Toronto Marlies Rally Twice, Alexander Nylander Seals 7-4 Matinee Win
Toronto rallied twice and finished with two empty-net goals, Alexander Nylander sealing a 7-4 matinee win with 1:10 left at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Alexander Nylander’s empty-netter with 1:10 remaining capped a 7-4 comeback as the Toronto Marlies rallied twice to defeat the Cleveland Monsters in a matinee at Coca-Cola Coliseum on March 4, 2026. Toronto erased a 3-1 first-period deficit and a 4-3 second-period edge by Cleveland before pulling away in the third.
Cleveland jumped out in the first when Roman Ahcan opened the scoring at 5:50 with assists from Luca Pinelli and Owen Sillinger. Logan Shaw answered for Toronto at 16:31, but Ahcan struck again at 18:07 to restore a one-goal lead. Luca Del Bel Belluz finished the burst of Cleveland scoring with a late first-period goal at 19:45, set up by Will Butcher and Corson Ceulemans, leaving the Monsters ahead 3-1 after 20 minutes.
Toronto chipped away in the second. Michael Pezzetta converted at 5:49 to cut the margin to 3-2, and Benoit-Olivier Groulx tied it at 12:55 to make it 3-3. Cleveland regained a 4-3 lead when Brendan Gaunce scored at 18:32 with helpers from Dysin Mayo and Zach Aston-Reese. The period scoreboard read Cleveland 4, Toronto 3.
The third period belonged to the Marlies. Luke Haymes tied the game at 5:42, and Vinni Lettieri put Toronto ahead at 7:19. Multiple recaps describe one of those early third-period strikes as a power-play goal, though the available play-by-play excerpts do not definitively assign the PPG to Haymes or Lettieri. Benoit-Olivier Groulx added an empty-net goal at 17:57, and Alexander Nylander finished the scoring at 18:50 (reported as with 01:10 remaining), giving Toronto a 7-4 final. Groulx finished with two goals for the Marlies; Ahcan had a two-goal game for the Monsters.
The shot-story underlines the drama: Cleveland outshot Toronto 42-22, yet Toronto converted seven times on its 22 shots. That discrepancy points to striking offensive efficiency for the Marlies and a need for further clarification on Cleveland goaltending numbers. News-Herald and Morning Journal published a line that Ivan Fedotov saved 15 of 20 shots faced, a figure that conflicts with the reported 42-22 shot totals and the seven goals allowed; the team boxscore and play-by-play should be consulted to reconcile goalie minutes, shots faced, and any relief appearances.
The result altered the ledger shown in team materials: ClevelandMonsters lists the Monsters at 29-18-6-1 and in third place in the AHL North Division after the loss, while the Marlies’ boxscore header shows Toronto at 27-18-4-5. The Monsters return home for two games against longtime rival Grand Rapids beginning March 6, and one recap noted the Marlies will face a Moose club on March 6 at 7 p.m. CST.
On-ice, this game highlighted individual performances that matter for development and roster evaluation: Ahcan’s multi-goal night and Groulx’s two scores are concrete outputs scouts and front offices track, while Toronto’s ability to overturn a multi-goal deficit underlines depth scoring at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Off the ice, the matinee setting combined with a wild finish produces the kind of late-season theater that can boost local engagement and ticket-market value for AHL clubs as they head into March scheduling and divisional races.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
