Easton Cowan registered three assists, as the Toronto Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-3 to win the Calder Cup. Toronto defeated Chicago four games to one, to capture the Calder Cup for the second time in franchise history, the first time since 2018.

Chicago raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, as Felix Unger Sorum beat Toronto’s Artur Akhtyamov for the game’s opening goal. Josiah Slavin added an insurance marker, assisted by Sorum. From there onwards, Toronto tiled the contest. Landon Sim put the Marlies on the board, tipping home a point shot from Matt Benning, cutting the lead to 2-1 entering the first intermission.

Bo Groulx tied the game on the power play, after Cowan froze Chicago’s defence with an excellent shot-fake. Cowan found Groulx at 3:04 of the second period, and Toronto’s dynamic winger dominated the game. Cowan set up Jacob Quillan through the middle of the ice for a go-ahead goal.

Vinni Lettieri added what stood as the game-winning goal, rocketing a shot from the point on the power play. Cowan won the puck back to the point, over to William Villeneuve, who dished it to Letteri. Lettieri’s goal rocked the Coca-Cola Coliseum, as the Marlies crowd broke into several “WE WANT THE CUP!” chants throughout the evening.

It was an outstanding playoff campaign from Lettieri, who led all scorers with 11 goals and 26 points throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs. Villeneuve was also in excellent form, on the offensive end, adding two goals and 23 points, finishing second among all scorers.

Unger Sorum scored his second goal of the contest late in the second period, under some controversial circumstances. Akhtyamov made an excellent save, then the puck appeared to be covered, but after several seconds, Unger Sorum relocated the puck and scored with six seconds remaining in the period.

With the Calder Cup on the line, the Marlies held onto a 4-3 lead during the third period, skating away as Calder Cup champions on home ice. It’s a tremendous accomplishment for the team, and expect several Marlies champions to compete for Maple Leafs’ roster spots next fall, with Cowan already stapled within the top-nine.

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