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Moose Clinch Late Win Over Amerks 3-2

March 29, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose (41-27-1-5) had crossed off 73 games on their schedule but knew the remaining seven would be the most important. Three of those seven games would be against the Rochester Americans (30-36-4-3) beginning on Tuesday night at MTS Centre. One of Manitoba's all-time leading scorers Jason Jaffray returned to the Moose and opened the scoring early in the first period. The home team led on three seperate occasions, finally capping off the 3-2 win in front of 7,041 fans.

Play was halted 13 seconds into the game because the stick of Rochester's Michael Duco poked through the cat-eyed helmet cage of Moose goalie Eddie Lack. Lack went down immediately and Moose fans and players held their collective breath worried their starting goaltender had suffered an eye injury. Lack wiped away a cut above his eye and returned to the crease while the culprit went to the Americans penalty box for four minutes or less.

The Moose took advantage of the extended power play opportunity as Moose centre Marco Rosa connected with Jason Jaffray on a tic-tac-toe play that was nearly broken up by Rochester's Adam Comrie. Comrie deflected the puck toward his own goal but Jaffray finished it off for his first goal in his first game back with the Moose. Jaffray's last game with Manitoba was game six of the 2009 Calder Cup Finals on Jun. 12/09.

Rochester tough guy Eric Selleck fired a shot from the left wing wall that deflected off Lack's blocker and high into the air. Losing sight of the puck, it dropped down behind the Moose 'tender and into the net tying the game 101 at 4:42.

The Moose took their second lead of the game late in the first frame when rookie d-man Yann Sauve unloaded a waist-high slap shot that Bill Sweatt deflected in off of the blocker side post at 14:33. The goal that put the Moose back up 2-1 was Sweatt's 18th of the season and first since Mar. 12.

Manitoba's PK unit ranks third in the AHL and showed why during the first period with textbook penalty kills on a pair of minors. They went back to work at 8:09 of the second period when Manitoba's Aaron Volpatti took the legs out from under an Americans forward while battling along the boards. The Americans managed only one shot on Lack during their third man advantage that the Moose goalie handled easily.

Based on his past couple starts in which Lack saw 47 and 45 shots against, the goalie had gotten used to seeing more rubber than the average goalie. Yet he wasn't thrown off after facing only 18 shots through 40 minutes. The Moose outshot the Americans 23-18 through two periods. Manitoba had not outshot an opponent since Mar. 11 in Houston.

Rochester goalie Marc Cheverie heard the soothing sound of puck hitting post early in the third period. The loud unmistakable ring was caused by a wrist shot by Jason Jaffray. Including his first period marker, Jaffray has scored 96 career goals for the Manitoba Moose.

The Moose came close to that elusive two goal cushion later in the period when Moose speedster Bill Sweatt went burning past Rochester defenceman T.J. Fast and nearly tucked the puck under Cheverie. The goalie denied Sweatt but Manitoba went on the power play at 11:54 because of Fast's attempts to stop the Moose winger.

During the Moose man advantage, penalty killer Bill Thomas poked away a D-to-D pass attempt by Manitoba and skated away on a shorthanded breakaway. Thomas beat Lack high on the glove side to even the score 2-2 with 6:39 remaining in the third.

Manitoba did worse than squander their previous power play opportunity but were awarded another man advantage with less than two minutes to go. Manitoba's Garth Murray took a stick to the face and the Moose power play took the ice at 18:07 of the third.

With just 33 ticks left on the clock, Bill Sweatt batted a rebound out of the air for his second goal of the game. But more importantly, what turned out to be the game winning goal in a crucial 3-2 win for the home team. Moose goalie Eddie Lack earned his 27th win of the season stopping 22 of 24 shots by the Americans. Manitoba will host the Americans on Wednesday night at MTS Centre before heading to Rochester to finish their season series on Friday. Game time on Wednesday is 7:30 p.m. CST. Brian Munz and Jim Toth call the action live from MTS Centre on CJOB 68.

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