

The Canadian Press





TORONTO -- Ryan Hamilton had a pair of goals to lead the Toronto Marlies to a 3-1 win over the Rochester Americans in their American Hockey League season opener Saturday evening.

Jake Gardiner scored the other goal and added an assist for Toronto, and Ben Scrivens stopped 19 shots in net for the win.

Mike Kostka had a pair of assists in his Marlies debut after signing as a free agent in the summer from the Calder Cup-champion Norfolk Admirals.

Marcus Foligno replied for Rochester while David Leggio made 33 saves in defeat.

All four goals came on the power play.

The Marlies got off to a quick start, scoring a pair of power-play goals in the first period and outshooting the Americans 15-6.

Toronto (1-0-0) opened the scoring just over five minutes into the game with Rochester's Nick Tarnasky off for holding. Mike Kostka passed to Nazem Kadri who skated through the neutral zone and dropped the puck at the offensive blue-line to Gardiner, who wristed a shot past Leggio's glove hand.

The Marlies thought they'd made it 2-0 a few minutes later during a scramble around the Americans' goal, but after a video review the officials deemed the puck never crossed the goal-line.

But Toronto did get that second goal a minute later when Marlies captain Hamilton finished off a tick-tack-toe passing play with Joe Colborne and Mike Zigomanis.

Hamilton was the Marlies' leading goal-scorer last season with 25 and Zigomanis led the team in scoring with 61 points.

Rochester (1-1-0) got on the board on the power play at 5:59 of the second period with a perfectly executed three-way passing play of its own. Cody Hodgson took a pass from T.J. Brennan and then dished to Foligno, whose wrist shot from the slot beat Scrivens on his glove side.

Seconds after the Marlies had another goal waved off just over six minutes into the third period, Hamilton got his second of the game on the power play. Mike Kostka blocked a Rochester clearing attempt, then passed to the side of the goal to Hamilton, who spun around in front of the net and tucked the puck past Leggio.

Toronto finished 3 for 8 on the man advantage.