Mikael Tellqvist's first American League game in more than a year did not end as he or the Toronto Marlies had hoped.
Sent down to the Marlies on a conditioning stint earlier in the day, Tellqvist made 29 saves but could not hold back the defending AHL champion Hershey Bears, who overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat Toronto 5-4 in overtime Sunday at Ricoh Coliseum.
``It's tough on Mikael,'' said Marlies coach Greg Gilbert. ``He hasn't played in a couple weeks and he gets thrown right into the mix. But I thought he gave us a chance to win.
``We broke down defensively a couple times and didn't make his job any easier, but I thought there were many positives to take away from the game, too.''
Tellqvist, who lost the Maple Leafs' backup job to Jean-Sebastien Aubin after spending the 2005-06 season as Ed Belfour's backup, tried to look on the bright side of being sent to the AHL.
``Did I think I was going to be (in the AHL) again? Probably not, but things happen and you have to deal with it,'' said Tellqvist, who had not seen game action since a pre-season game with the Maple Leafs. ``When you're sitting around doing nothing and you don't get a chance to play in games, that's not good for anybody.
``Overall, I felt OK, but I wish we could've won the game.''
Lawrence Nycholat scored two goals, including the overtime winner, for Hershey (4-0-0-0) in front of an announced crowd of 2,754. Joey Tenute, Alexandre Giroux and Randy Robitaille each had a goal for the Bears, while goalie Frederic Cassivi turned aside 36 shots in the win, his third of the season.
Jiri Tlusty, Chris Harrington, Colin Murphy and Brett Engelhardt scored for Toronto (1-2-1-0), who have dropped three straight games.
Harrington, a defenceman signed as a free agent out of the University of Minnesota, scored his first professional goal and added two assists for the Marlies.
``I thought we played well for a lot of the game,'' said Harrington, who had 95 assists and 109 points in 169 career games with Minnesota. ``The coaches are throwing a lot of us young guys into the fire, and for the most part, I think we've responded pretty well. We just needed to support (Tellqvist) a little better tonight.''
Toronto was 1-for-7 on the power play. Hershey went 1-for-5 with the extra man.
Notes: The announced attendance for the game was the second-lowest in Marlies history. Only a Dec. 21, 2005 game against Lowell had fewer people (2,049) in the stands ... Tellqvist had not played since a Sept. 27th NHL pre-season game. He does not have to stay a minimum of games or weeks as mandated by his conditioning assignment with the Marlies, and does not have to clear waivers if he is recalled ... Former Maple Leafs enforcer Nathan Perrott, who split the 2005-06 campaign between Toronto and the Dallas Stars, signed a 25-game professional tryout contract with the Marlies Sunday. The left winger did not dress against Hershey, but will join the team Monday and could be in the lineup Friday when the Marlies travel to Hamilton to take on the Bulldogs ... The Marlies also signed defenceman David Pszenyczny to a tryout deal. Pszenyczny played 31 games under Marlies coach Greg Gilbert when both were with the Ontario League's Mississauga IceDogs last season, and had 12 goals and 33 points.
