AHL: Marlies on a High

The Toronto Marlies advanced to the second round of the AHL playoffs for the first time in club history, fending off the San Antonio Rampage in a hard-fought seven-game series. They won a crucial Game 7 at home in the confines of Ricoh Coliseum on Monday April 28, 2008 and open up the second round against divisional rivals, Syracuse Crunch. The Rampage forced Game 7 after winning Game 6 by a 3-0 score and Toronto won a tight 2-1 game on the strength of veteran Bates Battaglia's seeing-eye goal with 59 seconds left in the third period. Battaglia curled just inside the blueline and floated a harmless wristshot towards the San Antonio net that found a hole and trickled through Josh Tordjman. The Rampage goaltender was outstanding in both games in Toronto and throughout the series after taking over from a shaky Al Montoya who started the series. Despite the veteran flavor of the first round victory, some of the Marlies prospects played a part in the series win. McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros was on hand for Game 6 and 7 and files notes on several Marlies.

Jiri Tlusty (Tor), LW, Toronto Marlies

Started both games tentatively, almost overwhelmed by the pressure of the playoffs, but slowly made his mark as both games wore on .. followed up the play well, but was not creating much offensively, treating the puck like a hot potato most of the time early in both games .. he was not moving his feet and looked invisible without the puck, cherry picking and playing timid .. made some erratic plays with the puck when pressured in the offensive zone .. finally showed up later in both contests with an end-to-end rush, showing impressive puck protection and control, especially when he gathered steam through the neutral zone and penetrated the blueline .. one rush led to a San Antonio penalty, as he rushed through the zone and with slick hands beat the defenseman who had no choice but to haul him down .. was much better when playing a physical game along the wall and forcing the man with the puck - leading to a stripping of a Rampage defender at the blueline to create a turnover leading to a good scoring chance .. stopped moving his feet at times, which nearly cost the Marlies the game with a foolish penalty after making a bad decision to stickcheck standing still and taking down his man after being beaten late in the third period of Game 7 .. had to find his game, but it took more than half to show up in both affairs, looking good when moving, and not very good when he stopped moving his feet.

Kris Newbury (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Provided big-time physical play in both games, challenging the Rampage defensemen with heavy hitting and tenacious forechecking .. sometimes a little too enthusiastic in trying to get the hit and getting caught out of position .. feisty, playing with an edge, spraying the goaltender unchallenged, and generally giving an honest effort every single shift .. scored the opening goal in Game 7 by tipping in a pointshot in front of the net, a spot he often went to without the puck and battling for position in front .. big plays along the boards, not losing many battles, but despite the hard effort, he did not end up recovering many pucks, which is essentially the reason of physical work along the wall .. a veteran presence for the Marlies in both games, keeping his teammates honest in their own efforts.

Jay Harrison (Tor), D, Toronto Marlies

Sketchy positioning and weak skating made for a difficult two games for the blueliner, struggling at times with the puck and when pressured from forechecking .. loses the puck when pressured with inconsistent decisions and hurried plays .. has balance issues on his skates and could be caught out of position when trying to contain men along the boards or looking for the big hit .. weak skating, and balance equals increased effort, for minimal results .. tried the same play in Game 7 from the faceoff, taking a shot from the point that ended up going higher and higher with each attempt, a sign of frustration since tipping and rebounds weren't being taken into consideration, only trying to blast it through the goaltender .. all three shots ended up as saves by the Rampage goaltender, and at best were wasted efforts .. has a good approach to physical work, but can try to force transition plays with stick checks and toe drags that end up being turned over, which is not as bad in the neutral zone, as when he tries it in the defensive zone .. could be a dependable defenseman when he concentrates on positioning and picking his spots to jump in the rush.

John Mitchell (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Has really grown into a prime role with the Marlies and is a legitimate candidate to gain a spot with the rebuilding parent club next season .. has matured into a dependable leader on the club, playing a lot of minutes in the absence of Jeremy Williams and Robbie Earl, taking on more offensive duties, forechecking hard and coming back to help on the defensive end .. had a shoulder issue in the first round of the playoffs .. skated with a lot of confidence in both games, although he sometimes tried to force the play too much and neglected his linemates, especially on the rush .. drives hard to the net without the puck, and cuts from the wings fending off defenders for scoring chances .. creates offense on his own when there is not a legitimate outlet .. decent shot, used all over the offensive zone .. increased confidence has paid off by trying more high-risk moves all over the ice .. carries the puck and supports the rush with a good skating stride .. could look a little lazy sometimes breaking out, which could be from the extra icetime he received throughout the series .. has rounded out into a decent player, although he needs to use his teammates better when there is an outlet.

Staffan Kronwall (Tor), D, Toronto Marlies

Slow-footed with very little burst in acceleration .. has trouble transitioning from backwards to forwards skating, especially when facing speedy forwards from the outside .. makes up for lack of foot speed by using his stick and wingspan to limit space around him .. average physical work, while being knocked off balance easily .. tends to lose his man a lot in defensive zone coverage .. does not generate much speed from his stride, which should be better .. horrible play trying to contain a rushing forward while standing still, a trend through both games .. really needs to keep his feet moving considering a slow skating stride, especially off the hop .. has a penchant for keeping the play in the offensive zone, but does not pinch much .. decent shot from the point, and good passing ability.

Alex Foster (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Has to keep his feet moving especially in the offensive zone .. can look like he is skating through mud, although when he catches stride he reaches a decent top-end speed .. could use a more active stick .. hard worker along the boards and has a good ability to change direction in a hurry .. has a knack for going hard to the net without the puck, but needs to keep his stick down on the ice .. tenacious along the boards despite smallish stature .. dependable forward, able to play both special teams and a regular shift .. cycles well down low and gets to the net with fast breaks when he is moving his feet, otherwise is caught with the play going the other way.

Stefano Giliati (Tor), LW, Toronto Marlies

Signed to an amateur contract after a successful junior stint with the Lewiston MAINEiacs (65-40-47-87) and saw limited time in Game 6, while gaining more shifts in Game 7 .. overzealous attempt at staying onside at the blueline went all for naught, as he entered the zone early in anticipation, throwing the play offside .. does not get much time, but is a high-energy player when on the ice .. good anticipation and reads the play well .. made a good play banging and getting to his man in the offensive zone to force a turnover, taking a quick shot that went in, but was called back .. right before that play, he took a run at an opposition forward in the offensive zone, forcing the play .. displayed good decision-making not using his stick to hook the player when beaten along the boards .. sneaks behind the play very well, and uses hard strides to generate a decent top-end speed .. high-energy player, always giving an honest effort, skating hard and not afraid to lay into the opposition with good bodywork .. needs to develop his defensive game, especially defensive zone coverage.