AHL Toronto Marlies

Marlies Weekly

February 24, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Toronto Marlies News Release


Opponents This Week:

(Feb. 27): The Marlies play their seventh of eight meetings against the Lake Erie Monsters - AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche - on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. The Marlies defeated the Monsters in their last meeting in Lake Erie on December 26 by a score of 3-1. The Marlies were led by Kyle Rogers and Todd Perry who each had a goal; while Alex Foster chipped in with two assists.

The Monsters currently sit in sixth place in the North Division with a 24-29-1-5 record for 54 points. Chris Durno paces the Monsters with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) and Jesse Boulerice has a team-high 97 penalty minutes. Durno was part of the Rampage last season when the Marlies played San Antonio in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Last season the Marlies owned a 6-1-0-1 record against Lake Erie.

Tom Fristche played last season at Ohio State University where he recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). He was drafted by Colorado in the second round (47th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and is the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Dan Fritsche. The Marlies are 2-4-0-0 against the Monsters this season. Friday's matchup will mark the final time the Marlies travel to Cleveland to play Lake Erie.

(Feb. 28): The Marlies play their ninth of 12 meetings against their provincial-rival, the Hamilton Bulldogs - AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens - on Saturday night at Copps Coliseum. The Marlies are 3-4- 0-1 against the Bulldogs this season, falling 4-3 in their most recent matchup last Friday, February 20 at Ricoh Coliseum. Ryan Hollweg recorded his first goal as a member of the Marlies; while Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman also scored.

The Bulldogs currently rank third in the North Division with a 35-21-2-0 record for 72 points through 58 games this season. Hamilton owns a 17-11-1-0 record at Copps Coliseum. The Bulldogs' 194 goals for ranks second in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the AHL.

Yannick Weber took part in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic and was a teammate of Jaime Sifers for PlanetUSA. 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 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists). Greg Stewart's 170 penalty minutes is seventh best in the AHL this season and a club-high. The Marlies hold a 25-15-0-3 all-time advantage over their QEW-rival. Toronto and Hamilton meet again on March 6 in Hamilton.

(Mar 1): The Marlies host the Grand Rapids Griffins - AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings - on Sunday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. This will be the sixth of eight meetings between the two clubs.

The Marlies defeated the Griffins 5-4 on Saturday, February 14 at Ricoh Coliseum. Both Bates Battaglia and Jiri Tlusty had three-point nights; while Tim Stapleton added a pair of goals for the Marlies. Griffins' forward Justin Abdelkader recorded two goals in the loss. Grand Rapids ranks second in the North Division with a 34-14-6-5 record for 79 points. The Griffins have a road record of 13-9-3-1 so far this season.

Grand Rapids has a record of 4-5-0-1 in their past 10 games and has dropped their past two games against the Marlies. The Griffins rank first in the AHL in penalty killing (87.3%), despite allowing five power play markers against the Marlies in their past two meetings. The Marlies rank fifth in the AHL on the power play (19.9%). Darren Haydar leads the Griffins with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists). 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, 15-12-0. Their next meeting is on Friday, March 20 in Grand Rapids at the Van Andel Arena for a 7:00 p.m. puck-drop.

MARLIES HEADLINES:

Jiri Powering Up: Jiri Tlusty set the Marlies franchise record with his five-goal night on February 18 versus Syracuse. He also set the Marlies season-high with a plus-six rating and was named the game's first star. He has notched five multi-point games in his past eight contests. He's scored at least a goal in eight of his past 11 games (13 goals). He registered a Marlies season-high, four assists on Sunday, February 8 against Grand Rapids. Tlusty had his nine-game point streak (11 goals, nine assists) come to an end on February 21 against Rochester. In 46 games with the Marlies this season, Tlusty has racked up 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists); with 17 of his points coming on the power play. Tlusty ranks second on the team in points and first in goals.

Free Willy: Jeremy Williams has registered a goal in each of his past five games. In 24 games this season he has recorded 16 goals and four assists and is tied for the club lead with four game-winning goals. Williams ranks first on the Marlies and 10th (tie) in the AHL with 10 power play tallies. Williams is the Marlies all-time leader in goals (60) power play goals (26) and game-winning goals (16).

Home Ice Advantage: The Marlies finished their season-high, 11-game home stand with a 7-4-0-0 record. Toronto's only lost four home games since December 14, 2008. The Marlies have won their past five of seven games at home. The Marlies have out-scored their opponents 71-47 at Ricoh Coliseum, during a 16-game stretch. The Marlies hold an 18-10-0-2 advantage at home on the season. The Marlies set a franchise record on Friday, January 30 with their seventh consecutive home victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs, 4-2.

