Toronto Marlies Notebook: We’re Going Streaking

No Quit

The Marlies victory over the Hartford Wolfpack on December 2nd was very much a game they should not have won.

Their special teams were atrocious, their defensive play was miserable, and their on-ice discipline was severely lacking.

Trailing 3-1 in the third period with five minutes remaining, Andreas Johnsson went absolutely clobbered a Wolfpack player from behind, earning himself a five minute major and a game misconduct.

The Marlies would now be saddled with playing the final five minutes of the game on the penalty kill. All hope was lost.

Well, that was until Trevor Moore entered God-mode.

Down a man, Moore immediately stormed Hartford’s zone, tying the game with a great shot from in close, pulling the Marlies within one.

But Moore was far from finished.

With under a minute left in regulation, he received a terrific pass from Jeremy Bracco (we’ll get to him later) and buried it under the bar, tying the game at three.

A few minutes later, in overtime, Dmytro Timashov took the puck coast to coast and potted it to give the Marlies a stunning victory. It truly was a stunning comeback.

After the game, I asked Moore if there was a sense in the Marlies locker room that no deficit is insurmountable. His response said it all:

"For sure. We have a talented group, and it’s just a matter of how hard we work in the system that we want to play. We have a good enough team to come back from any deficit."

This team has no quit.

I’ve always held the belief that good teams find a way to win games they otherwise shouldn’t have. Well, The Marlies happen to be a very good team, and against Hartford, they did just that.