Toronto Marlies Top Laval Rocket In Second Half of Back-to-Back

The Toronto Marlies shut out the Laval Rocket 5-0 on Saturday night in the second half of a back-to-back. Toronto improves to 5-2-2-0 on the season.

In the first period, Alex Steeves extended his point streak to six games with a goal at 10:29. In the middle frame, it was Kyle Clifford who extended the Marlies lead to two with a goal at 9:42.

In the final frame the Marlies offence continued to push. Nicholas Robertson, Logan Shaw and Alex Steeves all scored for Toronto to bring the score to 5-0.

Dennis Hildeby was strong in net for the Marlies, recording his first career AHL victory and first career AHL shutout after stopping all 26 shots he faced.

The Marlies continue their Royal Road Trip as they head to Milwaukee on Wednesday. Puck drop is at 11:30am ET on AHLTV.

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: A. Steeves (5) (D. Gambrell, W. Villeneuve), K. Clifford (2) (M. Rifai, J. Slavin), N. Robertson (5) (D. Gambrell, M. Pietroniro), L. Shaw (3) (N. Abruzzese, K. Bellows), A. Steeves (6) PP (W. Villeneuve, N. Robertson)
Goaltender: D. Hildeby (26/26) W

Laval: No goals
Goaltender: J. Dobes (18/23) L

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ON THE SCORESHEET

• Alex Steeves opened the scoring at 10:29 of the first period and scored on the power play at 9:41 of the third period. He has eight points (6-2-7) through six consecutive games. This is his second multigoal game of the season.
• Kyle Clifford scored at 9:42 of the second period. He has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in nine games.
• Nicholas Robertson scored at 3:35 of the third period and later had the secondary assist on Steeves’ third period goal. He has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in nine games with the Marlies this season.
• Logan Shaw scored at 7:42 of the third period. He has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in nine games this season.
• Dylan Gambrell picked up the primary assists on Steeves’ first period goal and Robertson’s third period goal. He has assists (4) in three consecutive games.
• William Villeneuve recorded the secondary assist on Steeves’ first period goal and the primary assist on Steeves’ power play goal in the third period. He has three assists in seven games this season.
• Marshall Rifai had the primary assist on Clifford’s second period goal. He has assists (3) in three consecutive games.
• Josiah Slavin registered the secondary assist on Clifford’s second period goal. He has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in eight games with the Marlies this season.
• Matteo Pietroniro recorded the secondary assist on Robertson’s third period goal. He has one assist in five games this season.
• Nick Abruzzese picked up the primary assist on Shaw’s third period goal. He has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in nine games.
• Kieffer Bellows had the secondary assist on Shaw’s third period goal. He has points (1-1-2) in consecutive games.
• Dennis Hildeby stopped all 26 shots he faced. He is 1-1-1 this season with a 1.68 goals against average and a 0.935 save percentage.

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TEAM NOTES

• This was Toronto’s first shutout since March 17, 2022 and the club’s first shutout on the road since February 26, 2022.
• The Marlies went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 1-for-7 on the power play. Toronto is 2-0-2-0 when scoring on the power play and 2-1-0-0 when not allowing a goal on the penalty kill.
• Toronto had a 26-23 edge in shots in all situations. Logan Shaw and Alex Steeves led the Marlies with four shots on goal. Toronto is 5-2-2-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• The Marlies are 3-1-2-0 against North Division opponents and are 1-1-0-0 against the Rocket. Toronto was 6-2-0-0 against Laval last season, outscoring the Rocket 33-29
• Toronto is on its annual road trip during the Royal Winter Fair and will spend seven games on the road, returning to Coca-Cola Coliseum on Nov. 18.

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POSTGAME QUOTES

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HEAD COACH JOHN GRUDEN

On the team’s performance:

You’ve got to learn from your mistakes. We came in and we executed. We knew we were going to have to weather some of their pushes but we really liked the response – our young defencemen and from the leadership we got from our guys and the stops from Hildy. It was a well-rounded effort. I really liked a lot about our game. It was good to see.

On the team’s young defence:
They had to grow up quick and I really liked how they managed it. I liked how they were in control and never got too high or too low, never got frustrated.

On Dennis Hildeby:

He deserves it. He really was solid the whole night. Made two really, really big saves in the third, really spectacular, game changing saves. To see him as big as he is, as athletic as he is to get that shutout, we’re excited for him.

UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time

November 8 at Milwaukee – 10:30 a.m. (CST)
November 10 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.
November 11 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.
November 18 vs. Manitoba – 4:00 p.m.
November 19 vs. Manitoba – 4:00 p.m.