Luke Haymes gave the Toronto Marlies something to hang onto, but it still wasn’t enough to beat Rockford.
Haymes buried the tying goal with 29 seconds left in regulation, and Toronto stormed back from an early two-goal hole to force overtime before dropping a 3-2 decision. The Marlies controlled much of the second period, pushed the pace for long stretches, and finished with a 36-18 edge in shots. But a costly turnover in overtime ended it quickly when Landon Slaggert scored on a 2-on-0.
“We didn’t start on time. We knew they were going to be aggressive, and their defensemen would pinch hard.
The first 10 minutes they took a two-goal lead, and now we’re playing catchup. We’ve got to be able to dictate the play right from the get-go and not wait for a Danford fight to get us going.”
Steve Sullivan’s assessment fit the night. Toronto spent the opening minutes absorbing Rockford’s pressure, and the IceHogs grabbed the first goal on a Gavin Hayes power-play chance from below the goal line that clipped Artur Akhtyamov and slipped behind him. The visitors then doubled the lead at the midway point of the period when Derrick Pouliot’s unusual-looking shot beat Akhtyamov after a long defensive-zone shift that left Toronto chasing.
The Marlies got a jolt from Ben Danford’s big hit on Dominic Toninato, but the response came with a fight against Taige Harding, and the officials did not call Harding for an instigator. That sequence sparked Toronto for a shift, with Brendan Brisson and Ryan Tverberg generating looks, but the IceHogs still looked like the sharper team early.
Toronto’s best first-period stretch came after a delay-of-game penalty on Philippe Myers and the ensuing penalty kill held firm. Then, with under three minutes left in the opening frame, Dakota Joshua made a strong move into the high slot, the puck came loose after Stanislav Berezhnoy stopped the shot, and Logan Shaw finished a one-timer from the left circle to cut the deficit to 2-1.
From there, the game flipped.
The second period belonged almost entirely to Toronto, even if the scoreboard didn’t budge. Akhtyamov was tested only four times, but the chances came fast and often at the other end as Rockford goalie Berezhnoy turned away a string of quality looks.
Marc Johnstone had three Grade-A chances. Borya Valis, Luke Haymes, Brisson and Myers all had opportunities that should have at least forced Berezhnoy to sweat a little more.
Haymes and Brisson also missed the net from dangerous spots in the slot.
Toronto outshot Rockford 16-4 in the period and spent much of it in attack mode. Still, the Marlies couldn’t find the equalizer.
That nearly changed in the third, when Akhtyamov delivered several big stops to keep the game within reach. He robbed Marek Vanacker on a 2-on-1 and later turned aside another dangerous chance after Noah Chadwick’s turnover. Jamie Engelbert rang a shot off the iron around the eight-minute mark, with the sequence sparked by his neutral-zone hit on Hayes Hundley that looked suspiciously like knee-on-knee.
Rockford shifted into a more defensive posture as the period wore on, but Toronto kept pressing. A sequence with about five minutes left, started by Hundley setting up Matthew Barbolini in the slot, helped the Marlies find another gear.
The pressure eventually led to a wild delay-of-game penalty on Cavan Fitzgerald, and Toronto made the most of the six-on-five setup. After winning consecutive faceoffs, Brisson found Haymes, who headed straight to the net and had his stick on the ice for a backdoor tap-in.
Overtime didn’t last long. Danford changed at a bad time, Logan Shaw gambled at the blue line, and Rockford broke the other way for the game-winner. Vinny Borgesi tried to get back and help, but he couldn’t stop Slaggert from finishing the 2-on-0.
The Marlies went 2-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Brisson kept his scoring streak rolling, extending it to seven games with two primary assists. He now has 13 points in eight games.
Joshua looked much sharper in his third game of a conditioning stint, bringing a physical edge and creating chances of his own. Barbolini made his season debut on a PTO and settled in as the game went on, showing some chemistry with Aatu Räty.
Haymes continued his strong start with his third goal and seventh point in eight games.
Borgesi also stood out while handling the first power-play unit, filling in for the injured William Villeneuve and picking up an assist on Toronto’s first goal. Akhtyamov, despite giving up the opening tally, still gave the Marlies a chance to claw back into it.
“He was a little rusty to start off,” said Sullivan. “He has been on a lot of planes and has been away from us a little bit.
He hasn’t had a lot of practice time. But I thought he settled in and made some big saves when we needed it down the stretch.
We gave up some odd-man rushes and grade-A scoring chances, and he kept it at a one-goal deficit for us and gave us a chance to tie it up.”
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