The visiting Comets, a possible first-round opponent for Toronto, took advantage of some defensive breakdowns by the Marlies to jump out to a two-goal first-period lead.
Backed by a building full of cheering school children for an 11 a.m. puck drop, the Marlies came out of the blocks well, with Ben Smith and Vincent LoVerde creating the first scoring chance of the game.
All of that energy was sucked away at the five-minute mark when the hard-working Comets opened the scoring.
Tanner MacMaster corralled the puck under no pressure on the left wing and sent a cross-ice feed to Jalen Chatfield in acres of space in the right circle.