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Ben Danford scores first professional goal, Marlies take Game 1 of Calder Cup Final
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Michael Coyle
Jun 13, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 13, 2026, 08:57 EDT
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The Toronto Marlies claimed the first game of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Finals on the road, defeating the Chicago Wolves 4-2 on Friday night.
Vinni Lettieri’s third-period goal with 8:29 to play broke a 2-2 tie before the 31-year-old officially put the game out of reach by extending the lead to 4-2 with an empty-net goal with nine seconds left to play. 
Lettieri is now tied for the playoff lead in goals with 10 and has become a force on the Marlies’ top line alongside Bo Groulx and captain Logan Shaw. The top line connected for three of the four goals and gave the Wolves trouble for much of the evening. 
After Wolves forward Bradly Nadeau opened the scoring by banging home a rebound from a Ryan Suzuki slot that Marlies goaltender Artur Akhtyamov was unable to control, rookie defenceman Ben Danford answered back just over six minutes later. 
Danford received a pass at the point from Lettieri, and the 20-year-old made no mistake, beating Wolves goaltender Amir Miftakhov blocker side to tie the game at 1-1 and pick up his first career professional goal. 
Since joining the Marlies in the North Division Finals after his junior career wrapped up, Danford has fit in seamlessly both on and off the ice. Through 12 games, Danford has picked up three points and received praise from Marlies head coach John Gruden during his appearance on Leafs Morning Take prior to Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals. 
“He continues to get better every game with his confidence, and we wouldn’t be here in this position without him,” Gruden said. “He continues to grow, and he’s definitely going to be a player you’re going to see in a Maple Leafs uniform for many years. He doesn’t have any identity issues; I think he knows exactly who he is. He moves pucks quick, he can close quick to make that first pass, and he continues to grow into his body and is getting stronger.”
Skyler Brind’ Amour broke the 1-1 tie when he beat Akhtyamov five-hole after streaking in alone on a feed from Noel Gunler. Once again, the Marlies didn’t waste much time answering, this time coming off the stick of veteran forward Cédric Paré. 
Paré received a no-look pass from Ryan Tverberg that sprung him in on his own, and Paré made no mistake, snapping a shot past Miftakhov’s blocker side to tie the game at 2-2 with 49 seconds left to play in the second period. 
Akhtyamov was once again brilliant for the Marlies, stopping 26 shots en route to his third consecutive victory. During these playoffs, Akhtyamov has appeared in 18 games and has posted a 12-6-0 record, a 2.12 goals-against average and a 0.927 save percentage. Like Danford, Akhtyamov was quick to receive praise from Gruden for his play during this run to the finals. 
“Artur [Akhtyamov] has just taken the net, and he’s done a really good job with it. It’s just quiet confidence. Everyone has different confidence, and they act differently; his is a quiet confidence, but he’s got that smile on his face when he comes to the rink every day,” Gruden said during Leafs Morning Take. “He works extremely hard, and he’s very athletic. He has the ability to make those game-changing saves that you’re going to need at moments within the game, and he’s given our group a lot of confidence.” 
The Marlies and Wolves will square off for Game 2 of the series on Sunday, June 14 at Allstate Arena. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m EST. 
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