Toronto Marlies
The Marlies keep on rolling. Nazem Kadri, Marcel Mueller and Mike Zigomanis are tied for the team points scoring lead at 22, while Joe Colborne has two assists in two games since returning to the AHL and sits at 21 in 15 games played. Your weekly release from the Marlies:
"The Marlies won both their games last week and extended their lead in the North Division standings. On Friday night the Marlies defeated the Bulldogs in Hamilton, 2-1. Jerry D’Amigo’s second period goal held up to be the game-winner. Greg Scott scored the other Marlies goal, which came on the power play. Ben Scrivens made 26 saves for his fifth win of the season. [more…]
The Marlies continue to churn out wins. They've collected 13 of their last 14 points as Nazem Kadri, Marcel Mueller, Mike Zigomanis, and Mark Owuya have led the way. An excess of depth has forced Owuya back to Reading in an unfortunate demotion after the Swedish summer signing posted a 4-1-1 record with a 1.73 GAA and a .939 save%, statistically making him the second best goalie in the AHL prior to his return to the ECHL. With Reimer's return bumping the rest down the goalie chain, Owuya finds himself back with Reading as Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas take over the Marlie duties for now. Owuya has definitely made a statement and left Leafs management with something to think about, but the wise asset management at this point was to return him to Reading as originally planned and give Scrivens and Rynnas the AHL starts.
In other news, the Marlies will receive a boost in the form of Joe Colborne, as the AHL's player of the month in October was returned to the Marlies today  to make room for the now-healthy Colby Armstrong. Onto your weekly release from the Marlies: [more…]
With the Leafs only playing two games this week, I headed out to the Ricoh Coliseum and took in a Marlies game. I don't know how consistently I'll be going to the games and talking about the Marlies, but it worked out last night and I thought it was worthwhile. Plus, their obviously an important part of the entire organization and are always worth discussing.
If you live in Toronto, I highly recommend you go watch a Marlies game (or two, or three...). It's a cozy rink that just feels like a hockey arena, whereas the ACC seems more of like a giant building where events happen. Beyond the Ricoh being a great place to take in a hockey game, the atmosphere is fun. There's a lot of energetic fans, it's surprisingly loud and everyone gets into the game. [more…]
Over the weekend, the Marlies swept a back-to-back against the first-placed Eastern Conference team, the St. John's IceCaps. They now sit first in the North Division with  27 points and a 12-5-2-1 record. With Joe Colborne and Joey Crabb making positive contributions with the big club, the likes of Nazem Kadri, Marcel Mueller and Mike Zigomanis have stepped up and filled the offensive void. Meanwhile, Mark Owuya and Jussi Rynnas continue to perform well between the pipes in Ben Scrivens' absence. The Maple Leafs lead the Northeast, the Marlies lead their division, and the quality organizational depth Brian Burke and his management team have assembled is shining through as we approach December. It's a good time to be a Toronto hockey fan. Your weekly Marlies release:
"The Marlies went 2-0-0-0 in their two games last weekend. Jeff Finger scored the overtime winner with 29 seconds remaining in regulation time on Friday night to lift the Marlies past the IceCaps, 4-3. Nazem Kadri factored in on each of the Marlies goals, registering four points (two goals, two assists); while Mark Owuya won his third straight game, making 29 saves. The Marlies power play clicked twice, with Mike Zigomanis recording assists on both of the man-advantage tallies. [more…]
The Marlies have been faring just fine as of late without top scorers Joe Colborne and Joey Crabb. Your weekly release from the Marlies:
"The Marlies went 3-0-0-0 in their three games last week. They opened their week with a 2-1 victory over the Americans in Rochester on Friday night. Jerry D’Amigo scored the gamewinning goal with 2:28 remaining in regulation time while shorthanded. Greg Scott finished the game with a goal and a helper; while Mark Owuya made 26 saves for first star honours.
On Saturday, the Marlies beat the Amerks for the second straight day, 3-2.
Simon Gysbers lead the way with three points (one goal, two assists). Mike Zigomanis netted the game-winning goal late in the second period. Owuya made 32 saves for his second straight victory. [more…]
Expect a callup or two from the Marlies shortly as the list of casualties has grown to six with Matthew Lombardi and Mike Komisarek out three weeks apiece (upper body injuries). A timeline on Colby Armstrong's return remains unknown, while Mikhail Grabovski is out at least two weeks with his lower body ailment. The news is a bit better on Clarke MacArthur as he could return as early as Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. James Reimer returned to the ice today for a 15-minute skate, which is somewhat encouraging, but Brian Burke has warned not to get too excited as Reimer "could be out another month." Yikes.
