Toronto Marlies Top Springfield Thunderbirds In School Day Game

The Toronto Marlies took down the Springfield Thunderbirds 6-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Mikko Kokkonen opened the scoring with a goal two minutes into the game. Ryan Suzuki tied the score at one 8:28 into the first period. Logan Shaw and Alex Steeves answered with goals at 12:07 and 18:50, giving the Marlies a 3-1 lead through 20 minutes of play.

Jakub Vrana scored a pair of goals at 3:10 and 10:02 in the second period, tying the game at three. Max Lajoie added a fourth goal for the Marlies 11:31 into the second, restoring Toronto’s one goal lead.

Isaac Johnson scored his first goal of the season 15 seconds into the third period, giving the Marlies a 5-3 lead. Josiah Slavin added a sixth goal five and a half minutes later, securing a 6-3 win.

Matthew Barbolini picked up a primary assist on Slavin’s goal, marking his first career AHL point. After the game, head coach John Gruden said both Barbolini and Johnson have impressed him so far.

“They're big strong guys and they're not afraid to get to the front of the net. And they're doing a good job,” Gruden said. “Hard sometimes to fit in, but you simplify things and play in straight lines and go to the front of the net, you get rewarded.”

“Just trying to work as hard as I can. Trying to learn as much as I can too,” Barbolini said when asked about his first three games with the Marlies. “Try to embrace the role that I'm given. Hopefully just run with it.”

With an assist on Alex Steeves’ first period goal, Topi Niemelä has registered a point in five straight games. Logan Shaw and Tate Singleton also have points in three straight.  

The Marlies will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Utica Comets at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Puck drop is at 4:00pm on the Toronto Maple Leafs app or on AHLTV.

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SCORING SUMMARY
Springfield: R. Suzuki (13) (H. McGing, A. Gaudette), J. Vrana (14) PP (M. Abramov, H. McGing), J. Vrana (15) (Unassisted)
Goaltender: V. Zherenko (22/28) L

Toronto: M. Kokkonen (5) (L. Shaw), L. Shaw (27) PP (N. Abruzzese, A. Steeves), A. Steeves (23) (Z. Solow, T. Niemelä), M. Lajoie (4) (T. Singleton, M. Kokkonen), I. Johnson (1) (R. Mastrosimone, J. Blandisi), J. Slavin (10) (M. Barbolini, M. Rifai)
Goaltender: D. Hildeby (33/36) W

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Mikko Kokkonen opened the scoring at 2:01 of the first period and later added the secondary assist on Lajoie’s second period goal. He has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists) in 58 games this season.
• Logan Shaw scored on the power play at 12:07 of the first period and earlier had the lone assist on Kokkonen’s first period goal. He has points (3-2-5) in three consecutive games. Shaw has 54 points (27 goals, 27 assists) in 61 games.
• Alex Steeves scored at 18:50 of the first period and earlier had the secondary assist on Shaw’s first period goal. He has points (3-5-8) in six of his last seven games. Steeves set a career-high for points (23-29-52).
• Max Lajoie scored at 11:31 of the second period. He has goals (2) in consecutive games. Lajoie has 22 points (4 goals, 18 assists) in 44 games this season.
• Isaac Johnson scored 15 seconds into the third period. This was first goal with the Toronto Marlies. He had 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists) in 50 games with the Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL).
• Josiah Slavin scored at 5:42 of the third period. He has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 63 games this season.
• Nick Abruzzese recorded the primary assist on Shaw’s first period power play goal. He has assists (3) in three consecutive games. Abruzzese has 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games.
• Zach Solow picked up the primary assist on Steeves’ first period goal. He has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 59 games this season.
• Topi Niemelä recorded the secondary assist on Steeves’ first period goal. He has points (1-5-6) in five consecutive games for his longest point streak as a Marlie. Niemelä has 36 points (7 goals, 29 assists) in 61 games.
• Tate Singleton registered the primary assist on Lajoie’s second period goal. He has one goal and four assists in seven games with the Marlies this season.
• Robert Mastrosimone picked up the primary assist on Johnson’s third period goal. He has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 38 games this season.
• Joseph Blandisi had the secondary assist on Johnson’s third period goal. He has 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists) in 63 games this season.
• Matthew Barbolini recorded the primary assist on Slavin’s third period goal. This was his first career professional point.
• Marshall Rifai registered the secondary assist on Slavin’s third period goal. He has 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists) in 50 games with the Marlies this season.
• Dennis Hildeby stopped 33 of 36 shots he faced.

TEAM NOTES

• The Marlies went 6-for-7 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play. Toronto is 21-7-5-2 when scoring on the power play and 13-12-7-1 when allowing a goal on the penalty kill.
• Springfield had a 36-28 edge in shots in all situations. Isaac Johnson led the Marlies with four shots on goal. Toronto is 15-7-3-0 when outshot by their opponent.
• Toronto is 10-4-2-0 against Atlantic Division opponents and finish their regular season series 1-1-0-0 against the Thunderbirds.

RECORD WHEN

Scoring first                                        28-6-7-2
Leading after 1^st                                  19-3-3-0
Leading after 2^nd                                  21-1-3-0
At home                                              14-11-6-0
April                                                    1-0-0-0
Wednesday                                          5-5-1-0

MARLIES LEADERS *Amongst active AHL players

Goals               27 (L. Shaw)
Assists            32 (N. Abruzzese)        
Points              54 (J. Blandisi, L. Shaw)
PPG                 7 (J. Blandisi)
Shots               181 (K. Bellows, L. Shaw)
+/-                    +18 (T. Miller)
PIMS                126 (K. Clifford, Z. Solow)

HEAD COACH JOHN GRUDEN

On the team’s push towards the playoffs:

We’ve been in this situation now for quite awhile. It seems like when we have to answer the bell, we answer the bell. Kudos to the guys doing it and we’re going to still need this focus as we move on because we still have eight more really important games.

On the additions of Isaac Johnson and Matthew Barbolini:
They're big strong guys and they're not afraid to get to the front of the net. And they're doing a good job. Hard sometimes to fit in, but you simplify things and play in straight lines and go to the front of the net, you get rewarded. The three of them (and Singleton) continue to get more and more comfortable every game, and that's important. Obviously, we need the depth, and we need big guys like that who show up in those big moments.

UPCOMING GAMES:*All times Eastern Standard Time

April 6 vs. Utica – 4:00 p.m.
April 7 vs. Utica – 4:00 p.m.
April 10 vs. Belleville – 7:00 p.m.
April 12 at Syracuse – 7:00 p.m.
April 13 at Syracuse – 7:00 p.m.

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