SPRINGFIELD – Steve Ott experienced a memorable coaching debut for the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night.
Toronto seemed in control to begin things, as it scored first and then soon extended that lead to two. But the momentum was short-lived, as the Thunderbirds countered with multiple third-period goals to force overtime.
And that’s when the Thunderbirds finished what they started. Less than one minute into the extra frame, Aleksanteri Kaskimäki skated around his own net and attempted to create space from his lone defender alongside the board.
But as Kaskimäki neared the opposing net, he connected with Theo Lindstein on a cross pass near the left crease for the eventual game-winning goal to seal Springfield a come-from-behind 4-3 win against Toronto inside the MassMutual Center.
“Emotions are great,” Ott said. “I liked that first step because a win is great. But we started to see a lot of great things on the ice. There are going to be a few things we can tighten up, but I loved our second period because I thought we held the momentum for the rest of the game.”
After five minutes of scoreless action, Toronto regained possession in its zone after an opposing turnover. Moments later, Cédric Paré located Borya Valis along the right wing as Thunderbirds netminder Vadim Zherenko (29 saves) attempted to block Valis’ initial shot attempt with an outstretched split.
Though Zherenko succeeded at first, the rebound came back toward Valis, which allowed the forward to momentarily give the Marlies a one-goal lead behind his 10th-season goal. Paré earned his seventh assist on the drive, while Benoit-Olivier Groulx earned his 13th on the secondary.
The momentum was short-lived, though, as Marc-André Gaudet took a pass from Zach Dean and maneuvered along the right red faceoff circle. With no defenders near, Gaudet unleashed a wrister through traffic to help Springfield even the score at 1-1 with 12:30 left in the first period.
Gaudet recorded his third season-goal on the drive, while Dean posted his second assist for the game’s second combined goal in just over two minutes.
But as we learned earlier in the period, no lead is safe. And that example was proven correct, as Toronto earned the game’s first power-play attempt since Calle Rosén was whistled for tripping during the 14th minute of action.
For a moment, it seemed like the Thunderbirds were about to kill the opening penalty. The Marlies said otherwise, though, as Paré sent home a wrister just past the dive of Leo Lööf. In response, Toronto regained a 2-1 lead with three seconds left on the successful power-play attempt.
That marked Paré’s second point of the contest, while Groulx and Logan Shaw earned their 14th and 15th respective helpers to ensure their team a one-goal lead as both teams entered the first intermission.
During the final minute of the first period, the Marlies earned their second power-play attempt, as Kaskimäki was called for holding. And to begin the second period, there only remained 1:11 on the previous penalty. But that was more than enough time for Toronto to set up its offense.
Now with just under 40 seconds left on the power-play attempt, Vinni Lettieri nearly doubled the Marlies’ cushion as the center attempted a rebounder along the weak side. But then Zherenko slid to his right to keep it a one-possession game with 19:21 left in the second.
“After the first period, it was a little bit ugly,” Ott said. “But (Zherenko) came out and gave us a great effort right until the end of it all. I thought he got across the crease well, and his lateral movement was outstanding. He made some real key saves and gave us a chance to win that game.”
With fewer than seven minutes left in the frame, Springfield earned its first power-play attempt as Marc Johnstone was called for holding. And the Thunderbirds nearly evened the score, as Matthew Peca secured a pass along the left wing and skated across the opposing crease.
The attempt was unsuccessful, though, as Toronto netminder Artur Akhtyamov made one of his game-high 35 saves against Peca’s backhander to ensure the Marlies still remained ahead after the game’s third combined power-play attempt.
And that proved essential, as Toronto regained possession in its zone once it regained full strength. Moments later, Johnstone attempted to locate Groulx in the center of the crease. But the right-winger’s pass deflected off an opposing skate.
That was no problem, though, as Groulx recovered the loose puck and countered with his 19th-season goal to double the Marlies’ cushion to 3-1 with 4:15 left on the clock.
But that latest statistic didn’t come without any fireworks, as Springfield and Toronto had to be separated for back-to-back fights during the final minutes.
And the final tilt between Simon Robertsson (Springfield) and Marshall Rifai (Toronto) got tense, as Rifai connected with Robertsson’s unprotected head multiple times near the ice.
In response to the outcome, Rifai was given a game misconduct for being the aggressor and then a five-minute fighting penalty before he was ultimately ejected from the game. Through 40 minutes of action, the Marlies remained ahead by two despite being outshot by the Thunderbirds, 24-23.
Despite the previous outcome, Springfield didn’t go down without another fight, as Michael Buchinger connected with Chris Wagner for his 11th-season goal to help the Thunderbirds cut their deficit in half with 12:09 left in regulation.
During the final seven minutes of regulation, Springfield trailed by one as it earned its fourth combined power-play attempt. Despite going 0-for-3 on its initial attempts, the Thunderbirds remained poised.
And that determination prevailed, as Kaskimäki located Matt Luff along the right red faceoff circle. With no defenders near and an open net, Luff sent home a wrister for his 100th career AHL goal to even the score at 3-3 with 5:31 left in regulation.
Both teams finished a combined 2-for-7 on the man-advantage, as that score sent the game into overtime.
Springfield will continue its five-game homestand against Belleville on Saturday at 6:05 p.m., while Toronto will travel to Hartford on the same date at 7:30 p.m.
The game will also represent “Peca Bobblehead Night” in honor of the Thunderbirds’ captain. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receieve the commemorative item.
“You know you’re going to be playing on tired legs on these back-to-back games,” Ott said. “But right now, I thought our guys got good minutes, and we got out of the game pretty well. But for us, it’s very similar. When the games are back-to-back, you are a little bit tired, and teams are waiting, you have to play with that same type of mentality.
“You can’t beat yourselves in these, and that’s what we’re going to be looking for tomorrow.”
