Being on the road has no doubt been the weaker situation for the Toronto Marlies this sesaon, particularly after the lockout. Entering today’s game, the blue and white had only won one of seven games away from Ricoh Coliseum after the beginning of Leafs training camp. That said, it’s been a while since they’ve been away from home, and many were hoping that the 7-3-0 run of the past several weeks was more than just arena advantage, but rather the forming of team chemistry. The Lake Erie Monsters were the first test of this, and with a 5-3 win today, the Marlies are hoping this is a sign of things to come.

Toronto started the game with an very early powerplay, that turned into a very early 5 on 3, as Lake Erie took two penalties in the first minute and a half. The Marlies couldn’t capitalize, but just a few minutes later, Kenny Ryan scored his seventh goal of the year to give his team a 1-0 lead. The two teams traded unsuccessful powerplays, and Dylan Yeo got into a bit of a shoving match with Brad Malone (who had three minor penalties in a period!), but Ryan’s goal was the lone one for the period.

Lake Erie came out strong in the second, tying the game just a minute and a half in. The stalemate wouldn’t last long though – with Geoff Walker seconds from leaving the penalty box, Brad Ross scored his fifth of the year. Just four minutes later, the red-hot Ryan Hamilton added his 29th of the season. The period wasn’t done for scoring, however, as Andrew Agozzino closed the gap with four seconds left in the middle frame, as Jerry D’Amigo watched from the box.

Trouble came midway through the third, as Tyson Barrie scored his seventh of the season to tie the game back up. It looked as if this may be a game that would require overtime, but with just under two minutes to go, D’Amigo took the lead back for a third time with his 11th of the year, and added an empty netter with three seconds left to seal the deal.

Other Notes

Ryan Lasch made his Marlies debut today, earning himself an assist, taking two shots, and finished as a +1.

Jussi Rynnas needed a big performance to show that he could keep up with Drew MacIntyre, and he didn’t deliver, letting in three of twenty shots. He got the win, which is what ultimately matters, but will have to do more than that moving forward.

Jerry D’Amigo was the game’s first star with his pair of goals, 4 shots, +3 plus minus (all leading the team), and goalie interference penalty. Also with multi point nights were the two Gregs, Scott and McKegg, who both had a pair of assists.

The Marlies limited Lake Erie to just two shots in the third period.

Not a night to remember for the special teams, going 1 for 7 on the PP, and 2 for 4 on the PK.

The Marlies play next against Lake Erie on Tuesday at 7PM.





