 |
| Power
Play |
22ND
- 14.8 |
| Penalty
Killing |
8TH
- 84.1 |
| FORWARDS |
| MATT
MURLEY |
21-41-62
(+20) |
| BILL
THOMAS |
24-28-52
(+15) |
| DAVID
SPINA |
21-29-50
(+13) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| TRAVIS
ROCHE |
6-35-41
(+13) |
| BREDAN
BELL |
7-24-31
(+8) |
| RYAN
CALDWELL |
3-18-21
(+18) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| AL
MONTOYA |
24-14-3
(1 SO)
2.55 GA
.909 PCT |
|
| JOSH
TORDJMAN |
22-14-4
(1 SO)
2.65 GA
.910 PCT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
San
Antonio vs Toronto |
|
|
SCHEDULE |
| 1 |
APR.
16 |
SAN
ANTONIO 3 - TORONTO 4 |
SEED
5 |
2 |
APR.
18 |
SAN
ANTONIO 6 - TORONTO
3 |
SEED
1 |
42-28-3-7
(94) |
3 |
TBA |
TORONTO
2 - SAN ANTONIO 3 |
50-21-3-6
(109) |
| |
4 |
TBA |
TORONTO
3 - SAN ANTONIO
2 |
|
| |
5 |
TBA |
TORONTO
2 - SAN ANTONIO
1 |
|
| |
6 |
TBA |
SAN
ANTONIO 3 - TORONTO
0 |
|
| |
7 |
TBA |
SAN
ANTONIO 1 - TORONTO 2 |
|
|
Toronto
Wins Series 4-3 |
|
SERIES
PREVIEW
|
| Adriel
Bettelheim - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Toronto
Marlies (50-21-3-6, 109 points, first in the North Division)
The Marlies nabbed their first division title in franchise
history riding the hot hands of Czech forward Jiri Tlusty,
who returned from the parent Maples Leafs in time for
the AHL stretch drive, and 26-game-winner Justin Pogge
in goal. Toronto’s lineup features a lot of depth players
who step up at important moments, and one consistent threat
in right wing David Ling, the team’s leading scorer, who
notched 17 goals and 59 points to accompany 179 penalty
minutes.
Coach Greg Gilbert will count on a top line of Tlusty,
center John Mitchell and right wing and team captain Ben
Ondrus to provide needed punch, and veterans Kris Newbury
and Bates Battaglia to chip in important minutes while
staying out of the penalty box. Home ice has been sweet
for the Marlies, who long only nine times this season
at Ricoh Coliseum.
San Antonio Rampage (42-28-3-7, 94 points, fifth in
West Division)
The Rampage edged out Hamilton for the fifth spot in the
West Division and their first playoff appearance since
2003. It was an all-around successful season for coach
Greg Ireland’s squad, which set team records for home
wins (23), road victories (19) and total games won (42).
San Antonio has never lost a game in regulation time to
Toronto, posting a 4-0-0-2 record. Players to watch include
left wing Matt Murley, who tallied 18 goals and 47 points
in his last 51 games, and goaltender Al Montoya, who finished
the season with a 24-14-3 record.
|
|
| Game
1 |
San
Antonio 3 - Toronto 4 |
| Adriel
Bettelheim - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Toronto
Leads Series 1-0 |
Toronto
- Toronto Marlies forward Jiri Tlusty again showed why
he's been such a potent addition to the AHL club Wednesday
night, scoring the game-winner with 6:31 remaining to
lift Toronto to a 1-0 lead in its first-round AHL series
against the San Antonio Rampage.
Tlusty, who spent most of the year with the parent Toronto
Maple Leafs, picked up a loose puck behind the San Antonio
net, circled and then put a wrist show over goalie Al
Montoya to seal a 4-3 victory. Kris Newbury, John Mitchell
and Alex Foster also tallied for Toronto, which is looking
for its first-ever AHL playoff series win.
David Spina and ex-Marlie Brendan Bell scored on the power
play for the Rampage, while Matt Murley scored a shorthanded
goal.
