Friday night, the Marlies snagged a 5-3 win against the Hershey Bears, a much needed rebound after a brutal weekend that saw them drop two games to the Rockford IceHogs. The IceHogs, affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks, were sitting near the bottom of the league, but those two wins pushed them into a three-way tie for second-last, right there with the Texas Stars and San Jose Barracuda. Only the Hamilton Hammers are worse by points%. Yeah, it’s a common mistake to think the Chicago Wolves are the Hawks’ affiliate, but nope, those are the Carolina Hurricanes’ guys.
The IceHogs Beatdown That Rocked the Boat
So, about those IceHogs games. The Marlies hadn’t played Rockford since March 1, 2023, a game they won 5-3. Man, time flies! Some names from that old roster are still around, like Marshall Rifai and Marc Johnstone. Others have moved on, like Kyle Clifford, who’s now in player development for the Leafs. Pontus Holmberg is killing it in the NHL with 10 points in 13 games, while Erik Källgren, the goalie from that 2023 game, is back in the SHL. Filip Král is over in Czechia, and Orrin Centazzo, who you might not even remember, is still playing in the French league. Video review and Artur Akhtyamov’s return were supposed to help this time around, but it didn’t quite click. The Marlies only managed one standings point from an overtime loss. Plus, they were missing a prolific goal scorer, Vinni Lettieri, who got called up to the Maple Leafs. And get this: Lettieri scored a goal with just 0:31 left in the third period against the Oilers, assisted by Gavin McKenna, in a game Toronto won 7-2! Talk about making an immediate impact.
Special Teams Surge Against the Bears
But Friday was a whole different story. The 5-3 victory over the Bears was a back and forth battle, absolutely loaded with special teams. Out of the eight total goals scored, five were power play goals, one was an empty-netter, and only two were at even strength. Sammy Hlavaj was in net for the Marlies, while the Bears had Cal Petersen, yeah, the same guy who started for the LA Kings for a few years. Funny how hockey works. And check it out, ex-Leafs Justin Holl and Joey Anderson are now rocking the Bears’ jersey. Big shout out to Borya Valis, who finally bagged his first and second goals of the season. He’s been peppering the net with shots, so those were long, long overdue. His first was one of the only two even-strength goals of the game. His second? Valis got a little assist from the Bears themselves on that one.
This kind of win, loaded with special teams heroics, is exactly what a team needs to reset after a rough patch. Let’s see if the Marlies can build on this momentum and show everyone that those IceHogs losses were just a bump in the road.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
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