Moose End 2010 with 4-1 Win over Chicago

Published on December 31, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


There's no better way to ring in 2011 than on a winning streak. Both the Manitoba Moose (17-10-0-4) and Chicago Wolves (19-15-2-1) faced that possibility heading into their Dec. 31st game at MTS Centre with the Moose riding five straight wins and the Wolves with three wins. The Moose rang up four goals on the Wolves before Chicago finally solved Manitoba's Eddie Lack with 2.5 seconds remaining in the game. Manitoba extended their winning streak to six games and Mark Flood scored the game winning goal.

The first power play of the game went to Manitoba at the 7:06 mark of the opening period. Wolves forward Ryan Garbutt, who was playing his first pro game in his home city of Winnipeg, bowled over Lee Sweatt on his way through the Moose zone on the forecheck and was called for interference. Seconds into the man advantage, Shawn Weller was turned away on a rebound from the doorstep for Manitoba's only real scoring chance.

At 13:58, Weller took a pass from Joel Perrault from the middle of the slot and slipped the puck underneath Mannino for his fourth goal of the season. Defenceman Mark Flood drew the second assist for his ninth point (2g, 7a) in the last six games.

Less than a minute later, Chicago's Spencer Machacek picked off a pass in the Moose zone in the same area of the slot but only found the outstretched glove of Eddie Lack. It was the toughest save of the first period for Lack who was tested 10 times in the first period. The Moose put seven on Mannino, squeezing one in for a 1-0 lead after the first period.

Early in the second period while on the forecheck, Joel Perrault finished his check on Chicago's Andrew Kozek. Only issue was Kozek showed Perrault his numbers before contact. Perrault was ejected for pasting the Wolves forward into the glass and assessed a major for boarding and a game misconduct for hitting from behind.

Five minutes and three shots on goal later, the Moose killed off the five-minute major with their one goal lead intact. The Moose followed that up with another successful penalty kill at 9:36 with Sergei Shirokov in the box for hooking.

At 12:33, Moose centre Marco Rosa had his skated clipped by Wolves goalie Peter Mannino giving Manitoba their first power play of the second period. The Moose held possession in the Wolves end for most of the two minute advantage but it took exactly that much time before Mark Flood corralled a pass at the right point and wired a slap shot by Mannino at 14:33. With an assist on the goal, Moose captain Nolan Baumgartner registered his 350th career AHL point.

In the dying seconds of the period, Moose defenceman Yann Sauve and Chicago's Darren Haydar collided in Manitoba's end with Haydar receiving the worst of the hit. Both players knees collided incidentally but Haydar needed to be helped off the ice. Before leaving the ice, he delivered a two-handed whack to Sauve's wrist drawing a slashing minor at 19:54.

After 40 minutes, the Moose led the Wolves by a score of 2-0. The Moose also battled back in the shot department holding a 17-16 lead at the second intermission.

The Moose began the third period one man up and two goals up. Together that equalled three, as Marco Rosa deflected in rookie defenceman Yann Sauve's wrist shot from the point to give Manitoba a 3-0 lead at 0:59 of the period. The assist by Sauve was his first AHL point recorded in his first AHL game.

Wolves Arturs Kulda was booked for holding at 6:27 to give the Moose another man advantage. Then proving that Manitoba's 27th ranked power play is nothing to mess with, Nolan Baumgartner took a wrist shot from the middle of the blue line that found its way through traffic before going post-and-in for Manitoba's fourth unanswered goal at 6:43 of the third period.

There were six minor penalties called in the third period, four against the Moose and two against the Wolves. The Moose scored on both chances and the Wolves just barely scored on their final chance with on 2.5 seconds left in the game. Eddie Lack stopped all 24 shots he faced before Chicago's Mark Matheson picked the top corner and shattered Lack's second shutout bid of the season.

Matheson's goal was far too little and too late for the Wolves as they fell 4-1 to the Moose. Manitoba's New Year's Eve win marked the seventh straight year Manitoba won their annual Dec. 31st home game. Eddie Lack stopped 24 of 25 and Mark Flood buried the game winning goal in the second period.

The Moose ring in 2011 tomorrow night at MTS Centre as they host the Wolves for the second of back-to-back games. Game time is 7:30 pm CST. Brian Munz and Jim Toth will have all the action on CJOB 68. Listen online at www.cjob.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2010


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