Marlies, and Pogge, still alive

Leaf fans got their first post-season glimpse of the team's "goalie of the future" Justin Pogge last night.

And it couldn't have come at a better time.

The 22-year-old was stellar as the Toronto Marlies staved off elimination with a 6-1 rout of the Chicago Wolves before 2,713 at Ricoh Coliseum.

Pogge entered these playoffs – his first as a pro – a month ago as the backup after Marlies coach Greg Gilbert decided to go with veteran Scott Clemmensen, who was Martin Brodeur's backup for seven NHL seasons in New Jersey.

Pogge, the Leafs' first pick in the 2004 NHL draft (90th overall), was forced to take a lesson in patience.

Last night, with the Marlies trailing 3-0 in the series and facing elimination in the Western Conference final, Gilbert decided his team needed a shakeup.

The call went out to Pogge, who had appeared in two separate periods this post-season but had not started since April 12, the second last game of the regular season.

Well, there was a call, but Pogge didn't have his cell phone on.

"Yeah, I was really surprised (about the start), I didn't have my cell phone on and there were a bunch of missed calls when I turned it on again," Pogge said with a sheepish grin.

Pogge went on to stop 24 of 25 shots. He wasn't the difference, but he was solid, and the Marlies found their game for the first time in this series, scoring first and never looking back.

Colin Murphy, in his second game back from a shoulder injury, scored a pair of goals while Andy Wozniewski, Chris Harrington, Staffan Kronwall and Alex Foster had the others.

Three of those goals came on breakaways, and the Marlies chased Chicago goalie Ondrej Pavelec after the fifth goal. Pavelec looks like a strong candidate as the AHL's rookie of the year and has been outstanding in the post-season, allowing only two Marlie goals in the first three games of the series.

"He (Pavelec) was the difference in the first three games, but maybe now we've got a few by him and he's beginning to doubt himself," said Murphy, referring to a pair of dribblers that made it past Pavelec less than five minutes into the game.

The Marlies have now faced elimination five times, and have responded each time with a win.
The series moves back to Chicago for Game 5 tomorrow night.

Gilbert said he pulled the Pogge-for-Clemmensen switch as part of a search for some kind of spark.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Gilbert said of pulling Clemmensen, who was excellent for the Marlies in the first 17 games of the playoffs, in favour of an untested Pogge.
What about returning with Pogge for Game 5?

"There's a good possibility of that," Gilbert said. "We'll think it over. We have two good goalies and we're confident with either one in our nets."

The Marlies practice today before taking a charter flight to Chicago.

Pogge, who has been stoic about his backup role, would naturally welcome another playoff start.
"I hope so," he said.

"It gets old when you don't play. But you have to stay focused, work hard in practice. Anything can happen ... I got a chance and I didn't want to screw up."