Marlies give faithful fans their money’s worth
It was the third period, the game was tied and the Marlies were shorthanded two men.
And as the Grand Rapids Griffins pressed for the go-ahead goal, it was chaos in the Marlies’ end. Goalie Christopher Gibson made save after save, and Tom Nilsson and Andrew MacWilliam sacrificed their bodies blocking shots.
The two penalties — one a five-minute major, the other a minor — ended nine seconds apart. The Ricoh Coliseum crowd was on its feet, erupting when Matt Rupert (serving a penalty to Victor Loov) and then Connor Brown returned to the ice.
“Talk about feeding off the energy from the crowd,” said Marlies coach Gord Dineen. “After that kill, the ovation the guys got you could see them rise up. They really responded.”
Acouple of shifts later, T.J. Brennan scored the go-ahead goal and the crowd got even louder.
“That’s why we play the game, for moments like this,” said Brennan. “It’s playoff hockey in Toronto. The city needs something to cheer about. That’s what we’re trying to do — bring that energy, bring that passion back to the city.
“It starts from within. We’re trying to do everything we can. We believe.”
The Marlies won 5-2 Sunday and hold a 2-0 series lead over the Grif- fins in their best-of-five playoff series. Game 3 goes Wednesday in Grand Rapids.
Matt Frattin led the way with two goals after Grand Rapids opened a two-goal lead. Brown and Greg McKegg got empty-netters.
Yes, there’s playoff hockey in To- ronto. Two games, two wins, two great crowds at the Ricoh Centre, both well over 7,000 fans. The Toronto Marlies really seem to have found their niche in the crowded Toronto sports market in offering fans a place to wear blue and white with pride.
“I know the NHL is big business, but when (the Leafs) are out of the playoffs our guys are in, year after year,” said Marlies fanatic Christine Castronaro. “This is such a fun atmosphere. It’s really family oriented.”
A Marlies crowd is certainly not a Leafs crowd. Prices at the Ricoh, from season seats to the concession stands, are a fraction of what Leaf fans pay at the Air Canada Centre.
“The Leaf games are so quiet because it’s so corporate,” said Castronaro. “Here everyone wants to yell and scream and cheer on our boys.”
Castrano pays about $1,000 for a pair of season seats seven rows from the ice. That price might get you a couple games at the ACC.
“Toronto is a great city, it’s a city that loves hockey,” said Brennan, one of the more beloved Marlies who got a handful of games with the Leafs this season. “To me, it’s the centre of the hockey world.
“That’s such a positive thing in my eyes. I grew up where hockey is not the main sport. You come to a place where everyone knows where it is, everyone has played it. You try and give them what they come for. You want to give them everything you have.
“It’s something for both the fans and everyone that we’re all a part of a bigger thing moving forward. We’re trying to gather people together and get this city going. It’s a great city. We want to respect it and do the best we can.”
There’s certainly some bad blood brewing between the two teams, with some nasty checks and a few fights.
Loov was tossed after a check to Zach Nastasiuk’s head. The Griffins forward left the game. That came a few minutes after Martin Frk rattled the Marlies’ Josh Leivo.
“It’s the playoffs,” said Dineen. “Guys are starting to build up some rivalries.”