Miroslav Holinka scores first AHL goal as Toronto Marlies extend winning streak to four in Belleville

The Toronto Marlies continue to find ways to win amid a great start to their regular season.

In Belleville on Saturday, the momentum swung multiple times as the two teams combined for nine goals. The Marlies bounced back from a terrible start and dominated most of the five-on-five action en route to a 5-4 overtime win.

First Period

The Marlies’ first line almost struck immediately after the opening puck drop, but Logan Shaw and Brendan Brisson couldn’t shovel the puck home from close range.

The three minutes following that early chance were a mess, leading to an opening goal for Belleville. After Oskar Pettersson dispossessed a flat-footed Noah Chadwick inside the blue line, Pettersson surged into the right circle and scored with a low finish.

The next goal resulted from the Marlies getting caught with too many players above the puck, including Chadwick in the neutral zone. Belleville attacked in transition, generating a 2-on-1 that Ryan Suzuki finished off on a feed from Sammy Blais.

The Marlies needed a quick response, and one arrived 26 seconds later as Belleville switched off. After the Senators turned puck over in the Marlies’ zone, they were caught with four players above the puck, and Philippe Myers’ stretch pass created a 2-on-0. Henrik Rybinski scored on a backhand pass from Luke Haymes. Three goals in four crazy minutes, with both coaches probably pulling their hair out.

The Marlies continued to struggle with their breakouts, inviting Belleville pressure. A hooking call on Michael Pezzetta seemed harsh given the amount of holding and interference let go in the period. Toronto’s penalty kill survived thanks to committed shot-blocking and key saves from Samuel Hlavaj on Eskild Bakke Olsen, Tyler Boucher, and Jorian Donovan.

It proved a turning point in the period as the Marlies began to carry the play thanks to much cleaner breakouts and hard work down low. A deserved tying goal arrived with 2:34 remaining, when Miroslav Holinka chased down Pezzetta’s dump-in and held off a defender to free the puck for Marc Johnstone. The latter kicked it up to the point, where Vinni Borgesi sent a pass back down the wall to Johnstone. Holinka found some space in the right circle, where Johnstone found his rookie teammate, who ripped home his first professional goal from one knee.

Second Period

The middle frame didn’t lack action or drama.

The Marlies killed off an early penalty after Ben Danford was sent to the box just 65 seconds into the period. Hlavaj robbed Phil Tomasino on Belleville’s lone chance with the extra skater.

Johnstone should have turned provider again at the six-minute mark. He led a 2-on-1 break and dished off to his right, where Pezzetta took a huge wind-up with only Jackson Parsons to beat and completely whiffed on the shot.

The Marlies thought they had taken the lead when Haymes slotted home a rebound from Ryan Tverberg’s smart, low shot. A successful coach’s challenge for offside was inevitable, as it looked off in real time.

A minute later, the incident was forgotten about as Toronto got on the board for the third time. Räty seized on a no-look pass from Djibril Touré behind the Belleville net and teed up Vinni Lettieri in the slot.

Räty then had the best chance on a subsequent power play but fired wide when wide open in the slot. Borya Valis, Shaw, Rybinski (twice), and Räty all had Grade-A chances they couldn’t bury before the Senators tied the game at 3-3.

The Belleville power play cut through the Marlies’ PK like a hot knife through butter, and Eskild Bakke Olsen netted his first AHL goal.

The game remained tied heading into the second intermission despite a couple of high-danger chances for Haymes and Räty.

Third Period

Hlavaj robbed Tomasino in the opening seconds — a save that looked like a turning point when the Marlies retook the lead three minutes later. Toronto won an offensive-zone draw and worked the puck around before Brisson found room in the left circle. His shot deflected off Shaw and into the net.

Haymes, Lettieri, and Brisson couldn’t bury good looks on a power play with a chance to add an insurance marker. The Marlies then took their foot off the gas for a few shifts and paid the price following a long cycle by Belleville.

A point shot hit the boards and bounced back to Kasper Halttunen in the slot, left all alone after Dakota Mermis lost him in front. The Senators forward finished his fifth goal of the young campaign.

Neither side looked likely to win it in regulation, with just three shots recorded in the final eight minutes. Haymes dropped the gloves with Matthew Andonovski after the Belleville defenseman wiped out Rybinski with a borderline hit. Despite giving up some size to his combatant, Haymes acquitted himself well and scored the takedown.

Overtime

You can go from hero to zero and back again quickly in three-on-three hockey. 90 seconds into the extra frame, Hlavaj handled a weak shot and attempted to launch a counterattack. Instead, he handed Belleville a two-on-zero and (seemingly) the winning goal on a platter. The goaltender redeemed himself with an excellent save on Tomasino’s backhand attempt.

That set the stage for the winner at the other end. Danford carried the puck across the blue line before dishing off to Shaw, who drove from right to left across the offensive zone. Brisson sent a rocket into the roof of the net after the captain put the puck in his wheelhouse.

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Post-Game Notes

• Miroslav Holinka richly deserved his first AHL goal. He worked hard along the boards, winning his fair share of battles. The rookie helped drive the play on his line alongside Marc Johnstone.
• As debuts go, Aatu Räty fared well; he could easily have bagged a few goals with more finish. The Finnish centerman was the standout player on the third line.
• Brendan Brisson continued his electric start to the season (1G/1A) with his third game-winning goal. The winger has nine points (6G/3A) in five games.
• In the season debut and second professional game for defenseman Hayes Hundley, I was pleasantly surprised by his physicality, and he wasn’t fazed by a Senators team that leans into that side of the game. The rookie looked comfortable in possession, was solid with his breakouts, and pinched in offensively when appropriate. Overall, it was a strong performance, given his inexperience.

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Game Highlights: Marlies 5 vs. Senators 4 (OT)

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