""They were better than us in the third period. They played desperately. We can't shoot ourselves in the foot like that." - John Gruden"
""We knew they had a really good power play, and they showed it. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, and I was part of it. I took a stupid one [penalty in the third period] when I tried to strip the puck from a guy. We have to learn from it.""
The Springfield Thunderbirds entered the game ranked 29th and had lost five straight while allowing 26 goals, prompting a coaching change to Steve Ott. The Toronto Marlies surrendered momentum through sloppy possession, turnovers, and poor discipline, enabling Springfield to complete a comeback and capture the extra point in overtime. The Marlies have emphasized increased pace and intensity but failed to translate that onto the ice. The first period featured shaky play and below-par ice, early saves by Vadim Zherenko and Artur Akhtyamov, and a turnover that led to Cédric Paré creating a rebound finished by rookie Borya Valis. Missed opportunities to extend the lead and a costly third-period penalty compounded the Marlies' problems and exposed them to Springfield's effective power play.
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