Marlies Down In OT

April 11, 2009

Marlies Downed by Dogs In OT
Marlies Regular Season Finale Ends In a Loss

(TORONTO) – The Toronto Marlies were able to tie the game with only 12 seconds remaining in the third period but couldn’t secure a victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs in front of 5,733 fans at Ricoh Coliseum. Bates Battaglia had the lone Marlies goal on the power-play to force overtime, but the Bulldogs won it, 2-1 in overtime.

The Marlies locked up a playoff berth last night with their victory over the Moose and choose to rest some of their starters for the game.

Both Hamilton and Toronto couldn’t improve their place in the standings with a victory, as they’ve both locked up their spot for the postseason. The Marlies head to Manitoba for Game 1 of the North Division Semifinal; while the Bulldogs will host the Grand Rapids in their first round matchup.

The Marlies and Bulldogs skated to a scoreless first period.

David Desharnais put Hamilton on the board with his third goal of the season. Desharnais fired a shot from the point and beat a screened Adam Munro.

The Marlies were able to tie the game with only 12 seconds remaining on the power-play, thanks to a Bates Battaglia shot from the slot. The Marlies had a six on four advantage due to the power-play and having their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker. Darryl Boyce and Andre Deveaux collected assists on the play.

Hamilton needed only one shot on goal in overtime to seal the victory as Mathieu Carle got a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot past the blocker side of Adam Munro.

The Marlies power-play ranked second in the AHL went one for three on the night.

Munro entered the game with six wins over his past eight starts.

The Marlies begin Round 1 of their North Division Semifinal on Wednesday night in Manitoba with puck-drop scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (EST) Marlies playoff tickets are now on-sale through www.ticketmaster.ca, www.torontomarlies.com or by calling 416-597-PUCK. The series returns to Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto for Game 3 on Sunday, April 19 at 4:00 p.m.

ICE CHIPS: Marlies defenceman Andy Rogers made his debut…Announced attendance was 5,733 …Kyle Chipchura is a former captain of the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL…The Marlies and Bulldogs have clinched playoff berths…Both teams entered the game without a regulation loss in the month of April…Tim Stapleton was recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the day…Rob LaLonde skated in his second game as a Marlie.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Period

No Scoring

Second Period

1. HAM D. Desharnais (24) (Kemp) 6:28

Third Period

1. TOR B. Battaglia (17) (Boyce, Deveaux) 19:48 PP

Overtime

2. HAM M. Carle (7) (Desharnais) 3:46

Shots

TOR HAM
25 28

THREE STARS
1. TOR: Bates Battaglia
2. TOR: Alex Foster
3. HAM: David Desharnais