The Amerks played their first of two preseason games against the Toronto Marlies on Friday night and lost by the final score of 7-3.  Not much is known about the game other than Michal Repik, Triston Grant and Ryan Del Monte scored goals for the Amerks.  Tyler Plante played the first approximately 30 minutes and only allowed one goal.  Marc Cheverie replaced Plante midway through the second period and the other six goals were scored against.

The only thing I’d take away from the loss is that Cheverie has some work to do.  The same can probably be said about Brian Foster who I am assuming will see some action on Saturday.  Right now those two are battling to be the first call up when either Markstrom or Plante get injured or called up at some point this season, something that’s guaranteed to happen (an injury or callup that is).

The same two teams play again Saturday evening at Gaylord Powless Arena in Ohsweken, Ontario.  It’s considered a home game for the Amerks so we’ll probably get some better updates as the Amerks staff will be working the game.

Here’s the recap from the Amerks about the game:

(Bradford, ON- Oct 1, 2010)… The Toronto Marlies scored five unanswered goals to rally from a 3-2 deficit en route to a 7-3 win tonight over the Rochester Americans at Bob Fallis Arena. The game was the first-ever American Hockey League contest to be played in Bradford, Ontario, and the first of back-to-back exhibition tilts between the two teams this weekend.

Michal Repik (1+1) and Adam Comrie (0+2) each chipped in two points apiece, while goaltenders Tyler Plante and Marc Cheverie split time between the pipes for the Amerks.
Marcel Mueller led the Marlies with a three-point night (2+1) and forward Mikhail Stefanovich powered Toronto’s offense with a pair of tallies of his own.

The Amerks struck first midway through the opening period when Repik slammed home Comrie’s rebound from the right of the goal at 11:58 for his first of the preseason. Comrie boomed a shot from the center point, but despite an initial save by Toronto goalie James Reimer, Repik was able to get his stick on the rebound and put it past the defenseless Marlies netminder to give Rochester a 1-0 lead. The tally would hold up as the lone goal through the first 20 minutes of play.

The teams would exchange goals in the second stanza, including just 1:02 into the frame as Dale Mitchell beat Plante to knot the game at one apiece. Justin Hodgman and Mueller would each earn assists on the play.

Toronto took its first lead of the contest at 12:55 of the period on a shorthanded goal from Mueller after a costly turnover by the Amerks. Rochester’s Max Lacroix attempted to feed defenseman Mike Caruso along the blueline on the power-play, but his pass was intercepted by Mueller who raced down the ice and beat Plante low stick-side for his second point of the night.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Rochester answered back with a pair of goals 2:35 apart from newly acquired Triston Grant and SUNY Oswego’s Eric Selleck, each converting on rebounds to put the Amerks back on top 3-2.

From there it was all Toronto, using a late second-period goal from Stefanovich to jumpstart a five-goal run. In the third period, Kyle Rank and former Amerk Drew Paris potted back-to-back goals within a two-minute span against University of Denver netminder Marc Cheverie who came into replace Plante. Mueller and Stefanovich would provide the Marlies with a four-goal cushion with their second goals of the game 58 seconds apart later in the period to seal the win for Toronto.