MARLIES HAND ROCKET 5-2 LOSS
TORONTO (February 9, 2020) — Facing another tough division rival, the Rocket dropped a 5-2 decision against the Toronto Marlies on Sunday at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. With the victory, the Marlies took hold of the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. While both teams have each earned 53 points, Toronto has one game in hand on Laval.
Mason Marchment added his sixth goal in his last three games, bringing his season total to 11. Cale Fleury and Matthew Peca found the back of the net for the Rocket. The former connected for his first goal in the AHL this season since joining the Montreal Canadiens affiliate in late January. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Charles Hudon were credited with assists on Fleury’s tally.
Ten minutes into the first period, the Rocket fell 3-0 with goals from Marchment, Egor Korshkov and Kristians Rubins, and were unable to climb their way out of that deficit. Fleury’s goal near the halfway mark of the opening frame generated momentum, as the Rocket forced the Marlies to take four consecutive penalties throughout the second and third periods, but the visitors failed to convert.
Adding insult to injury, Matt Read notched the Marlies’ fourth goal while shorthanded early in final frame. Peca got the visitors on the board once again, bringing the score to 4-2 with less than six minutes left in the tilt. The Rocket pulled Keith Kinkaid for an extra attacker, but Pontus Aberg took advantage of the empty net to give the Marlies a 5-2 win.
“We need to forget about this loss, I think that’s the best thing to do right now. I don’t think we were focused at the start of the game and that cost us. They were up 2-0 early on so it was difficult to come back. We need to forget about this loss because there are still a lot of important games to be played until the end of the season,” said Charles Hudon after the game.
Marqueurs/Scorers
LAV: Fleury (Kotkaniemi, Hudon) | Peca
TOR: Marchment (Kivihalme, Brooks) | Korshkov (Duszak, Agostino) | Rubins (Estephan, Aberg) | Read (Kapla) | Aberg (MacMaster)
Unités spéciales/Special teams
LAV | AN/PP: 0/6 | IN/PK: 4/4
TOR | AN/PP: 0/4 | IN/PK: 6/6
Gardiens/Goaltenders
LAV: Kinkaid (21/25) | TOR: Kaskisuo (25/27)
Trois étoiles/Three stars
1. Rubins – TOR 2. Aberg – TOR 3. Read – TOR
