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Moose Trample Barons 4-1

March 8, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


There are only so many ways to score a goal. The Manitoba Moose (35-23-1-5) explored each of those ways against the Oklahoma City Barons (33-23-2-5) as the Moose opened up a three goal lead by scoring even strength, shorthanded, and on the power play before the game's halfway point. Alexandre Bolduc's shorthanded marker stood as the game winner at Cox Convention Center on Tuesday night as the Barons could only manage one goal on 29 shots against Moose goalie Tyler Weiman.

Moose rookie Cody Hodgson scored his last goal on Saturday in Milwaukee. But that was into an empty net. The last time he beat a goaltender was on Feb. 16 against the Toronto Marlies. Hodgson renewed that familiar feeling 1:29 into Tuesday's game in Oklahoma City when Joel Perrault dished him the puck on the rush, then he deftly wristed it past Barons goalie Martin Gerber net for the game's first goal.

The Moose looked nothing like a team deep into a seven game road trip as they controlled the play in the first period. By the halfway point of the first, the Moose were outshooting the hometown Barons by a count of 10-2. Recently required defenceman Keith Seabrook led the group with three shots by the period's midway point.

Manitoba's Aaron Volpatti converted a rebound illegally late in the period when he attempted to glove the puck out of the air onto his stick but instead swatted it into the Barons goal. The play was immediately waved off keeping the score at 1-0 for the Moose, which is how the first period ended.

While Manitoba's power play continued to struggle, going 0-for-2 in the first period, their penalty kill unit continues to produce offence. Moose penalty killer Alexandre Bolduc used the Barons Bryan Helmer as a screen while firing a shot by Gerber's glove at 2:57 of the second period. It was Manitoba's second shorthanded goal in three games and eighth on the season.

Barons centre Brad Moran hauled down Manitoba's Jordan Schroeder at 8:41 giving the Moose their third power play. The previously inefficient power play was very efficient scoring 11 seconds later when Guillaume Desbiens redirected a Sergei Shirokov's slap pass to give the visiting team a 3-0 lead.

Late in the period with his teammates charging toward the Moose end on a 2-on-1, the Barons Jake Taylor clipped Joel Perrault with a high stick behind the play at 16:54. The incident was severe enough to warrant a double minor giving Manitoba's power play four minutes to work. The period ended without another goal and the Moose held a three goal lead heading into the second intermission.

The Moose didn't score on that power play, but Oklahoma City's march to the penalty box allowed Manitoba to score on a later chance in the third period. After drawing a high sticking minor, Alexandre Bolduc was on the receiving end of a great pass by Guillaume Desbiens and made no mistake on a wrister from high in the slot at 8:50 of the third period.

Shortly after the home team finally found the board. With traffic in front of Moose goalie Tyler Weiman, Barons defenceman Richard Petiot received a pass at the right point and let go a low shot that snuck in the blocker side of Manitoba's net at . The first goal for Oklahoma City cut Manitoba's lead to 4-1 with half a period remaining.

Manitoba played passively in the third period recording three shots total but only gave up eight on Weiman, very few of the challenging type. The Moose treated the third like 20 minutes to kill and aside from swapping power play goals, they did just that securing a 4-1 win in front of an opposing crowd of 3,110. The Moose move onto Houston before Friday's game against the Aeros. Brian Munz brings you that game on CJOB 68 live from the Toyota Center. Game time is 7:35 p.m. CST.

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