TORONTO 2, SAN ANTONIO 1
Bates Battaglia broke a 1-1 tie with 58.1 seconds left in regulation, lifting Toronto to a dramatic 2-1 victory over San Antonio in Game 7 of their North Division semifinal on Monday at Ricoh Coliseum.
The Marlies secured their first-ever Calder Cup Playoff series victory and will square off with Syracuse in the division finals, begining Friday.
After a scoreless first period, Toronto’s Kris Newbury put his team on top with a power play goal at 9:59 of the second period.
The Rampage countered with a power play marker of their own at 6:51 of the third stanza, as Enver Lisin scored off a feed from Mike Zigomanis.
That set the stage for Battaglia’s series-winning goal in the final minute. Ben Ondrus picked up the lone assist.
Marlies goaltender Scott Clemmensen earned the victory with 37 saves on 38 shots.
Toronto will host Games 1 and 2 of the North Division finals against Syracuse on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
