The revolving door roster was in full effect this past week, but the Toronto Marlies were still a dominant force on the ice.
After a perfect three for three against some tough opponents, the Marlies are now in touching distance of claiming the North Division title and Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy (Best regular season record).
Signed to Amateur Tryouts were Shane Conacher, Jordan Hickmott, Kasimir Kaskisuo, Willie Corrin and 2011 fifth round selection, Tony Cameranesi. Eric Faille and Brett Findlay were returned back to Orlando to help with the Solar Bears’ playoff push.
Heading up to the Maple Leafs were Kasperi Kapanen, T. J Brennan, Andrew Campbell for his first Leafs appearance, and Tobias Lindberg for his NHL debut. Frederik Gauthier also received a recall after Milan Michálek’s injury.
With four gone, the same number returned in Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, Rinat Valiev and Connor Carrick, the latter of whom made his Marlies debut. After clearing waivers, Ben Smith was reassigned to the Marlies and suited up for the first time.
Lots of milestones were achieved this week, including the Marlies becoming the first team to hit 100 points this season. Toronto also tied their franchise high for wins in a season with 50, last accomplished in the 2007-08 season (80 games).
Special teams have been a thorny issue this season, especially the powerplay, but they proved the difference maker in a positive direction this week. The powerplay was successful five times on 13 attempts while the penalty kill proved key in the wins against St. Johns and Grand Rapids, killing 12 of 14 overall.
Kasimir Kaskisuo’s debut victory in Syracuse meant more than the young man may have imagined. The Marlies have now tied the AHL record for most starting goaltenders with a victory in a single season. Those eight different goaltenders: Antoine Bibeau, Jonathan Bernier, Ray Emery, Kasimir Kaskisuo, Rob Madore, Ryan Massa, Garret Sparks, and Alex Stalock.
Game Summaries
Toronto Marlies 4 vs. St. John’s IceCaps 0
Toronto and St. John’s faced off for the last time this season in a rare Tuesday night game in the AHL schedule. After being giving the run-around by Montreal’s affiliate on many occasions this year, it was the Marlies’ chance to end the 12-game season series on a winning note.
Mission accomplished as the Marlies won the special team battle and Antoine Bibeau out-duelled Eddie Pasquale for his second shutout of the season.
After a subdued opening 20 minutes, Toronto opened the scoring at Ricoh Coliseum
on a powerplay goal from Tobias Lindberg. Just 24 seconds later, Matt Frattin teed up Frederick Gauthier to make it 2-0.
Both teams shared multiple powerplay opportunities during the middle frame but Toronto’s penalty kill held firm, even for a full five-minute spell after Brendan Leipsic was called for boarding.
Sam Carrick and Leipsic tallied a couple more powerplay goals in the third period, while the closest the visitors came to scoring was striking a couple of Bibeau-friendly goal posts.
This was a deserved victory for Toronto, who finally managed to solve a team that had been their nemesis for much of the season. With a victory on Tuesday, Toronto finished on the right end of the season series against St. John’s with a 6-5-1-0 record.
Toronto Marlies 4 vs. Syracuse Crunch 3
Friday’s game in Syracuse saw a raft of new faces hit the ice alongside captain Rich Clune
in the absence of Andrew Campbell. Despite all the changes and the decision to ice seven defensemen, it was the Marlies who dominated the opening 15 minutes of the opening period.
Unable to find the net in part due to the brilliance of Kristers Gudlevksis in net, Syracuse gained a foothold in the game and opened the scoring through Jonathan Drouin. Toronto deservedly tied the game before the end of the period with the puck hitting debutant Ben Smith before finding the net.
The middle frame was a little more even, with the two teams sharing a goal apiece. Ben Smith netted his second with Syracuse striking late on the powerplay to set up a tense third period.
Josh Leivo scored a goal from nothing, with some assistance from Mark Arcobello, putting the Marlies up 3-2 with seven minutes played. A desperate Syracuse team, striving for a late run at the playoffs, once again tied the game with a little over five minutes to play.
The Marlies established a lead that would last when Brendan Leipsic stripped Drouin of the puck before releasing Matt Frattin down the right wing. From the top of the right circle, Frattin released a trademark wrist shot that beat Gudlevksis all ends up.
Toronto Marlies 6 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins 3
Back in Toronto to face Grand Rapids, there was no shortage of excitement in an action-packed matinee game on Saturday.
The Marlies took a ninth-minute lead through the persistence of Zach Hyman, but they were forced to kill four minutes of penalties after Rich Clune defended Ty Stanton. Toronto killed those penalties before some lax play allowed the Griffins to score back at even strength.
The teams exchanged goals in the first six minutes of the middle frame, but Toronto broke the game open by hitting the twine twice in nine seconds, with Shane Conacher netting his first before Tony Cameranesi followed suit.
Grand Rapids were not down and out, and pulled within one just 32 seconds into the third period. The Griffins created opportunities to tie the game on a powerplay, but Bibeau came up big.
A powerplay tally from Ben Smith at the seven-minute mark eased Toronto’s nerves and knocked the wind out of the visitors. Sam Carrick iced the game with a great one-time shot after a slick passing move involving Leipsic and Colin Smith.
Player News
– Three points this week for Sam Carrick despite only playing in two games (healthy scratch in Syracuse) extends his point streak to seven and his overall total to 33 in 50 games.
– Colin Smith was an assist machine this week with five helpers, and he now has 19 points in 17 games since joining the Marlies. His last five outings have produced three multi-point performances.
