Toronto Marlies Top Rockford IceHogs In Midweek Matchup

The Toronto Marlies defeated the Rockford IceHogs 5-3 on Wednesday afternoon in their final matchup of the regular season. Toronto is now 2-0-0-0 against the IceHogs and 18-8-0-1 when playing at home.

In the first, Rockford opened the scoring with a goal by Dylan Sikura at 12:30 to take the early 1-0 lead.

Early in the second, Toronto responded with a goal by Dryden Hunt at 1:12 to tie the game at one a piece. Just over a minute later, Toronto took the lead with a goal by Pontus Holmberg at 2:34 to make it 2-1. Shortly after, Max Ellis added another at 9:17 to extend Toronto’s lead to two. Later, Rockford responded with a goal by Koletrane Wilson at 11:34 to keep within one.  

In the final frame, Max Ellis notched his second of the game with a goal at 1:46 to make it 4-2. Ellis currently has six goals in his last seven games. Later, Luke Philp scored at 8:36 to add another for Rockford to keep within one. Before the period was over, Joseph Blandisi potted the empty netter at 19:57 to make it 5-3 and secure the win for Toronto.  

Erik Källgren stood tall in the Marlies crease stopping 21 of the 24 shots he faced.  

The Marlies return to action on March 3rd when they visit the Hershey Bears. Puck drop is at 7:00pm on AHLTV.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rockford: D. Sikura (14) (A. Vlasic, L. Crevier), K. Wilson (1) (M. Teply, D. Busdeker), L. Philip (18) PP (A. Vlasic, D Sikura)
Goaltender: A. Soderblom (32/36) L

Toronto: D. Hunt (4) (K. Clifford, T. Miller), P. Holmberg (3) (M. Rifai, T. Miller), M. Ellis (8) (G. Slaggert), M. Ellis (9) (G. Slaggert), J. Blandisi (11) EN (K. Clifford, D. Hunt)
Goaltender: E. Källgren (21/24) W

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ON THE SCORESHEET

• Dryden Hunt put the Marlies on the board at 1:12 of the second period and later added the secondary assist on Blandisi’s third period goal. He has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 15 games with the Marlies this season.
• Pontus Holmberg scored at 2:34 of the second period. He has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games this season.
• Max Ellis scored at 9:17 of the second period and at 1:46 of the third period. His second goal of the game was his third game-winning goal this season. He has six goals in his last seven games.
• Joseph Blandisi scored on the empty net at 19:57 of the third period. He has 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 51 games this season.
• Kyle Clifford recorded the primary assists on Hunt’s second period goal and Blandisi’s third period goal.
• Tommy Miller had the secondary assists on Hunt’s and Holmberg’s second period goals. This was his second multi-assist game of the season. He has five assists through 30 games with the Marlies.
• Marshall Rifai registered the primary assist on Rifai’s second period goal. He has 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) in 53 games this season.
• Graham Slaggert picked up the lone assists on Ellis’ second and third period goals. He has 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) in 45 games with the Marlies.
• Erik Källgren stopped 21 of 24 shots he faced.

TEAM NOTES

• The Marlies went 3-for-4 on the penalty kill and 0-for-5 on the power play. Toronto is 10-7-0-0 when not scoring on the power play and 20-9-2-0 when allowing a goal on the penalty kill.
• Toronto had a 37-24 edge in shots in all situations. Max Ellis and Alex Steeves led the Marlies with six shots on goal. Toronto is 18-7-0-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• The Marlies are 8-2-1-0 against Central Division opponents and finish their regular season series 2-0-0-0 against the Rockford IceHogs.

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POSTGAME QUOTES

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HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On today’s game:
Overall looking at the whole, good. The first period I thought was similar to the last game, but they corrected themselves and found their game in the second period. I thought as the game got more physical, we got better.

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On being creative with the lineup:

It gives more opportunity to guys that don’t get in on a regular basis. Overall, the players needed to step into bigger roles and guys that came into the lineup like Badini for example who hadn’t played yet this year, did a really good job of giving us what we needed. Everyone played up in the lineup and did a really good job coming together and finding their way through this game. It wasn’t an easy one. In the second period, it really could have gone either way. But again, like this team has proven to us all year, they’re willing to do the things and find the answers that are needed to get results.

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UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

March 3 at Hershey – 7:00 p.m.
March 4 at Lehigh Valley – 7:05 p.m.
March 8 at WB/Scranton – 7:05 p.m.
March 11 vs. Hartford – 5:00 p.m.
March 12 at Rochester – 3:05 p.m.