Newmarket, you can give the Toronto Marlies a rousing welcome when they return to town Sunday, Sept. 29 for a pre-season game against the Rochester Americans.
The early season Toronto Marlies hoopla includes a pre-game festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring face painting, a barbecue, ball hockey and more at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, with the game beginning at 4 p.m.
The return to Newmarket also marks the team's support of the Central York Girls Hockey Association, which has grown to about 1,000 players from across York Region and the GTA since it first took to the ice in Aurora 25 years ago.
Sunday's game will be the first time since 1991 that the storied Maple Leafs’ farm team has played on what used to be its home turf in Newmarket.
From 1986 to 1987 and 1990 to 1991, the Marlies, then known as the Newmarket Saints, played out of the 3,700-seat Newmarket Recreation Complex.
Tickets are two for one at $35, with a portion of sales going to the Central York Panthers, and include a ticket to the Marlies Family Day game Feb. 17 at Scotiabank Arena.