The game was just three seconds old when Marlies wing
Colin Murphy fought Rampage wing Steve Goertzen near center
ice. After a scoreless first period, Newbury got Toronto
on the board at 2:07 of the second period, backhanding
a rebound Montoya had yielded past the San Antonio netminder.
Mitchell doubled the score less than two minutes later,
snapping a wrist shot past Montoya. Spina responded on
the power play midway through the period, converting a
nice cross-ice feed from Enver Lisin. The Rampage's special
teams proved effective later in the frame, when Murley
whipped a one-timer past Toronto starting goalie Scott
Clemmensen.
The game see-sawed, with Toronto regaining the lead when
Murphy fed Foster close in and the Toronto forward beat
Montoya low to the stick side. After Bell tied the game,
3-3, it was left to Tlusty to make the difference.
The second game of the series takes place Friday in Toronto.
|
|
| Game
2 |
San
Antonio 6 - Toronto 3 |
|
Adriel
Bettelheim - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 1-1 |
Toronto
– Rampage rookie Chad Kolarik notched a hat trick and
Joey Tenute added two more goals as San Antonio pulled
even in its first-round AHL playoff series with a 6-3
win over the Toronto Marlies Friday night at Ricoh Coliseum.
The teams have each won one game apiece.
The Rampage scored three times in the first 3:12 of the
second period after San Antonio’s Chris Durno fought the
Marlies’ Chris Harrington before the puck was dropped.
The three-goal outburst chased Toronto’s starting goalie,
Scott Clemmensen, who was replaced by Justin Pogge. Though
goals by Ben Ondrus, Jay Harrison and Bates Battaglia
got Toronto close, Kolarik put the victory on ice with
his third goal, sliding the puck past Pogge. Matt Murley
scored San Antonio’s other goal.
Toronto got on the board first, but failed to convert
on an extended 5-on-3 power play in the first period.
San Antonio went with Josh Tordjman in goal, replacing
Game 1 starter Al Montoya.
Game 3 of the series will be played in San Antonio Monday
night.
|
|
| Game
3 |
Toronto
2 - San Antonio 3 |
|
Adriel
Bettelheim - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
San
Antonio Leads Series 2-1 |
Bill
Thomas scored the game-winning goal during a three-goal
second period to lift the San Antonio Rampage to a 3-2
victory over the Toronto Marlies in their first-round
AHL playoff series on Monday night. The Rampage lead the
series 2-1 with Game 4 set for San Antonio on Wednesday.
David Spina and Jon DiSalvatore also scored for the Rampage,
which fired 40 shots on Marlies goaltender Scott Clemmensen.
Brent Aubin and Jay Harrison lit the lamp for Toronto.
After Aubin staked Toronto to a 1-0 lead after one period,
penalties proved the Marlies’ undoing. Spina scored with
the man advantage 2:46 into the second, and DiSalvatore
followed suit with another power play goal at 5:06. Thomas’
game-winner came even handed at 13:50 off feeds from defenseman
Travis Roche and goalie Josh Tordjman.
Tordjman made 32 saves for San Antonio, while Clemmensen
stopped 37 Marlies’ shots. |
|
| Game
4 |
Toronto
3 - San Antonio 2 |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 2-2 |
San Antonio, TX - Chris Harrington’s empty net goal with less than a minute left proved to be the game-winner as the Toronto Marlies evened their first-round playoff series, 2-2, by defeating the San Antonio Rampage, 3-2, on Wednesday night at AT&T Center.
The teams combined for 19 penalties, but each was only capable of capitalizing once on the man advantage.
Toronto scored first at 5:27 of the first period, when center John Mitchell lit the lamp unassisted. San Antonio tied the contest at 1:43 of the second, after right wing Steven Goertzen finished a play begun by Cam Paddock and Chris Dumo. However, wing Michel Leveille responded at 15:17 of the second on the power play to give the Marlies the lead.
Harrington’s goal appeared to give Toronto some insurance. However, San Antonio’s David Spina scored with a man advantage with just nine seconds left, keeping it close.
The teams play Game 5 Friday night in San Antonio. |
|
| Game
5 |
Toronto
2 - San Antonio 1 |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Toronto
Leads Series 3-2 |
San
Antonio, TX - Toronto Marlies continue to stride
to the next round of the Calder Cup with a 2-1 victory
over the San Antonio Rampage. In front of just over 7,000
fans in the AT&T Center the Marlies rallied from behind
to take a lead in the best-of-seven series three games
to two.
