Rocket rock Marlies at home, series needs deciding Game 5

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Home was not where the heart was for the Toronto Marlies on Tuesday in their attempt to move on in the American Hockey League playoffs.

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After beating the Laval Rocket on home ice on Sunday in Game 3 of their AHL playoff series at Coca-Cola Coliseum, the Maple Leafs farm team gave up a first-minute goal and eventually fell 4-0. It forces a fifth and deciding match Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Place Bell, which is the home of the Montreal Canadiens’ top farm club.

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Forward Sammy Blais, who started the season at the Maple Leafs training camp, broke the game open for the North Division leaders with two second-period goals on Artur Akhtyamov after Alex Belzile beat the Russian on a breakaway just 46 seconds in. Laurent Dauphin scored short-handed as well.

Centre Jacob Quillan was among the Marlies blanked by Laval goaltendedr Kaapo Kahkonen after Toronto beat him four times in a 6-2 victory on Sunday. After 22 Akhtyamov stops, Dennis Hildeby played the third period for the Marlies, giving up one goal. Hildeby could start in Game 5 on Friday, after losing a close empty-net goal Game 1 in Laval.

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The game ended with a couple of lengthy scrums, with Maple Leafs regular Easton Cowan sitting it out in the penalty box.

Defenceman Adam Engstrom, with 34 points in 45 games for Laval before a call-up as a Montreal Canadiens’ playoff reserve, came back Tuesday.

The team which wins Game 5 on Friday will face the Cleveland Monsters in the North Division final. Cleveland dispatched of the Syracuse Crunch in four games in their division semifinal series, including a triple-overtime contest in the clinching Game 4 on Sunday.

Lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby

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