TORONTO– The Toronto Marlies could not carry over the good tidings from Christmas into Boxing Day.
In the annual “Boxing Day Classic” at Scotiabank Arena, the Marlies would fall to their local rival Belleville Senators 3-2. This is the second win for the Senators against the Marlies this season, after losing to Toronto 7-3 last Saturday.
The Senators would start the scoring, with center Josh Norris recording his 14th goal of the season. The Marlies would deliver a comeback present for the 14,596 fans, scoring two unanswered goals. Kenny Agostino would score his 16th goal of the season from a Jeremy Bracco cross-ice pass. In the second period, Adam Brooks would capitalize on the power play with his eighth goal of the season, giving the Marlies their first lead of the game.
But the Senators weren’t interested in receiving “coal in their stocking” in the form of two consecutive losses. Captain Jordan Szwarz got a tip-in goal on the powerplay, followed up by a Jack Dougherty short-handed goal (his second of the season). Despite a plethora of Marlies scoring chances in the third, the Senators would hold on, securing the victory bow.
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The Toronto Marlies fall to 18-8-2-1 on the season. Thursday’s Boxing Day contest was Marlies head coach Greg Moore‘s second game behind the bench. The Marlies hired Moore from the Chicago Steel to replace Sheldon Keefe when he got the promotion to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Marlies have yet to win a game at Scotiabank Arena this season. Their first game at the home of the Maple Leafs was a 5-3 loss to the Utica Comets in support of “Hockey Fights Cancer.”
The Marlies’ contest against the Senators was their first of three straight games. They travel on the road to take on the Laval Rocket on Friday and Saturday.
