“Those were the best 10 minutes we’ve played in a long, long time.”
– John Gruden
The Toronto Marlies‘ opening 10 minutes satisfied head coach John Gruden, as his team took the game to Utica, building a 2-0 lead that could have been three or four with better finishing. The Marlies conceded a pair of multi-goal leads in the final 40 minutes as Utica fought back to force overtime, but the point punched their ticket to the post-season and Ryan Tverberg’s three-on-three winner then secured the extra point on offer.
First Period
From the opening shift, the Marlies took the game to the Comets and were rewarded 75 seconds in when Noah Chadwick’s point shot produced a rebound that Matthew Barbolini finished off.
Cédric Paré fired wide on a partial breakaway, and Chadwick did the same from the top of the hashmarks as the Marlies couldn’t immediately double their lead.
Toronto eventually scored a second five minutes after taking the lead. After a quick transition led to a 2v1 with four Comets caught above the puck, Landon Sim opted to look off Ben Kin to his left before beating Nico Daws at his far post.
It took Utica 10 minutes to record a shot, but when they finally tested Dennis Hildeby, the Comets gained a foothold in the period. Perhaps sensing a switch in momentum, Sim took a different type of action, dropping the gloves and taking down Cam Squires with three heavy blows, bringing him two-thirds of the way to a Gordie Howe hat trick inside 12 minutes.
The Marlies clung onto a 2-0 lead after a killed penalty and three high-danger saves by Hildeby.
Second Period
With the Marlies guilty of some standing around in the defensive zone, Utica struck inside 43 seconds of the period on a shot Dennis Hildeby might have wanted back. The Marlies responded positively, restoring their two-goal lead inside two minutes.
After the Marlies ran Utica ragged in the defensive zone, Borya Valis spotted a chink in Daws’ armor from behind the net and banked the puck in off the netminder from an acute angle.
The Marlies conceded just two minutes later on a odd-man rush that led to a broken play and an empty-net finish for Angus Crookshank.
Six penalties through the remainder of the period turned the game into a special teams competition with some 4-on-4 action mixed in. Neither team took advantage of the extra space available.
Hildeby produced three excellent saves late in the frame to keep the one-goal lead intact, including a save on Kyle Crisculo’s breakaway after a mistake by Chadwick.
Third Period/Overtime
The Marlies had two chances to score an insurance marker with an extra attacker, but they squandered both.
Despite the final frame lacking a potent offensive push from either team, Utica struck on its second shot with nine minutes remaining. Crookshank netted his second goal of the game with a redirect of Crisculo’s shot after the Marlies blew three opportunities to clear the zone.
At three-on-three, Toronto won possession from the opening draw and netted the winner inside 30 seconds. Ryan Tverberg drove to the top of the circles and pulled it to his forehand before ripping a shot far side by Daws.
Post Game Notes
– Surprisingly, this was Ryan Tverberg’s first game-winner this season. He moves up to fifth on the team in goals with 14 in 61 games.
– Noah Chadwick was fortunate to get away with one blatant error in this game, but otherwise, the big rookie defenseman put together a solid performance. A pair of helpers moves him to 10th on the team in assists (17) this season. Along with his five goals, Chadwick is up to a quietly solid 22 points in 65 games as a first-year rearguard.
– Borya Valis benefited from a partnership alongside Luke Haymes and the hard-working Marc Johnstone. The line produced multiple shifts of offensive-zone pressure and should have scored more than once.
– In his debut, Hayes Hundley got off to a bright start, just as the Marlies did in the opening frame. He wasn’t afraid to shoot and made some intelligent, solid breakout plays. Hundley stayed within himself and was steady at both ends of the ice.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Barbolini – Shaw – Nylander
Paré – Tverberg – Lettieri
Valis – Haymes – Johnstone
Sim – King – Johnson
Defensemen
Thrun – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Benning
Smith – Hundley
Goaltenders
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
