The Captain Leads Marlies Ship Back On Course

February 22, 2009

(ROCHESTER, NY) – Sometimes you lead by your words, and other times in your actions. Ben Ondrus took the action route on Sunday.

The Marlies captain scored a pair of goals and Toronto got their groove back in a 6-2 drubbing of the Rochester Americans in the back end of a home and home series, and snapping a five game road losing streak.

Jiri Tlusty also had a pair of goals while Bates Battaglia and Jeremy Williams scored for the Marlies. Michal Repik and Randall Gelech had the Amerks goals.
The Marlies wasted no time in chasing Amerks starter Mike Brodeur, after scoring two goals on 5 shots in the opening seven minutes of the game. Tlusty netted his first of the night just over four minutes in the game, before 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. Mark Bell won the face-off cleanly and put the puck right on the stick of Williams, who quickly got the shot off for his fifth goal in five games. Toronto held a 17-6 lead in shots after the opening period.

Rochester rallied in the second period with a pair of goals 3:23 apart from Repik and Gelech. The second goal was on the power play after Adam Munro made the initial save, before the rebound came right to Gelech on the side of the net for a wide open goal. Ondrus would put Toronto back ahead by 2 goals, after another face-off win, when his shot from the high slot found its way through the pads of Plante. It was Rochester who had the 15-7 shot advantage in the second.
The Marlies iced the game late in the third on a brilliant 3 on 2 passing play by Tim Stapleton, Tlusty and then 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.
Toronto was held scoreless on two power play attempts, while Rochester was 1 for 4.
The Marlies will travel to Cleveland on Friday to face the Lake Erie Monsters.

SOURCE: torontomarlies.com