Toronto Marlies win AHL’s Calder Cup

The Toronto Marlies have captured the American Hockey League's Calder Cup, securing their second championship title by defeating the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in Game 5 of the finals. The decisive goal came from Vinni Lettieri on the power play in the second period.

With this victory, the Marlies clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1. Their previous AHL championship was won in 2018. Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Jacob Quillan also scored for Toronto in the second period, while Landon Sim netted a goal late in the first to narrow Chicago's lead.

Artur Akhtyamov was instrumental in the win, making 27 saves. The 24-year-old goaltender was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the AHL playoffs' most valuable player. Throughout the postseason, Akhtyamov recorded a 15-7 win-loss record, a 2.22 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and two shutouts in 22 appearances.

The Marlies had a strong playoff run, finishing with a 16-8 record and winning 10 of their last 13 games. They navigated through four previous series, defeating the Rochester Americans, Laval Rocket, Cleveland Monsters, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before eliminating Chicago. This achievement makes them only the third team in AHL history to win five series in a single playoff year.