Moose Blank Griffins, 4-0

March 21, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose earned their fourth shutout of the season when they blanked the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-0 in front of 12,851 fans at MTS Centre on Sunday afternoon. Newcomers Jordan Schroeder and Kevin Clark both scored their first professional goals in their professional debuts while veteran defenceman Lawrence Nycholat notched his fourth marker of the season. Goaltender Cory Schneider stopped all 37 opposing shots for his fourth shutout this campaign.

Manitoba's powerplay unit made their debut 30 seconds into the game when Justin Abdelkader was handed a goaltender interference penalty. In his professional debut, Jordan Shroeder capitalized on his first professional shift when he redirected Lawrence Nycholat's blast into the net to put his team in a one-goal lead.

At 6:25 the Moose capitalized again when newcomer and Winnipeg-native Kevin Clark notched a goal. With help from Tommy Maxwell, Clark scored his first professional marker in his first professional game when he smacked the loose puck behind Daniel Larsson for a 2-0 tally.

Two brawls broke out in the second half of the first period and both times the Griffins came out with a powerplay. Manitoba's penalty killers and Cory Schneider both played strong ensuring the visitors wouldn't break their goose-egg.

By the midway point of the game, the Griffins were trailing by two goals but winning the shot clock 20-14. With Tom Galvin serving time at 12:21 the Griffins embarked on their eighth powerplay of the afternoon. Schneider was a brick wall, making save after save to keep the visitors off the board.

With two Griffins in the penalty box, the Moose earned a late five-on-three advantage. With Lawrence Nycholat positioned at the point, the veteran d-man blasted the puck through traffic and into the mesh for a 3-0 lead.

With 31 seconds left on the clock, rookie Jordan Schroeder potted his second of the game when he beat Larsson through his five-hole to bring the Moose goal count to four.

The puck saw equal time on both sides of the ice to close-out the third period and the Griffins extended their shot lead 37-28. Yet, despite the chances the Moose would come out on top to split their final season series with the Griffins, 4-0.

LOOKING AHEAD The Moose will play host to the Hamilton Bulldogs for a doubleheader next week.

NEXT GAME Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 7:30PM @ MTS Centre (7:30pm on CJOB Radio with Brian Munz & Jim Toth)



American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2010


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