Moose Sweep Four-Game Series Against Aeros

Published on December 4, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


In the first and only morning face-off of the regular season, the Manitoba Moose swept their four-game series against the hometown Houston Aeros with a 3-2 shootout victory at the Toyota Center. In the last regular season meeting between both clubs, Karl Goehring stopped 14 shots for his second consecutive win while Moose winger Michael Grabner scored the clinching goal on the ninth shootout shot.

In front of a packed house dominated by school children, goaltenders Karl Goehring and Barry Brust both made their 10th start of the season in Thursday's matinee for Manitoba and Houston. Dressed in black, the Moose took control in the early minutes of the game testing Brust seven times before Goehring faced one shot.

For the first time this season, the Moose cracked Houston in the first period of play. Back from his two-game stint in Vancouver, Alexandre Bolduc made an instant impact and got the puck past Brust to give the visiting squad an early 1-0 lead.

Jason Ryznar was dealt a high-sticking penalty, giving Manitoba the first man-advantage of the game. Only able to list one attempt in the two-minutes, the Moose failed to capitalize on the five-on-four and the hockey game returned to even-strength play.

At 7:43 the Moose were handed their second powerplay of the morning, with Danny Irmen sitting out for holding, but the penalty expired without any adjustments to the scoreboard.

Nolan Baumgartner's interference infraction put the Moose on the penalty kill near the midway point of the period. Clearing the puck twice, the Moose remained unscathed and both sides failed to score on their respective man-advantages.

Call-up Olivier Labelle and Aeros defenseman Mitch Love exchanged pleasantries and then punches at 15:39. Once both players hit the ice, they hit the dressing room to serve their five-minute majors for fighting.

The Moose started the second stanza short, as Guillaume Debiens was fined for hooking with a mere two-seconds left in the first. The powerplay was short-lived, however, as Jason Deitsch evened the odds with a penalty of his own and then Clayton Stoner's interference call turned the powerplay tables in favor of the Moose.

At 5:09, Trevor Ludwig was found guilty for boarding, forcing him to sit out for two-minutes while putting the Aeros on their fourth man-advantage. Goehring robbed all opposing scoring opportunities and the home-team held onto their goose-egg through 40 minutes of play.

Two consecutive Aeros penalties in the beginning of the third put the Moose on the offense for the majority of the final frame. Even though the Moose were unable to net a second goal with the extra-man, they doubled the Aeros in shots, 21-10.

Aeros defenseman Love, didn't live up to his name, taking part in his second fight of the game, this time with Moose tough-guy Zack FitzGerald. Starting in front of the Moose bench and ending in front of the Aeros, both players landed a few solid blows and the duo was reprimanded with five-minute fighting majors each.

At 12:04, Michael Grabner carried the puck from centre into the Aeros zone and with a wrist shot netted his eighth of the season, putting the Moose up by two.

With Olivier Labelle serving time for hooking, Houston's Jason Deitsch tightened the gap between the two teams, scoring the first Aeros goal of the game, 2-1.

With two minutes left in the game, the Aeros pulled Brust and opted for an extra attacker. Winning the face-off in the Moose zone, Corey Locke hit the back of Goehring's net and knotted the game at two, forcing extra time.

Overtime

Tomas Mojzis' unsportsmanlike penalty gave the Moose a one-minute man-advantage midway through overtime. Houston killed the penalty and back-and-fourth play resulting in no goals forced the two teams into a shootout.

Shootout

Aeros

Corey Locke - 1

Morten Madsen - X

Chris Kolanos - X

Jason Deitsch - X

Moose

Jason Krog - X

Michel Ouellet - X

Mark Cullen - 1

Mark Derlago - 1

Michael Grabner - 1

LOOKING AHEAD

The Moose face the San Antonio Rampage at the AT&T Centre in their first away contest against the club on Friday, December 5th.

NEXT GAME

Friday, December 5, 2008 - 7:00 p.m. @ AT&T Centre

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American Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2008


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