The Rampage took the lead late in the first when Jon DiSalvatore
poked the puck over the line following a goal mouth scramble.
A free flowing game with just two minor infractions for
the visiting Marlies ended the the period with a shot
total of 9-7 to the Rampage.
Lacking intensity, Game 5 was effectively over in the
second period. Marlies center John Mitchell carried the
puck over the blueline before passing back to defenseman
Andy Wozniewski who joined the rushing play shooting from
the point to beat Josh Tordjman in net. With less than
half of the second period over Mitchell added his second
point of the night with a goal. A wrist shot from Colin
Murphy was spilled by Tordjman as Mitchell found himself
in the right place to shoot home the puck.
The Rampage tried in vain in the third to score, out shooting
the Marlies 13-7 which included a late penalty call on
Murphy for cross checking. The top rated penalty kill
kept the Rampage to just a few shots ending the game 2-1.
The series returns to the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto on
Sunday as the Marlies look to finish the best-of-seven
series.
|
|
| Game
6 |
Toronto
0 - San Antonio 3 |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 3-3 |
San
Antonio, TX - Josh Tordjman turned aside all 38
shots he faced and Chad Kolarik and Dylan Reese potted
first-period goals to lead the San Antonio Rampage to
a 3-0 victory Sunday and force a winner-take-all Game
7 in the teams’ first-round AHL playoff series.
Tordjman, who has been solid for most of the series, thwarted
repeated scoring attempts and a partial breakaway by Jiri
Tlusty, while San Antonio’s quick puck pursuit kept the
Marlies from establishing much of a sustained rhythm.
The Marlies, who won Games 4 and 5 of the series in San
Antonio, dominated play in the first period, but wound
up on the short end of a 2-0 score after Kolarik and Reese
beat goaltender Scott Clemmensen.
Kolarik fired low to Clemmensen’s stick side just over
five minutes into the game. Reese completed an elaborate
passing play with 3:20 remaining in the first frame.
San Antonio defenseman Brendan Bell got an insurance goal
on the power plan midway through the third period. The
former Marlie has two goals and five assists in the series.
Game 7 will be Monday night in Toronto.
|
|
| Game
7 |
San
Antonio 1 - Toronto 2 |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Toronto
Wins Series 4-3 |
Toronto
- Bates Battaglia’s second goal of the playoffs with just
59 seconds left in regulation lifted the Toronto Marlies
to a dramatic 2-1 victory over the San Antonio Rampage
in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Monday night.
Battaglia snapped a wrist shot past Josh Tordjman to give
Toronto its first postseason playoff series win. Scott
Clemmensen made 33 saves in front of 1,982 fans at Ricoh
Coliseum.
Both teams played a cautious first 40 minutes. Toronto
struck first when Kris Newbury deflected Derrick Walser’s
slap shot from the point midway through the second period,
breaking a scoreless tie.
San Antonio’s Enver Lisin tied the game early in the third
while on the power play, blasting a slap shot past a screened
Clemmensen.
Overtime appeared inevitable before Battaglia’s innocuous-looking
wrist short eluded a partially screened Tordjman.
Toronto moves on to face the Syracuse Crunch in the second
round of the Calder Cup tournament.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Power
Play |
21ST
- 15.0 |
| Penalty
Killing |
1ST
- 87.4 |
| FORWARDS |
| DAVID
LING |
17-42-59
(-3) |
| JOHN
MITCHELL |
20-31-51
(+2) |
| ROBBIE
EARL |
14-33-47
(+15) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| DERRICK
WALSER |
16-29-45
(+6) |
| JAY
HARRISON |
13-14-27
(+3) |
| CHRIS
HARRINGTON |
9-11-20
(+2) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| JUSTIN
POGGE |
26-10-4
(4 SO)
2.34 GA
.908 PCT |
|
| SCOTT
CLEMMENSEN |
23-14-2
(1 SO)
2.44 GA
.910 PCT |
|
|
|
