Moose Bite Back, Beat Bears 4-2

Published on February 28, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


WINNIPEG, MB. - With eight combined points, Manitoba's top line came up big in Thursday night's rematch vs. the Hershey Bears. Led by Jason Jaffray's hat trick and multiple assists by Jannik Hansen and Brad Moran, the Moose powered past the Bears 4-2. In net, rookie Cory Schneider stopped 24 shots for his 11th win of the season.

Schneider faced the game's first three shots, but Manitoba quickly relieved pressure on the goaltender by pushing play back in the Hershey zone. Less than four minutes into the game, Jaffray pounced on Moran's rebound and beat the Bears' Frederic Cassivi to give the Moose an early 1-0 lead.

A Bears penalty two minutes later gave Manitoba's powerplay a chance to extend the lead, but it would be the club's penalty killers who hit the scoreboard next. With Mike Keane serving a tripping penalty, Alexandre Bolduc poke-checked the puck across the blue-line to force the Bears into the neutral zone. Hansen joined on the forecheck and slipped the coughed-up puck back to Bolduc, who got the best of Cassivi with a high wrist shot to put the Moose up 2-0.

Taking inspiration from Bolduc's shorthanded goal, Manitoba's powerplay unit stepped up to the plate in the second period. With Scott Barney serving a goaltender interference penalty, the Moose set themselves up in the Bears zone. Colby Genoway fed a slick pass to Jaffray who dumped it into a wide open net to notch his second of the game and put the Moose up 3-0.

Trailing by three goals, Hershey's desperate situation inspired the club to hit the scoreboard. With help from fellow D-man Sami Lepisto, Josef Boumedienne fooled Schneider from the high slot to put the Bears back within two at 7:17.

A second Manitoba infraction near the 11-minute mark gave Hershey their second powerplay. Although the visitors took their own penalty while hooking Hansen during a partial shorthanded breakaway, four-on-four resulted in a second goal for Hershey courtesy of Kyle Wilson.

Although the Moose benefited from a fourth powerplay early in the third, neither club registered a shot though the frame's first seven minutes. A hooking penalty to Moran nine minutes in put the club back on the penalty kill, but despite being down a man, Manitoba kept Hershey from gaining any offensive momentum.

Just as Moran was being released from the penalty box, Hansen backhanded the puck to Jaffray from behind the Bears' net and #15 snapped it past Cassivi to earn his third career hat-trick and restore Manitoba's two-goal lead.

Despite taking a late penalty and playing four skaters to six, the Moose held on through the end of regulation to beat the Hershey Bears 4-2 Thursday night.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Moose take on the Quad City Flames Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Don't miss Saturday night's game, as the hockey club honours the Canadian Forces and celebrates the Olympic gold medal-winning 1948 RCAF Hockey Team!

NEXT GAME: SATURDAY, MAR. 1 (MTS CENTRE - WINNIPEG, MB.)

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American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2008


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