Toronto Marlies Close Out 2022 With Loss To Rochester

The Toronto Marlies closed out 2022 with a 3-2 loss to the Rochester Americans on Saturday night. Toronto falls to 13-7-0-1 against North Division opponents and 1-2-0-1 against the Americans.  

In the first period, it was the home team who got on the board first with a goal by Brandon Brio at 3:26. The goal would stand to give the Amerks a 1-0 lead heading into the second.  

Halfway through the second, Toronto responded with a goal by Graham Slaggert at 12:27 to tie the game at one a piece. Just 23 seconds later, Linus Weissbach scored to once again give the Amerks the lead after 2 periods.

In the final frame, Rochester extended their lead with a goal by Michael Mersch at 6:17 to make it 3-1. Later, Toronto responded with a goal by Bobby McMann at 10:56 to keep within one, but it was not enough to secure the win.

The Marlies return to action on January 3rd where they host the Utica Comets. Puck drop is at 7pm on the Toronto Maple Leafs app and AHLTV.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rochester: L. Rousek (9) (B. Biro), L. Weissbach (11) (M. Mersch, F. Cederqvist), M. Mersch (5) (T. Kozak)
Goaltender: E. Comrie (34/36) W

Toronto: G. Slaggert (5) (N. Hoefenmayer, K. Clifford), B. McMann (5) (A. Steeves)
Goaltender: E. Källgren (10/13) L

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ON THE SCORESHEET

• Graham Slaggert scored 12:27 of the second period. He has goals (2) in consecutive games. Slaggert has six points (5 goals, 1 assists) in 27 games this season.
• Bobby McMann scored at 10:56 of the third period. He has points (2-1-3) in three straight games. McMann has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 14 games this season.
• Noel Hoefenmayer recorded the primary assist on Slaggert’s second period goal. He has points (5-3-8) through his last seven games.
• Kyle Clifford had the secondary assist on Slaggert’s second period goal.
• Alex Steeves picked up the lone assist on McMann’s third period goal. He has four assists in his last three games.
• Erik Källgren stopped 10 of 13 shots he faced.

TEAM NOTES

• The Marlies went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play. Toronto is 3-3-0-0 when not scoring on the power play and 10-5-0-1 when not allowing a goal on the penalty kill. This is the first home game this season where Toronto has not recorded a power play goal.
• Toronto had a 36-13 edge in shots in all situations. Bobby McMann led the Marlies with six shots on goal. Toronto is 8-5-0-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• The Marlies are 13-7-0-1 against North Division opponents and are 1-2-0-1 against the Americans. Toronto has been outscored by Rochester 12-10 through three games.

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POSTGAME QUOTE

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HEAD COACH GREG MOORE

On today’s game:

I thought we created enough offence to score goals, but their goalie did a great job of stopping the puck. There were still enough moments where we weren’t doing a good job at stopping their speed in the middle of the rink. They’re a very skilled team. They’re fast. They can score a lot off the rush. The one in particular there, the first one, we were above but didn’t stay above. There was a lot to build on, things that we liked. Obviously, you’d like to eliminate all your mistakes as much as you can, they were able to capitalize them.

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UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

January 3 vs. Utica – 7:00 p.m.
January 7 vs. Lehigh Valley – 4:00 p.m.
January 8 vs. Laval – 4:00 p.m.
January 11 vs. Manitoba – 7:00 p.m.
January 13 vs. Manitoba – 7:00 p.m.