“[It’s been] the same thing all year. The goalie played great, and then we just stuck with it. There is no quit in our room; whether it’s 2-0 or 5-0, we are going to play hard and try to play the right way.”

– Logan Shaw

“I thought the effort was great in the third period. We knew it was going to be a hard game. They’ve been waiting here [at home in Bakersfield] for us. They are a desperate hockey team who played extremely well. It’s a huge point, and now it’s time to recharge.”

– John Gruden

The Toronto Marlies eeked out a point in Bakersfield in the final game of an 18-day road trip. The Marlies were second-best for 40 minutes but showed resolve to fight back in the third period before almost stealing the extra point in overtime.

First Period

Both teams lacked rhythm and flow in their game in a low-event first frame, but Bakersfield owned the lion’s share of possession. Neither power play threatened in the opening 10 minutes as scoring chances remained at a premium.

Outside of a couple of efforts from Jacob Quillan, the Marlies were toothless offensively until an opportunity late in the frame. Olivier Rodrigue made a sharp double save to deny Logan Shaw during a 2v1 break.

Artur Akhtyamov produced a good pad save to deny Drake Caggulia but saved his best work until the last minute of the frame. With Toronto floundering in the defensive zone, the rookie netminder stonewalled Matthew Savoie from the slot.

Second Period

The story of the middle frame was simple: Bakersfield made Toronto pay for their mistakes, and the Marlies couldn’t capitalize on their scoring chances at the other end.

Akhtyamov pulled off two impressive stops in the opening three minutes, but he could do nothing to prevent the Condors from taking the lead 60 seconds later, as loose defensive coverage cost Toronto. The Marlies had numbers back in a three-on-three situation, but Cade Webber and Matt Benning misplayed it as Seth Griffith and Cameron Wright teed up veteran Derek Ryan to score his first AHL goal since the 2016-17 season.

The Marlies had two chances to respond. They couldn’t capitalize when Rodrigue took a spill behind the goal line, and a rare transition opportunity resulted in Alex Nylander picking out Topi Niemelä, who joined the rush. The defenseman’s shot looked destined for the far corner, but Rodrigue got a small piece of his glove on the puck to send it wide.

Bakersfield’s second goal featured a litany of errors from the Marlies’ perspective. A turnover by Mikko Kokkonen in the Condors zone allowed Bakersfield to transition at speed. Despite not scoring on the first attempt, they swarmed the Marlies’ goal for a good 20 seconds. When the Marlies finally got a hold of possession, the normally reliable Robert Mastrosimone saw his pass out of the zone picked off by Cameron Wright. The latter dished off to Griffith, and while Kokkonen tried to throw his body in the way, he couldn’t stop Griffith from picking the far corner of the net with a quality finish from the left circle.

A late power play offered Toronto hope, but they only created one chance of note. A long stretch pass caught the Condors out, but Nylander’s effort on a partial breakaway rattled the post and stayed out.

Third Period

After early penalties led to four-on-four action, the Marlies were second best with the extra ice available. Akhtyamov made another couple of good saves to turn aside Carl Berglund and James Hamblin as Bakersfield continued to hold the upper hand.

It was out of the blue and against the run of play when Toronto got on the board as the final period approached the seven-minute mark.

It began with Cédric Paré winning an offensive-zone draw in the left circle back to Matt Benning. The veteran defenseman slid the puck across the slot to Quillan, who was heading toward the opposite circle. Quillan put a backhand shot on goal, which seemed to handcuff Rodrigue, and Paré applied the final touch to ease the puck across the goal line in an almost slow-motion play.

Ryan headed to the penalty box 19 seconds later, and Toronto tied the game up with a power play tally inside 13 seconds. Nick Abruzzese found Steeves in the right circle, and at this point, you know the rest!

As Bakersfield pushed back, Wright, Berglund, and Josh Brown demanded the best out of Akhtyamov.

The Marlies survived the pressure and embarked on their search for the game-winner. Nylander and Marshall Rifai went close, but there was no further scoring in regulation.

Overtime/Shootout

Akhtyamov wasn’t about to take a loss after working so hard to earn at least a point. His 10-bell stop to rob Ronnie Attard kept the game going.

The Marlies put a couple of decent efforts on target, but their best opportunity came from the league’s leading goal scorer. Steeves ripped a shot by Rodrigue, but the puck struck the inside of the post and bounced straight back out. It would have been a fitting way to end the game, but it wasn’t to be.

The ensuing shootout was a disappointment for Toronto, as Rodrigue wasn’t really tested. Steeves, Shaw, and Nylander fluffed their lines, and Jacob Perrault scored for the Condors to earn them a valuable extra point.


Post Game Notes

– The Marlies posted a 7-2-1 record on the 18-day Boat Show road trip. After beginning 2025 with three successive home losses, the team showed character to earn 15 of a possible 20 points. Toronto heads into the All-Star break with a 24-11-6 record and is in third place in the North Division.

“It’s nice to get away and bond with some new teammates who are with us,” said Gruden. “The road is always fun. Plus, you get to go to California. We don’t get that opportunity much. As much as I think the division is the hardest in the AHL, I didn’t miss Utica and Rochester. It was a good time, and we had some success as well.”

Artur Akhtyamov turned aside 33 of 35 shots in his second start since returning from injury. He looked far more comfortable in this game and will feel good about a performance that earned his team a point.

– With his 25th goal of the season, Alex Steeves draws level with Ryan Hamilton (94) for the all-time Marlies lead in goals. There’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge, but if Steeves remained with the Marlies this year, he surely would surpass Johnny Pohl’s single-season record of 36 goals.

Logan Shaw, Alex Steeves, Dennis Hildeby, and John Gruden will represent Toronto and the North Division at the AHL All-Star event. Hildeby is a late replacement for Brandon Halverson (called up to the NHL).

“It is a great opportunity for our players who are going,” said Gruden. “The only problem is that have to deal with me still.”

– Saturday’s lineup:

Forwards
Hirvonen – Shaw – Abruzzese
Nylander – Blandisi – Steeves
Barbolini – Quillan – Tverberg
Mastrosimone – Paré – Solow

Defensemen
Webber – Benning
Rifai- Niemelä
Mermis – Kokkonen

Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby


Post-Game Media Availability: Shaw & Gruden


Game Highlights: Condors 3 vs. Marlies 2 (SO)