Easton Cowan found some playoff magic on Sunday.
The Toronto Marlies forward scored with 12 seconds left to give his team a 3-2 win in the decisive Game 5 of the AHL Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Monsters.
Cowan shoved home a rebound from the side of the net after Monsters goalie Zach Sawchenko made a save on a slot attempt from Marlies forward Vinni Lettieri, who had one goal and two assists in the win.
"It’s such a credit to our guys, the way they handled themselves on the bench and the way they handle themselves when our backs are against the wall," head coach John Gruden said. "I said it to them between periods, 'We bet on you guys with our backs against the wall,' and they perform. Man, how exciting was that? So, that was pretty special."
The Marlies will move on to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the East final, with the seven-game series beginning Wednesday.
It's the first time Toronto, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, has reached the East final since 2019, when it lost to the eventual champion Charlotte Checkers.
The West final features the Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche affiliate) and the Chicago Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes affiliate).
Marlies goalie Artur Akhtyamov made 22 saves in the win.
Forward Logan Shaw evened the game at 2-2 with under five minutes to go with his sixth of the playoffs.
"We just have a lot of positivity and a lot of guys in that room who are willing to do everything to win. It took us 59 minutes and 50 seconds to get that one done but it felt good," Shaw said.
Cowan, the 21-year-old who played 66 games with the Maple Leafs this season, has four goals and four assists in 13 AHL playoff games.