2 Up, 2 Down On Three Straight Wins

After a really busy weekend in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies against divisional opponents, the Marlies were left with a record of 3-0-0-0 and have managed to close the gap by 2 points with 3rd place Hamilton, and increased their lead against the Syracuse Crunch by 2 points after their Wednesday night loss put them within 3 points.

The weekend started on Friday night in Rochester where Andrew Martens and Jay Rosehill scored their first Marlies goals, along with goals by Foster and Bates Battaglia. The Marlies, who took the game 4-2 got off on the right foot this weekend for their return home to the Ricoh Coliseum to take on the Monsters and the Moose.

Saturday’s Marlies game pitted them against the Lake Erie Monsters who lost the night before in Syracuse. In what was a really close fought battle, the deadly Tlusty, Battaglia, Stapleton line slayed the Monsters at 4:12 in OT to take the game 2-1.

On Sunday, the Marlies faced their toughest opponent of the weekend, the league-leading Manitoba Moose. The Moose came off a 1-1 series on Friday and Saturday at Copps vs. the Bulldogs and were looking to pull out a winning road trip on Sunday. Unfortunately, the Marlies had other plans!

The game got off to a great start with a fight between Foster and Desbiens after a monster of a hit by the Marlies player right in front of the team bench. The Marlies started the pencilling on the score sheet with a goal by Ryan Hamilton just before the first intermission.

Michael Grabner tied the game up early in the second, but Giliati got his fifth of the season after a controversial goal where the puck was snapped just on the inside of the top bar and sprung back out of the net. It counted though and was a great goal on a great shot. Williams scored the insurance goal in the third for the Marlies to take the game 3-1.

This week, the Marlies have a 3-game stint, with games on Friday and Saturday in Grand Rapids, returning home on Sunday to face the San Antonio Rampage. It should be a great week ahead!