THUNDER BAY – When the stakes are at their highest, Will Cuylle is a guy the Toronto Marlboros know they can count on.
A highly touted prospect heading into the 2018 Ontario Hockey League draft, the speedy winger scored the triple overtime, Game 7 winner that earned the Marlies the 2017 Greater Toronto Hockey League title and a spot at this week’s 2017 All Ontario Bantam AAA Championship.
He was at it again on Wednesday, although there was really no doubt about the outcome.
Cuylle scored three goals and added a pair of assists to lead undefeated Toronto (5-0-0) to an 8-0 drubbing of the host Thunder Bay Kings and grabbed a share of the tournament scoring lead, his six goals and eight assists identical to stats put up by teammate Stephen Halliday.
Halliday scored a pair and added a helper in the Marlboros latest win, while Reid Valade had a goal and three assists.
“It’s good, but I’ve got to give credit to my line-mates,” Cuylle said. “They were finding me out there. The whole team played well. Hopefully we keep rolling and finish the tournament off in style.”
It’s the type of performance the Marlboros have come to expect from Cuylle, who scored once in each period of Toronto’s latest one-side rout.
He’s doing it knowing there are plenty hockey eyes taking in his performance, which can be a touch nerve-wracking for a teenager who wants the game to take him as far as he can in years to come.
But it’s also something he’s learning to live with.
“I feel a little pressure sometimes with the scouts in the stands. I love playing hockey and I just love doing it. Sometimes you just forget about everything and just go out there and do what you love,” Cuylle said.
The game was one Thunder Bay coach Ed Atwill would just as soon forget – although he hopes his players learned a little something from their opponent.
“They’re a good team. They obviously have a large pool to pick from, so every player makes good decisions, can skate, can shoot and can handle the puck very well. It makes it tough when lose a bit of our structure and a little bit of our focus,” Atwill said.
“Bad things can happen pretty quick.”
Liam Babcock and Kallaway Mercer had Toronto’s other goals, Babcock’s a rocket from in tight that Thunder Bay goalie Connor Lemieux had no chance to stop, the Marlies taking a 2-0 lead after one. They’d double it to 4-0 after three, adding four more goals in a chippy third period that showed no love lost between the two teams.
Aidan Spooner made 13 stops for the shutout.
The Kings (0-2-2) are in a must-win situation and face-off Wednesday night against Northern Ontario rival Fort Frances Canadians at 7 p.m. Toronto wraps up round-robin play on Thursday morning against North Bay.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Toronto Cuylle (Moore, Valade) 7:06. 2. Toronto, Babcock (Halliday) 13:27. Penalties: Mackenzie TB (hooking) 8:27.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Toronto, Mercer (Moore) 11:30. 4. Toronto Cuylle (Valade) 14:57. Penalties: Perala TB (tripping) 4:40, Valade TOR (cross checking) 12:18.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Toronto, Valade, (Moore, Cuylle) 5:42. 6. Toronto Cuylle (Valade) 5:55. 7. Toronto, Halliday (Cuylle, Babcock) 7:59. 8. Toronto, Halliday (unassisted) 10:32. Penalties: Halushak TB, Alexander TOR (head contact double minor) 5:23, Pineau TB (hooking) 7:54.
GAME DATA – SOG – Thunder Bay 4-5-4-13, Toronto 16-10-11-37; Power plays (goals-chances) – Thunder Bay (0-1), Toronto (0-1); Goaltenders – Thunder Bay : Connor Lemieux, Toronto – Aidan Spooner; A: 600 (estimated).
