Toronto Marlies clinch playoff berth with win over Providence

Photo: Christian Bonin/TSGPhoto.comCaptain Ben Smith, no stranger to a clutch performance or goal this season, led his team to a 4-3 victory over the Providence Bruins with a late winner at the Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday.

Toronto should have swept past Providence in this game — outshooting them 38-26 and carrying the lead for much of the game — but a mixture of dubious officiating and costly mistakes by the Marlies allowed the visitors to stick around and almost steal the two points.

First Period

The opening period began in the worst possible way for the Marlies as a pair of consecutive penalties put them down by two men for 60 seconds. With Colin Greening and Kyle Baun in the box, Toronto’s…