With the 2012-2013 hockey season coming down to the home stretch the Toronto Marlboros 2001 team prepared for the last five season games before they would begin the quarter final playoff round.

Having already seized the prestigious Kraft Cup, the Marlboros now set their sights even higher; the GTHL Championship win.  But first things first, they had five regular season games left to play.

The first game in February saw the Marlboros face the very talented Mississauga Rebels.  It was a battle of two strong forces vying for a big win.  Although the score was tight, the win was what mattered and the Marlboros took this game with a 2-1 win over the Rebels.

 A big win over the Markham Majors had the team in great spirits one glorious Sunday afternoon.  With a score of 6-0 over the Majors, the Marlboros felt proud of their team play.

The following week had the Toronto Marlboros face the Red Wings on an early Sunday morning.  Although the team came out hard and eager to win, they fell a little short and ended the game with a 0-0 tie against the Red Wings.  In an effort to change this "lack of flow", they quickly turned their game around with a 4-0 win over the Mississauga Senators the very next day.

The final game of the season was against the very physical Vaughan Kings.  The Marlboros came out hard with an intense desire to end the season strong.  Unfortunately, down 2 forwards by the end of the second period, the Marlboros managed to hold their own and tie the Kings 1-1.  As the saying goes, onward and upward from here.

t this very crucial time in the hockey season, Coach Gialedakis held a meeting with the families and the boys to reiterate the importance of sleep, nutrition and training at this pivotal time of year.  He spoke eloquently of how proud he was of each and every player and that his expectations were always high (but no higher than what he knew they were capable of achieving).

Round one of the playoffs would match the Toronto Marlboros up with Toronto Young Nationals.  The first team to achieve 8 points would win the series and move on to the semi finals.  With a strong, bold start to the round, the Marlboros won three straight games against the Nats and gave up only 1 goal.  Game 4 resulted in a loss of 3-2 to the Nationals but a strong desire to wrap the quarter finals up.  That they did in game five.  A powerful 4-1 win and a beautifully executed game ensured the Marlboros victory and the promise that they would advance to the semi finals.