Your weekly release from the Marlies:
"The Marlies went 1-1-0-1 in their three games last week. They opened their week with a 3-1 loss against the Oklahoma City Barons on Tuesday morning. Simon Gysbers scored the lone goal for Toronto, which came on the power play. Mark Owuya made 22 saves on 24 shots in the loss.  On Saturday night in Glens Falls, the Marlies fell 2-1 in a shootout against the Adirondack Phantoms.
Toronto is in Texas tonight as Matt Frattin makes his Marlies debut in Joey Crabb's place on the top line alongside Joe Colborne and Jerry D'Amigo. Here's your weekly release from the Marlies:
"The Marlies went 1-2-0-0 in their three games last week. Toronto shutout the Abbotsford Heat, 5-0 on Wednesday night at Ricoh Coliseum. Joe Colborne scored two goals and added an assist; while Joey Crabb also recorded a three-point night with a goal and two assists. Ben Scrivens made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season. Greg Scott’s first goal of the season in the first period held up to be the game winner.
On Friday night in Cleveland, the Marlies lost a 2-1 decision to the Lake Erie Monsters. Colborne scored the game’s opening goal, but the Monsters replied with two unanswered tallies. Jussi Rynnas made 31 saves on 33 shots in the loss. [more…]
Joey Crabb and Joe Colborne continue to lead the way. Your weekly release from the Marlies:
"The Marlies took three out of a possible four points over the weekend. They opened their weekend with a 5-4 overtime win over the Rochester Americans. The Marlies fought back from being down 4-2 with under two minutes to play to tie the game, and then Joe Colborne scored in overtime to cap the comeback. Colborne finished the night with three points. Ryan Hamilton, Joey Crabb and Mike Zigomanis all chipped in with two point contests in the win.
On Sunday, the Marlies fought back to earn a single point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Lake Erie Monsters. After trailing 3-1 going into the final period, the Marlies scored three third period goals to force overtime. Crabb tallied two late goals to help push the game into extra time, but Tyson Barrie ended the game in overtime while the Monsters were on a power play. Zigomanis and Colborne both tallied two point games in the loss. [more…]
Marlies This Week is back at MLHS for the 2011-12 season. The baby Buds are off to a 3-1 start, highlighted by three-goal, seven-point weeks for Joe Colborne and Joey Crabb. Your weekly release from Marlies:
"The Marlies won two of their three games last weekend, including their home opener on Saturday in front of 6,084 fans. On Friday night, the Marlies dropped a 3-2 decision against the Griffins in Grand Rapids. Matt Lashoff and Joe Colborne each scored for the Marlies in the loss.
On Saturday, the Marlies defeated the Lake Erie Monsters, 5-3 behind Joey Crabb and Colborne’s three point nights. Ben Scrivens made 26 saves; while Luca Caputi’s first goal of the season held up to be the game winner. Marcel Mueller also tallied a two point game with a goal and an assist.
Toronto downed the Monsters for the second straight time on Sunday, winning 4-0. Jussi Rynnas earned the shutout making 21 saves and Jerry D’Amigo and Crabb both had three point games. Mike Zigomanis chipped in with two assists in the victory. [more…]
According to the Toronto Marlies Twitter feed, Brayden Irwin (signed out of the NCAA toward the end of the 2009-10 season by the Leafs, but [more…]
Below are a few notes on Joe Colborne and Matt Frattin from their Leafs debut.
Before getting to the scouting reports, I want to state that it is inconceivable to judge these players based on their performance from Saturday night, or based on a single game at the NHL level, so take these as viewings with a grain of salt. I thought they both handled themselves well and were both assertive and contributed something on every shift.
Colborne has had the benefit of playing in the AHL, while Frattin is coming in fresh out of a successful stint in college. [more…]
Update: Claude Loiselle, Leafs' assistant GM and cap guru, tells MLHS the cap hit on Frattin's deal is $1.3 million/year, and they will indeed burn a year of his two-year ELC by playing him tomorrow. He will therefore become an RFA after next season.
Worries about a contractual holdout by Matt Frattin in order to test the UFA waters on August 15 were nothing but Billy Sweatt paranoia. A day after his University of North Dakota team was eliminated from the Frozen Four, the former fourth-round pick in 2007 put pen to paper with the Maple Leafs on a two-year entry level contract. Frattin will join Joe Colborne in featuring in his first game as a Leaf and NHL player tomorrow night against the Habs. The Leafs will burn a year on the ELC by playing Frattin, as was the case with Merrimack's Stephane Da Costa signing with and then playing for Ottawa. It is a concession on the part of the signing team that allows ex-college players to reduce their ELC term and bring their opportunity to sign a bigger contract a year closer after proving their worth in the NHL for a season. [more…]
