“The Marlies scored seven times to drop the Hamilton Bulldogs 7-2 at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Saturday afternoon. After the Bulldogs went ahead 1-0 just 27 seconds into the game, the Marlies responded with three first period goals. Marcel Mueller pushed the Marlies lead to 4-1 mid-way through the second period. Hamilton made it a two-goal game going into the second intermission.
Toronto netted three, third period goals to give them the five-goal victory. Philippe Dupuis and Jerry D—Amigo both finished the game with three assists each. Nicolas Deschamps scored a goal and added two assists; while Ben Scrivens made 19 saves on 21 shots for the win. Mike Zigomanis earned first star honours, tallying a goal and an assist. Drew Paris— first goal of the season in the first period held up to be the game-winner.
On Friday night in the Alumni game, the Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 6-5.
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Notes:
– The Marlies are currently first in the North Division and third in the Western Conference with a record of 22-15-3-2 for 49 points. The Marlies will play three games this week before the AHL All-Star break.
– The AHL announced that Marlies captain Ryan Hamilton has been added to the Western Conference roster for the All-Star Classic in Atlantic City, NJ. Hamilton ranks first on the Marlies and 13th in the AHL with 17 goals this season.
– Mike Zigomanis has notched 12 points (four goals, eight assists) over his last 11 games. He tallied two points on Saturday and leads all Marlie skaters with 38 points. Zigomanis ranks 12th (tie) in the AHL in points and seventh (tie) in power play assists (15).
– The Marlies penalty killing unit ranks first overall in the AHL with an 87.2% success rate. Toronto has only allowed three power play goals over their past nine games.
– The Marlies are 16-0-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes.
– Jerry D—Amigo and Philippe Dupuis collected three assists each in Saturday—s 7-2 win over Hamilton.
-Toronto will play 10 straight home contests from February 4 to February 26.
– Drew Paris scored his first goal of the season on Saturday.
– Greg Scott scored twice on Saturday and has surpassed his goal total from last year (10). He currently has (12) this season.
– Since being traded to Toronto, Nicolas Deschamps has tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in eight games.
– The Marlies demoted goaltender Jussi Rynnas to the ECHL’s Reading Royals yesterday for a conditioning stint after he returned from a concussion. Mark Owuya and Ben Scrivens have been splitting the duties in his absence. Rynnas allowed 5 goals on 29 shots and was pulled in the third period in his Reading debut on Wednesday night.
– The Marlies game on Saturday is Zamboni Bank giveaway day. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive the promotional item.
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Upcoming Opponents:
On Thursday, Toronto travels to Cleveland to face off against the Lake Erie Monsters at 7pm. The Monsters are 10 points behind the Marlies in the North Division standings. Lake Erie is 3-6-1 in their past 10 games. Hugh Jessiman is eighth in the AHL in goals with 19. Cedrick Desjardins leads the AHL in goals against average (1.85) and save percentage (0.941).
The Marlies finish their seven-game road trip on Friday night at Copps Coliseum. The Bulldogs hold a 3-2-0-0 advantage over Toronto this season. Aaron Palushaj leads all Bulldogs with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists).
On Saturday, the Marlies host the Rochester Americans at 3pm. This is the fifth meeting between the two clubs. Toronto is a perfect 4-0-0-0 through the first four meetings. In all four matchups the game has been decided by one goal.
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Reading Report:
The Reading Royals rank third in the Atlantic Division with a 16-17-3-3 record. The Royals are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games. Dale Mitchell has recorded 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 17 games.”
