12/28: Marlies This Week

by Alec Brownscombe on December 28, 2011 in Toronto Marlies - 347 Comments

The Marlies have been slowing down as of late but still own top spot in the North Division. Your weekly release from the Marlies:

“The Marlies dropped a 6-3 contest to the Hamilton Bulldogs in front of 13,238 fans at Air Canada Centre on Monday. Toronto scored three goals in the first five minutes of the game, but then the Bulldogs responded with six unanswered goals. Jerry D’Amigo, Joe Colborne and Ryan Hamilton scored the goals for the Marlies. Mike Zigomanis led all Marlie skaters with two points, both assists. Olivier Fortier scored twice for Hamilton and Robert Mayer made all 29 shots he faced in a relief effort.

Toronto defeated the Rockford IceHogs last Wednesday night. After a scoreless first two periods, D’Amigo netted his seventh goal of the season to put the Marlies on the board first. Marcel Mueller’s goal late in the period held up to be the game-winner in a 4-1 Marlies win. Ben Scrivens made 30 saves and was the game’s second star.

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Notes:

- The Marlies are currently first in the North Division with a record of 16-11-3-1 for 36 points. Despite dropping their four of their past five games, Toronto still owns the top spot in the division. After Thursday night’s game in Cleveland, the Marlies will play five straight games at Ricoh Coliseum where they’ve posted a 8-1-2-0 record.

- Mike Zigomanis has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) over his past two games. Zigomanis leads all Marlie skaters in points. 14 of his 26 points this season have come while on the man-advantage.

- Jerry D’Amigo has potted goals in back-to-back games. This season D’Amigo has notched 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 31 games. Last season in 43 games, D’Amigo collected 15 points (five goals, 10 assists).

- Ben Scrivens has posted a 7-5-0 record in 12 games. He ranks 12 in the AHL with a 2.36 goals against average.

- Marcel Mueller and Jeff Finger share the team lead with a +7 rating.

- Nazem Kadri scored in back-to-back games with the Maple Leafs after his promotion. In six games with the Leafs, Kadri has notched three points.

– The Marlies penalty killing unit ranks first overall in the AHL with an 86.4% success rate.

- The Marlies are 12-0-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes.

- Toronto holds a record of 8-4-1-0 when their opponent scores the game’s opening goal.

- Toronto is 8-4-1-1 in one-goal games this season.

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Upcoming Opponents:

The Marlies travel to Cleveland on Thursday to take on the Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena. The Marlies are 2-2-1-0 against their division rivals so far this season. The Monsters currently sit in fifth place in the North Division with a 13-15-1-1 record. Lake Erie’s Cedrick Desjardins owns the AHL’s best goals against average (1.61) and save percentage (0.947).

Toronto hosts a pair of games against the St. John’s IceCaps on Saturday and Sunday at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies are 2-1-0-0 against the IceCaps in their first three meetings of the season. St. John’s ranks second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 17-7-4-1 for 39 points. They are a solid 10-0-2-1 on the road this season and have picked up points in three straight games. IceCaps forward Riley Holzapfel ranks fifth in the AHL with a 26.9 shooting percentage.

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Reading Report:

The Reading Royals rank third in the Atlantic Division with a 12-12-3-2 record. The Royals have won four straight games and host Elmira tomorrow night. Mark Owuya has posted a 5-1-2 record with a 2.96 goals against average and a 0.924 save percentage in nine games.”

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