Tim Becoming a Staple: Tim Stapleton has notched 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) over his past 11 games. He had his eight-game point streak snapped last Friday night versus Hamilton. The Oak Park, Illinois native ranks first on the Marlies and seventh (tie) in the AHL with 20 power play assists. Stapleton ranks first in the AHL with seven shootout goals. In 51 games this season, Stapleton has 54 points (16 goals, 38 assists) including three game-winning tallies. His 36 assists rank fifth (tie) in the league and ranks 11th in points. Stapleton ranks first on the Marlies in assists and points. The American Hockey League named Stapleton the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week for period ending February 1, 2009.

Bates On The Board: Bates Battaglia has recorded 12 points in his last 10 contests (two goals, 10 assists). Battaglia had his six-game assist streak snapped on February 21 against Rochester. In 36 games this season, he ranks third on the team in points with 31 (13 goals, 18 assists). His plus-14 rating ranks second on the Marlies and 12th out of all forwards in the AHL.

What A Plus!: Phil Oreskovic currently ranks fifth (tie) in the AHL with a plus-18 rating. On Wednesday night against the Crunch, Oreskovic registered a plus-four rating. In 53 games this season, Oreskovic has tallied eight points (one goal, seven assists) and 80 penalty minutes.

On A Roll: Since November 19, 2008 the Marlies are 25-14-2-3 and have earned at least a point in their past 30 of 44 games (0.681 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 14-7-0-0.

Devo Time: Andre Deveaux has recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past eight games. He notched his second hat-trick of the season on Sunday, February 8 against the Griffins in the Marlies 10-5 win. Two of his three goals came on the power play. Deveaux ranks second (tie) on the club with six power play tallies. Deveaux scored his first career AHL hat-trick on October 26, 2008 versus the Houston Aeros. In 22 games with the Marlies this season, he's tallied 16 points (nine goals, seven assists).

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-five in the AHL in both shots for and shots against this season. The Marlies average 31.9 shots per game against their opponents (fifth in the AHL) and rank third for shots against with 26.7 per game. The Marlies have greatly out-shot their opponents in the second period, 640-511. Tim Stapleton set a Marlies single-season high with 10 shots on goal on January 31 versus the Rockford IceHogs. Special Teams:

Power Play: Toronto's power play currently ranks fourth (tie) in the AHL with a 19.9% success rate. 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 10, multi-power play goal games so far this season. Their power play on the road ranks fifth (tie) overall at 20.3%. They've scored at least one power play goal in 17 of 27 road games. Tim Stapleton leads all Marlie skaters with 26 power play points.

Multi-Point Games: Tim Stapleton leads the team with 15 multi-point games this season. Stapleton, Alex Foster, Ben Ondrus and Jiri Tlusty each tallied at least two points on Sunday at Rochester. Stapleton has registered three points or more in three games this season.

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.

Making Their Debut: The Marlies have dressed 15 new players through their first 57 games this season. Rob LaLonde suited up for the Marlies on February 20 and made his debut, becoming the 15th new player to dress for the club. Defensemen Richard Petiot, Andy Schneider, Josh Engel, Joey Ryan, Juha Uotila and Josef Boumedienne; forwards Andre Deveaux, Ryan Hamilton, Nikolai Kulemin, Ryan Hollweg, 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 17-33-2-2 record for 38 points. Tyler Doig ranks second the Royals with 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists). Doig ranks second on the Royals in power play goals (five) and power play assists (14). Dan Rudisuela has 12 goals and 14 assists in 54 games.

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 29-21-2-5 record for 65 points through 57 games.

- Josh Engel scored his first career AHL goal on Wednesday night versus the Crunch. Engel went on to collect two assists for his first career multi-point game and was named the game's second star of the night.

- James Reimer was reassigned to the Reading Royals on Saturday afternoon.

- Ryan Hamilton scored his first goal in a Marlies uniform on Wednesday night against Syracuse. Hamilton finished the night with a goal, two assists and a plus-two rating, earning him the third star of the game.

- The Toronto Marlies will hold an inter-team scrimmage at 12:45 p.m. at ACC on Wednesday.

- Forward Ryan Hamilton has collected six assists in his last eight games.

- Richard Petiot has recorded six points (one goal, five assists) in his past nine games.

- The Marlies have played the fourth 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 112 penalty minutes and Phil Oreskovic has a team-high, plus-18 rating.

- The Marlies are 22-1-1-1 when taking a lead into the third period this season and are 21-4-1-1 when they record the game's first goal. When Toronto scores three or more goals, they own a record of 29-6-0-1.

Reebok/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE

For the week ending February 22, 2009, the Toronto Marlies nominated forward Jiri Tlusty for consideration as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week. The Slany, CZE native set a Marlies franchise record with five goals on Wednesday night against the Syracuse Crunch in Toronto's 8-5 win. Tlusty was also named the game's first star and recorded a Marlies franchise-high, plus-six rating. On Sunday, Tlusty notched another three-point night (two goals, one assist) and a plus-two rating. In four games this past week, Tlusty registered seven goals and two assists to help guide the Marlies to two victories. He currently ranks second on the Marlies with 45 points.

