TORONTO – In part one of our special two-part series, we’re taking you back down memory lane and recount all of the Marlies playoff overtime goals. In this first edition, between 2008-2014, the Marlies won in overtime five times.
Without further ado, we bring you back to 2008, the birth of the Marlies first overtime ‘W’ against Syracuse.
May 9th, 2008 – Round 2, Game 5 – Bates Battaglia
Facing elimination, the Marlies found themselves ahead of the Syracuse Crunch 3-2 in the pivotal game five. A hungry Clay Wilson was able to tie the game 3-3 for the Crunch, enough to send things to overtime.
With under 90 seconds to go in extras, NHL veteran Bates Battaglia found himself seeing the better of Crunch netminder Karl Goehring to win the game. Battaglia was battling in the crease, but his persistence paid off with a pass from David Ling to find the game-winner.
The Marlies would complete the comeback and win the series 4-3.
April 15th, 2009 – Round 1, Game 1 – Bates Battaglia
In the opening game of the Marlies 2009 playoff run, Tim Stapleton and Jeremy Williams helped cue the comeback in the second half of regulation, providing a stage for a 3-3 tiebreaker.
In extras, Joey Ryan made the cross-ice pass to Stapleton. With the rocket from the point, Battaglia became the overtime hero with a late swat into the goal, from just outside the blue paint.
“We played fairly solid the first couple of periods, and then we got back on our heels and didn’t create much…It was Pogge’s netminding that stood out for us,” Marlies Coach Greg Gilbert told CBC after the game.
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May 9th, 2012 – Round 2, Game 5 – Mike Zigomanis
The Marlies came into game five with a 3-1 stranglehold on an all-Canadian showdown with the Abbotsford Heat. The story of the Marlies first two rounds was Ben Scrivens, who published a 7-1 record and a .955 save percentage.
Just under nine minutes into overtime, a blast from the point found itself on the doorstep of Heat goaltender Daniel Taylor. Toronto native Mike Zigomanis smacked the puck past Taylor to clinch the series.
“We had to remain aggressive and stay on our forecheck…We did that, ended up drawing a penalty and scoring on it,” Zigomanis told the Guelph Mercury Tribune
May 9th, 2013 – Round 1, Game 3 – Will Acton
After being knocked out in the Calder Cup Final in 2012, the Marlies came out swinging during the first round of the 2013 playoffs. With a first-round date with the Rochester Americans, the Marlies found themselves with a comfortable 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Drew MacIntyre paved the way in regulation, stopping 34 of 36 shots. MacIntyre’s performance wasn’t complete without a goal in the late stages from Rochester, taping one in the final few minutes of the third.
Just over five minutes into overtime, Kevin Marshall fired a bullet from the blue line with Will Acton providing the screen (and the tip), the Marlies scored the series winner to send them to the conference finals.
May 14th, 2014 – Round 2, Game 3 – Jerry D’Amigo
After outscoring their opponents 9-4 through the first two games, game three of the conference finals was shifted to Ricoh Coliseum (now Coca-Cola Coliseum). The Marlies had a 2-0 stranglehold on Chicago.
With things tied at three, it would take more than 60 minutes to finish.
A keep from Trevor Smith at the blueline, his point wrister was intended to be tipped or rebounded. Just as according to plan, the puck bounced off the reigning goaltender of the year, Jake Allen, to the stick of Jerry D’Amigo.
“He’s always been the guy that wants to be in that situation positively or negatively. He wants to be on the ice…You can see tonight here again. It’s a big game, it’s a critical moment, and he rises to the occasion,” Marlies head coach Steve Sprott told Independent Sports News
Stay tuned for part two of this special series as the Toronto Marlies found their way to the Calder Cup, but not without a few overtimes along the way!
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