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Moose Buried By Bulldogs 3-1 In Last Regular Season Game

April 9, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


As teams bound for the Calder Cup Playoffs knock off the final portion of their regular season schedule, each win or loss greatly changes their postseason fate. The Manitoba Moose (43-30-1-6) had their hopes of winning the North Division dashed by the Hamilton Bulldogs (44-27-2-7) with a loss on Friday night but still stood a chance of gaining home ice advantage with a win in game 80 of the schedule.

Many of the 12,915 in attendance at MTS Centre fell silent as Winnipeg's Dustin Boyd scored the first Bulldogs goal less than a minute in. Hamilton built up a 3-0 lead and didn't allow a goal by the home side until 2:49 left to play. Bulldogs goalie Drew MacIntyre stopped 32 of 33 shots by his former team as Hamilton captured the 3-1 win on Saturday night.

One Winnipeg sensation had barely finished singing the national anthem when two more talented Winnipeggers helped the visiting team score the first goal of the game. 11-year old Maria Aragon sang O Canada but was soon followed by Hamilton first goal 28 seconds into the first period. Scored by Dustin Boyd and assisted by Nigel Dawes, the Moose found themselves in a very early hole to begin their final home game of the regular season.

Manitoba's defenceman Kevin Connauton hasn't shied away from physical play during his rookie season but had yet to drop the gloves. That is until 9:42 into the last game of the regular season when he took on one of the toughest skaters on the Hamilton Bulldogs. Connauton and Andrew Conboy traded jabs and words before dropping their gloves and trading punches. Both fighters hit the ice early but got back on their feet and kept going for another round.

In an even more unlikely bout, Manitoba's recently named top defenceman took on the leading goal scorer in the AHL. Moose defenceman Mark Flood battled hard with Hamilton's top line during a late first period shift and tempers eventually boiled over in front of the net between Flood and Bulldogs forward Nigel Dawes leading to the game's second fist fight at 14:42. Both threw a flurry of punches until Dawes lost balance and ended up with Flood on top of him.

With everyone's gloves back on, the Bulldogs' Paul Zanette scooped up a turnover in the Moose zone and fired a puck to the far side past goalie Tyler Weiman to extend Hamilton's lead to 2-0. The goal scored at 15:01 was Zanette's first professional goal after being signed to an amateur contract out of Niagara College on Mar. 28.

A last second penalty to Hamilton's Andrew Conboy carried over to the next period when Manitoba attempted to convert their first power play of the game. With the team's two hottest scorers Marco Rosa and Sergei Shirokov on the ice, Manitoba could only manage long range point shots and broken plays in the slot in front of Bulldogs netminder Drew MacIntyre.

Moose grinder Rick Rypien tried to provide the screen on a point shot by Nolan Baumgartner but in the process shoved down the Hamilton defenceman drawing an interference call at 13:04. The Bulldogs made Manitoba pay when 18 seconds into their second power play, the point shot by Kyle Klubertanz flew past a thick screen of players and past Tyler Weiman for the third Hamilton goal.

On a night already featuring two bouts by improbable Moose combatants, rookie defenceman Yann Sauve and Hamilton's Brendon Nash shoved in the corner until their disagreement came to blows at 13:51 of the second. Sauve, in his second fight as a Moose, lost his helmet early but landed a couple square punches on his opponent's visor and/or face.

The Moose gave the 12,915 in attendance a reason to cheer late in the third period. A slap shot by Kevin Connauton was deflected wide by goalie Drew MacIntyre, but the carom off the end boards was banked off of MacIntyre and in by Alexandre Bolduc for the first and only Moose goal with 2:49 remaining in the season.

Manitoba called a timeout shortly after but did not mount any kind of comeback in the very late stages of their final regular season game. Former Moose goalie Drew MacInture made 32 saves while present Moose goalie Tyler Weiman turned away 20 of 23 shots in a season ending 3-1 win for the visiting Bulldogs.

Manitoba awaits the result of Sunday's AHL games before finding out their 2011 Calder Cup Playoff schedule. The Moose will begin on the road with Brian Munz calling the action in Game One and Game Two live on CJOB 68.

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