The Marlies dominated Game 7. They outshot the Stars 46-30, including 19-7 in the first period when they built a 2-0 lead. The game stayed 2-0 until the third period when the Marlies were able to extend the lead to 3-0 and then 4-1 before adding on a couple of late goals to make it a 6-1 final score.
Austin Fyten scored the lone goal, and goaltender Mike McKenna stopped 40 of 45 shots for the Stars, who had to fight for a playoff spot down the stretch of the regular season and then came within one win of the Calder Cup.
Andreas Johnsson, who was voted the playoff MVP, tallied two goals and one assist, Mason Marchment scored two goals, and Garret Sparks stopped 29 shots for the Marlies, who won the first Calder Cup in franchise history.
"I am so happy for everybody in this organization and all these fans," Marchment told Leafs Nation Network. "We worked so hard for this."
"This is my proudest day as a Marlie," said Sparks. "I can't believe we did it."
The Marlies controlled the first period, outshooting the Stars, 19-7, and tallying twice to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The Stars did, however, have a couple of chances to score the first goal of the game. Sheldon Dries hit the post while breaking in alone on net three minutes into the game and Sparks made a pad save on a point-blank bid by Travis Morin.
But not long after Sparks' save on Morin, the Marlies scored the game's first goal. After a Texas turnover in its own end, Johnsson took a pass from Carl Grundstrom and scored from close range 10:41 into the game to put Toronto up 1-0.
The Marlies pushed the lead to 2-0 with 17.2 seconds left in the first with a goal on the rush when Trevor Moore set up Marchment, who scored from the slot.
The Stars made a push in the second period and had a couple of great chances but couldn't get a puck past Sparks. Dillon Heatherington fired high at the open side of the net at the 7:40 mark and a couple of minutes later Sparks stopped a Matt Mangene bid from close range during a scramble at the net. Officials did conduct a lengthy video review of the Mangene attempt to see if the puck crossed the goal line, but it confirmed the call on the ice: No goal.
The Marlies made it a 3-0 game early in the third on a goal by Grundstrom, who took a cross-crease pass from Johnsson and scored into the open side of the net from the left circle at the 3:35 mark.
The Stars cut the lead to 3-1 at 11:01 when Fyten scored during a scramble at the Toronto net. There was a lengthy review, and officials determined the puck did cross the goal line and the Stars had some life.
But Johnsson scored on the rush at the 16:14 mark to put Toronto ahead 4-1. The Stars pulled McKenna for an extra attacker with 3:30 remaining and Marlies captain Ben Smith scored into the empty net to make it 5-1. Marchment scored with McKenna back in the net with just under a minute remaining to round out the scoring at 6-1.