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:

Sunday, March 1 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins - Vesa Toskala Bobblehead Day

Saturday, March 14 vs. Lake Erie Monsters - Lunch Tin Giveaway Day

Sunday, March 15 vs. Manitoba Moose - Nickelodeon Family Fun Day

MARLIES RECAP:

Wednesday, February 18 vs. Syracuse

Marlies Crunch Syracuse, 8-5

Marlies Goals: Tlusty 5 (18), Hamilton (9), Foster (10), Engel (1)

Syracuse Goals: Harvey (5), MacDonald (13), Smith (2), York (9), Wharton (1)

Three Stars: 1. Tlusty (TOR), 2. Engel (TOR), 3. Hamilton (TOR)

Recap: Jiri Tlusty set the franchise mark with a five-goal night as the Marlies downed the Crunch, 8-5 on Wednesday night in Toronto. Tlusty scored the game's first two goals, extending his point streak to eight games, and Ryan Hamilton got his first as a Marlie in the first period. Tim Stapleton collected two assists in the first period to extend his point streak to eight games. Alex Foster scored his 10th of the season and the Marlies led 5-4 after two periods of play. After Syracuse tied the game at 5-5 early in the third period, Josh Engel scored his first career AHL goal to put the Marlies back on top. Tlusty added two late goals to complete his franchise night, and finished with a plus-six rating. Bates Battaglia recorded three assists and a plus-five rating, extending his assist streak to five games. Adam Munro made 33 saves for his eighth win of the season.

Friday, February 20 vs. Hamilton

Marlies Edged by Hamilton, 4-3

Marlies Goals: Stralman (3), Hollweg (1), Williams (14)

Bulldogs Goals: Desharnais 2 (17), O'Byrne (2), Wyman (2)

Three Stars: 1. Desharnais (HAM), 2. Denis (HAM), 3. Hollweg (TOR)

Recap: The Marlies couldn't hold onto an early 3-1 lead as the Hamilton Bulldogs snapped Toronto's fivegame winning streak. Anton Stralman tied the game at 1-1 with his third of the season on a point shot that was deflected by a Hamilton defender in front of the net. Ryan Hollweg added to the lead less than two minutes later with his first as a Marlie. Jeremy Williams notched his third goal in three games since returning to the Marlies on a power play to put Toronto in front 3-

1. The Bulldogs then responded with three unanswered goals to down the Marlies, 4-3. James Reimer made his second career AHL start and made 15 saves in the loss.

Saturday, February 21 vs. Rochester

Marlies Dropped by Rochester, 3-1

Marlies Goal: Williams (15)

Americans Goals: Stewart (15), Brine (6), Matthias (9)

Three Stars: 1. Matthias (RCH), 2. Sprukts (RCH), 3. Plante (RCH)

Recap: The Toronto Marlies were defeated by the Rochester Americans, 3-1 on Saturday afternoon in front of 4,725 fans at Ricoh Coliseum. Rochester opened the scoring late in the first period and took a 2-0 lead mid-way through the second. Marlies forward Jeremy Williams was able to capitalize with his 15th goal of the season extending his goal scoring streak to four games. Justin Pogge shot the puck up to Todd Perry who chipped it to Williams and then fired a wrist shot past the Rochester goalie. Rochester then put the game out of reach for the Marlies with a late third period goal, making it 3-1 Rochester. Pogge made 26 saves in the game and also added an assist.

Sunday, February 22 @ Rochester

Marlies Hand It to Americans, 6-2

Marlies Goals: Tlusty 2 (20), Ondrus 2 (9), Williams (16), Battaglia (13)

Americans Goals: Repik (14), Gelech (3)

Three Stars: 1. Ondrus (TOR), 2. Foster (TOR), 3. Tlusty (TOR) Recap: The Marlies wasted no time in chasing Amerks starter Mike Brodeur, after scoring two goals on five shots in the opening seven minutes of the game. Jiri Tlusty netted his first of the night just over four minutes in the game, before Ben Ondrus snapped a 19-game goalless drought with a slap shot outside the blue line that beat Brodeur on the glove side. Tyler Plante entered the goal, and then Jeremy Williams snapped the puck behind the net minder for a 3-0 lead. Rochester rallied in the second period with a pair of goals 3:23 apart from Repik and Gelech. Ondrus would put Toronto back ahead by 2 goals, when his shot from the high slot found its way through the pads of Plante. The Marlies iced the game late in the third on a brilliant 3 on 2 passing play by Tim Stapleton, Tlusty and then Bates Battaglia finishing it off with the goal. Ryan Hamilton set-up Tlusty for an empty net goal to make it 6-2 on Tlusty's 20th of the season. Adam Munro made 30 saves for the win, including a couple of key breakaway saves.

Check out the Toronto Marlies Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2009


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