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Moose Drop 4-2 Final to Barons in Oklahoma City

December 10, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


Friday night's game marked the third matchup between the Manitoba Moose (12-10-0-3) and Oklahoma City Barons (15-8-1-3) in December alone. That kind of familiarity usually only comes between divisional rivals. Powered by a pair of goals by Alexandre Giroux, the Barons handed the Moose their third straight loss with a 4-2 win in front of 5,102 at Cox Convention Center.

The Manitoba Moose infirmary saw a bit of change this week with players coming off and on the injured list. Coming off the list was defenceman Mark Flood, playing in his first game sinced Nov. 2 in Hamilton. Added to the injured list though was the team's leading goal scorer Cody Hodgson who sustained an injury in practice on Thursday. Signed to an emergency pro tryout contract to replace Hodgson was centre Francis Lemieux, dressing in his frst AHL game this season after playing 21 games with the ECHL's Florida Everblades.

A battle behind Manitoba's net early in the first period quicly turned into the first goal of the game. Before Moose goalie Eddie Lack could track Philip Cornet's blind backhanded pass from below the goal line, Corent's linemate Milan Kytnar one-timed the pass from the left circle over Lack's shoulder at 3:37 of the opening period to give the Barons a 1-0 lead.

It's not always how hard you shoot but whether it gets on net. Chris Tanev sent a shot on Barons 'tender Martin Gerber through a screen from the point that wasn't about to beat the Barons goalie, but the rebound did. Moose right winger Victor Oreskovich wired home his third goal of the season and his first goal since Oct. 9 at 10:47.

Late in the period, Mario Bliznak drove the Barons net from the corner and didn't exactly use an accurate shot to put his team up by a goal. While cycling out of the corner, Bliznak mishandled the puck but it bounced toward Gerber and squeezed between his pad and the post giving Manitoba a one-goal lead at 16:48.

Shots recorded after 20 minutes read 18-3 in Oklahoma City's favour but the play dictated a much different slant to the game. Lack was solid in the Moose goal stopping all but one shot but Manitoba held their own and escaped the first frame with a 2-1 lead. They didn't escape unharmed though, as rookie forward Jordan Schroeder went down with an injury to his right leg midway through the first period and did not return to the ice.

When you've scored as many goals as the Barons Alexandre Giroux, some are bound to make the highlight reel. At 12:36 of the second period, Giroux put one on the real as he cut from the left wing boards around a Moose defenceman then stretched a backhand shot around Eddie Lack and into the Moose goal to tie the game, 2-2. Giroux, who was named a team captain for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic earlier in the day, stretched his goal scoring streak to three games.

Barons rookie defenceman Jeff Petry skated all the way from one end of Cox Convention Center to the other as he carried the puck out of his own zone, entered Manitoba's end down the right wing, then circled the net finishing with a wrap around on Lack that he managed to tuck between his right pad and post. Petry's unassisted sixth goal of the season put Oklahoma City up 3-2 for their second lead of the game at 16:32.

The Moose gave up a pair of goals in the middle frame dropping them down 3-2 after the second period. Outshot by narrower margin in second period, 12-11, but Barons lead 30-14 overall in that category.

Due to a late period delay of game penalty to the Barons, the Moose opened the third with 1:52 of power play time. That was nixed six seconds in as Sergei Shirokov was called for holding. Then the man advantage man a complete reverse as Mario Bliznak high sticked Liam Reddox at 1:07. The power play expired with the Barons still up 3-2.

Minutes later, Oklahoma City's Colin McDonald rang a shot off the post then Taylor Chorney picked up the puck at the point and pinched down the left wing wall. With his head up Chorney spotted Alexandre Giroux cross ice with a one-time feed that the Barons winger blasted by Lack for his second goal of the game at 6:44.

A pair of penalties put the Moose and Barons four-on-four in the dying minutes of the third, which the Moose turned into a five-on-four with Eddie Lack on the bench for the extra attacker. Manitoba failed to convert and the final score in the third Moose-Barons game of the season read 4-2 in favour of Oklahoma City. Martin Gerber stopped 19 of 21 Manitoba shots and Jeff Petry scored the game winner to hand the Moose their third straight loss. Manitoba's Southern road trip takes them to San Antonio tomorrow as they take on the Rampage at AT&T Center. Game time is 7:00 pm CST. Catch the game on CJOB 68 with Brian Munz or listen online at www.cjob.com. Next home game is Friday, Dec. 17 with the Houston Aeros in town.

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