McKegg scores twice, Sparks makes 38 saves as Marlies down Barons 4-1

TORONTO - Greg McKegg scored twice as the Toronto Marlies downed the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 in American Hockey League action Sunday.

McKegg tied the game 1-1 in the second period and then scored the insurance marker in the third as the Marlies won their third consecutive game and earned a split against the Barons in the season series with one win a piece.

Jamie Devane and Brandon Kozun had the other goals for Toronto (31-17-4).

Anton Lander had the lone goal for Oklahoma City (23-24-7).

With the loss the Barons dropped two of three in a three-game, three-night stretch over the weekend.

The Barons won the only other meeting of the season between the two clubs, 5-3, Jan. 30 in Oklahoma City.

Garret Sparks, who was making his first start since Jan. 31, made 38 saves for the win and improved to 2-2-0 at Ricoh Coliseum this season.

Richard Bachman made 27 saves for his 14th loss of the season.

Kozun made it 4-1, on a power play, at 17:10 re-directing a T.J. Brennan shot past Bachman.

McKegg's second of the night at 9:42 gave the Marlies a 3-1 lead. McKegg picked up a pass from Kenny Ryan and beat Bachman blocker-side for his 13th of the season on a power play.

The Marlies scored twice in a sixty-eight second span of the middle frame to erase an early 1-0 deficit.

McKegg tied it 1-1 at 8:34 taking a Stuart Percy feed and one timing it over the glove hand of Bachman for his 12th of the season.

Just over a minute later, Devane slapped a loose puck past a screened Bachman for his third of the season giving Toronto its first lead, 2-1.

Oklahoma City opened the scoring on a second period 5-on-3 power play as Lander's pass re-directed off of Korbinian Holzer and past Sparks at 3:48 of the second.

Toronto had an excellent chance to open the scoring at 12:15 of the first period as Josh Leivo re-directed a Ryan feed past Bachman, but hit the post.

With a minute remaining in the opening period, Mark Acrobello beat Sparks glove-side but rang his shot off the post.

Just prior to the Acrobello chance, Peter Holland got a shot through the pads of Bachman, but Barons' defenceman David Musil was there to clear the rolling puck before it crossed the goal line.

Holland was playing his first game with the Marlies since being re-assigned on Saturday. In three games with the Marlies this season, Holland has three goals.