pare (GRA), 3. Battaglia (TOR)

Recap: After falling behind by two goals in the first period, the Marlies battled back to force overtime, but couldn't complete the comeback, losing 3-2. Grand Rapids scored two goals in the game's opening seven minutes. After a scoreless second frame, Mark Bell cut into the Griffins lead with his 11th on the season, snapping a shot over Jimmy Howard's right shoulder. The goal extended Bell's scoring streak to four games. With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Bates Battaglia broke in on a 2-on-1 and roofed home his 11th of the season to tie the game at 2-2. In overtime the Marlies had a chance on the power play, but failed to connect. Justin Abdelkader ended the game on a Griffins power play with two minutes left in overtime.

Friday, January 23 at Syracuse

Toronto Crunched in Syracuse

Marlies Goal: Bell (12)

Crunch Goals: Rome (5), Clitsome (2), Mayorov (9)

Three Stars: 1. LaCosta (SYR), 2. Rome (SYR), 3. Mayorov (SYR)

Recap: The Marlies couldn't end their nine-game road trip on a positive note, falling to the Syracuse Crunch 3-1 at the Oncenter. The Crunch opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, but Mark Bell responded on a Marlies man-advantage early in the second. Bell's goal extended his goal scoring streak to five games and now is the club leader with 12 tallies. Syracuse responded with two goals to close out the game. Adam Munro got his 14th appearance of the season and made 26 saves in the loss.

Saturday, January 24 vs. Chicago

Toronto Extend Home Winning Streak

Marlies Goals: Rogers (3), Kronwall (7), Devereaux (7)

Wolves Goal: Stuart (9)

Three Stars: 1. Kronwall (TOR), 2. Pavelec (CHI), 3. Kulemin (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies came back from their nine-game road trip and snapped their five-game winless skid, but improved their home winning streak to six games on Saturday night with a 3-1 victory. After Colin Stuart gave the Wolves an early 1-0 lead on a 5-on-3 advantage, the Marlies responded with three unanswered goals. Kyle Rogers tied the game in the second period with his third of the season, batting home a loose puck past Ondrej Pavelec.

Staffan Kronwall had a shot from the point beat a screened Pavelec to give the Marlies a 2-1 edge early in the third period. The Marlies would finish the game with Boyd Devereaux scoring his seventh of the season into an empty net. Justin Pogge made 21 saves for his 15th win of the season.

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