– Six points for Brendan Leipsic this week, all spread equally over his three games. The lone goal was his 20th of the season, while the five assists take his points tally to 52 in 61 games.
– Antoine Bibeau recorded his second shutout of the season in Tuesday’s victory over St. John’s. The win against Grand Rapids was Bibeau’s 25th of the season and 40th overall for the Marlies. Bibeau registered his second shutout of the season, both recorded this month.
– Josh Leivo recorded a point in each game and is on a four-game streak. He’s now set an AHL career high with 45 points this season (49 games), bettering his rookie total of 42 in 59 games.
– Mark Arcobello failed to score this week, mired in is his longest stretch of games without a goal since the turn of the year. Not for the want of trying — he fired 20 shots on goal over the three games. Arcobello still picked up two helpers for 55 points this season.
– Ben Smith scored twice on debut in Syracuse and followed that up with another goal and two assists against Grand Rapids. He’s certainly made an immediate impact and will be eligible for the Calder Cup playoff campaign.
– Matt Frattin’s game-winning goal versus Syracuse was his 14th in a Marlies uniform, moving him into sole possession of second on the organization’s all-time game winning goal leaders.
– Kasimir Kaskisuo turned aside 26 shots to earn his first professional victory and his first victory as a member of the Toronto Marlies. There was a lot to like about the performance and the relative calmness he showed on debut against a talented Syracuse team.
– Defenseman Ty Stanton recorded his first professional point, assisting on the second goal in Syracuse.
– Tony Cameranesi first goal as a professional also turned out to be the game winner against the Griffins. Shane Conacher also registered his first point followed by his first goal in the same game as Cameranesi.
– Zach Hyman was imperious in the outing against Grand Rapids, recording three points. Showing no signs of letdown after reassignment, he forged a nice combination with Ben Smith and Shane Conacher.
Upcoming Games
Friday, April 8 — Lake Erie at Toronto, 7:00 pm EDT
Saturday, April 9 — Toronto at Syracuse, 7:00 pm EDT
Sunday April 10 — Toronto at Albany, 3:00 pm EDT
Marlies Player Stats – April 5
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PP | SHG | SOG | SH% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Brennan (X) | D | 67 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 36 | 53 | 8 | 0 | 164 | 14.6 |
| Mark Arcobello | C | 45 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 19 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 159 | 14.5 |
| Colin Smith (total) | C | 71 | 19 | 34 | 53 | 6 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 142 | 13.4 |
| Colin Smith (TOR) | C | 17 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 22.2 |
| Brendan Leipsic | LW | 61 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 16 | 51 | 5 | 1 | 162 | 12.3 |
| William Nylander (X) | C | 37 | 18 | 27 | 45 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 110 | 16.4 |
| Josh Leivo | LW | 49 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 150 | 11.3 |
| Zach Hyman | RW | 56 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 31 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 126 | 11.1 |
| Tobias Lindberg (total) (X) | LW | 53 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 121 | 9.1 |
| Tobias Lindberg (TOR) | LW | 19 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 54 | 11.1 |
| Sam Carrick | C | 50 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 11 | 90 | 3 | 0 | 110 | 13.6 |
| Matt Frattin | RW | 68 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 2 | 51 | 2 | 0 | 125 | 9.6 |
| Nikita Soshnikov | LW | 50 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 119 | 15.1 |
| Connor Brown | RW | 30 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 68 | 14.7 |
| Connor Carrick (total) | D | 49 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 25 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 105 | 9.5 |
| Connor Carrick (TOR) | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kasperi Kapanen (X) | LW | 41 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 61 | 14.8 |
| Andrew Campbell (X) | D | 65 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 39 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 10.5 |
| Stuart Percy | D | 54 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 6.3 |
| Richard Clune (X) | LW | 45 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 18 | 146 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 17.1 |
| Rinat Valiev | D | 56 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 33 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 5.6 |
| Justin Holl | D | 56 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 5.6 |
| Brett Findlay (X) | C | 39 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 11.1 |
| Frederik Gauthier (X) | C | 54 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 12 |
| Ben Smith (total) | RW | 16 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 25 |
| Ben Smith (TOR) | RW | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 27.3 |
| Viktor Loov | D | 53 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 4 |
| Eric Faille (X) | RW | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 19 |
| John Kurtz (total) | LW | 36 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 11.5 |
| John Kurtz (TOR) | LW | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| James Martin | D | 17 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| David Kolomatis | D | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5.6 |
| Byron Froese (X) | C | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 23.1 |
| Scott Harrington | D | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Frank Corrado (X) | D | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Taylor Doherty | D | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Shane Conacher | RW | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.7 |
| Tony Cameranesi | F | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
| Rylan Schwartz (X) | C | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.7 |
| Eric Baier (X) | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ty Stanton | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jack Rodewald (X) | RW | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Justin Johnson | RW | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Willie Corrin | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Hickmott | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| T.J. Foster (X) | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tylor Spink (X) | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Marlies Goalie Stats – April 5
| Goalies | GP | W | L | SOL | SO | GA | GAA | SVS | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Massa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0.941 |
| Rob Madore | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1.25 | 99 | 0.952 |
| Jonathan Bernier | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1.25 | 91 | 0.948 |
| Garret Sparks | 20 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 2.34 | 557 | 0.925 |
| Alex Stalock | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2.38 | 131 | 0.916 |
| Antoine Bibeau | 36 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 99 | 2.81 | 939 | 0.905 |
| Ray Emery | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 142 | 0.888 |
| Kasimir Kaskisuo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 0.897 |
