Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are firing blanks, the good kind.
Justin Pogge stopped 33 shots and Andy Wozniewski netted the game-winner late as the Marlies earned their second shutout win of the weekend with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Aeros on Sunday afternoon in the AHL.
In a game filled with hard bodychecks, the knockout blow wasn’t delivered until just over six minutes remained in the third period. After Alex Foster worked hard and retrieved a loose puck in the corner to set him up, Wozniewski fired a point shot that appeared to deflect off a Houston player before beating goalie Nolan Schaefer (17-12-0).
”It was a great pass by Alex Foster, he put it right in my wheelhouse so I could get the one-timer off and it found the way in,” Wozniewski said.
The marker was Wozniewski’s first AHL goal in just his second game after the defenceman was sent down by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
”It definitely feels good (to contribute),” he said. ”It’s good to get some wins, obviously the team is on a good streak here. I’m glad to come down and contribute.”
As the game wore on, it became very apparent one goal would likely decide the proceedings. Pogge said he avoids worrying about having little margin for error.
”You just kind of don’t think about it,” he chuckled after the game.
Toronto coach Greg Gilbert could also smile following the final buzzer given the way his second-year stopper performed.
”Pogge played real well, he made some big saves for us, especially late. There was a couple shots where they walked right in front and he made the big saves,” Gilbert said.
The win marked the second consecutive whitewash posted by Toronto (33-11-1-4) after Scott Clemmensen blanked the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. With the exception of an empty-net marker, the Marlies have gone 133:35 without surrendering a goal.
Pogge said his teammates did a good job of limiting Houston’s opportunities.
”We’re blocking a lot of shots, we’re making them shoot from the outside, they’re letting me see the puck and clearing the rebounds so there’s not much else you can ask for,” he said.
The game featured lots of good, clean hits, the best of which came in the middle frame when the Aeros’ Cal Clutterbuck stepped into Toronto’s Derrick Walser in open ice and sent the blue-liner flying.
”They come hard and forecheck pretty hard with two men,” Wozniewski said. ”They were finishing pretty much every check.”
Gilbert thought the hard-fought contest had a playoff tone.
”It was one of those games that was won in the trenches and along the walls,” the coach said. ”Our goalie stopped them all and theirs let one in. It was a heck of a hockey game, I thought both teams competed hard.”
Houston (26-19-2-3) carried the play during a crisp first period, outshooting the Marlies 17-9. However, the Aeros couldn’t squeeze a puck past Pogge (18-4-4).
”I thought early in the game our thought train was opposite; we were thinking offence before defence and they were creating chances,” Gilbert said. ”We got back to playing our style and everybody stepped it up.”
One day after ending Hamilton’s four-game winning streak, the North Division-leading Marlies once again played the role of spoilers by halting Houston’s victory run at four contests. The Aeros had also won five consecutive road games prior to their visit to Toronto.
NOTES: Houston outshot Toronto 33-26The Marlies played their second consecutive game without leading scorer David Ling, who’s with his family following the recent passing of his father.
Source: Pogge and Marlies blank Aeros
