Toronto Marlies Fall in Overtime, Calder Cup Finals Continue
The Toronto Marlies’ hopes of clinching the Calder Cup at home were dashed on Thursday night after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Wolves in Game 2 of the AHL Finals. The defeat, sealed by Viktor Neuchev’s goal at 3:18 of overtime, stunned the 8,401 fans gathered at Coca-Cola Coliseum who had been poised to celebrate a potential championship.
A Promising Lead Slips Away
Toronto had entered the third period with momentum following a strong first two frames. Jacob Quillan and Luke Haymes scored on the power play—Quillan with a creative backhanded goal between his legs and Haymes converting a rebound on a 3-on-2 rush. Ryan Tverberg added another to make it 3-1 early in the second period during a 48-second 5-on-3 advantage.
However, the Marlies failed to capitalize on a late second-period power play, and Chicago responded with two quick goals before the six-minute mark of the third. Defenseman Domenick Fensore and Justin Robidas—son of former Maple Leaf Stéphane Robidas—combined for the equalizer, with Robidas wrapping around goaltender Artur Akhtyamov’s cage to tie the game.
Coach and Players Respond
Head coach John Gruden remained optimistic despite the setback, emphasizing confidence in his team’s resilience. He confirmed that Akhtyamov would remain in net for Game 3, joking, “Artie doesn’t understand English anyway,” referencing Wolves coach Spiros Anastas’ suggestion that his team had “solved” the Russian goaltender after his 1-0 shutout in Game 3.
Gruden acknowledged the team’s hesitancy in the third period, particularly on the power play and in managing rebounds. “We’ll be better tomorrow,” he said, noting Akhtyamov’s .928 save percentage throughout the playoffs.
Villeneuve Takes Responsibility
Defenseman William Villeneuve, who assisted on Haymes’ goal earlier in the game, took personal blame for the overtime loss after a failed breakout pass contributed to Neuchev’s winner. “Unacceptable,” Villeneuve said. “I have to get better, I have to keep going.”
Captain Logan Shaw expressed faith in his teammates’ ability to rebound, citing rookie Easton Cowan’s recovery from an earlier playoff mistake. “We’re fine, we’re in good spirits,” Shaw said. “You give us this position in March and we would have taken it. There is a lot of hockey to play and you know the last win is the hardest.”
Wolves Embrace Elimination Mentality
Chicago, affiliated with the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, improved to 4-0 in elimination games this postseason. Coach Anastas, a Toronto native, framed Friday’s Game 3 as a “Game 7 mentality” situation.
“Our approach is the Game 7 mentality,” Anastas said. “We’re perfect in elimination games, so it’s Game 7. These games were close—all one goal or no goals—so maybe we’ll take one more and bring it back to Chicago.”
Goaltender Cayden Primeau, who began the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as injury replacement for Joseph Woll, made 32 saves to keep his team alive. Anastas praised his squad’s urgency: “Arty is a great scorer and maybe we cracked him a little bit today with our urgency at the net.”
Series Shifts to Friday
With the series now tied 1-1, Game 3 is set for Friday at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Wolves will look to take Games 6 and 7 back to Chicago if necessary, while the Marlies aim to regain control of the best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals.
Lance Hornby reports for the Toronto Sun. Contact him at Lhornby@postmedia.com or follow on X: @sunhornby.
