Moose Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Aeros

Published on May 16, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


For the second night in a row the Manitoba Moose rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Houston Aeros to lead the Western Conference Finals 2-0. Michael Grabner scored two goals while Jason Krog, Raymond Sawada and Cody Hodgson all notched singles. Goaltender Cory Schneider stopped 28 of 30 attempts for his ninth consecutive postseason victory.

Alexandre Bolduc was punished with the first violation of the night when he was called-out for roughing at 1:08. Fierce penalty killing and an amazing save by Cory Schneider ensured the Texas visitors wouldn't capitalize on their opening powerplay.

The Moose drew first blood at exactly 11:00. Jason Krog backhanded the puck from the right side of the crease and the disc flew behind Anton Khudobin to put Manitoba in a 1-0 lead.

At 14:07 the Moose struck again. Nolan Baumgartner wired the puck on net and Michael Grabner slapped the deflection into the backdoor to widen the gap, 2-0.

Manitoba's powerplay unit made their debut at 16:21 when Clayton Stoner was put away for interference. With 32 seconds left on the man-advantage the "line of nine" notched a goal. With an array of players in front of the net, Raymond Sawada chipped in the bullet for a three-goal lead.

Houston opted to switch goaltenders heading into the second stanza, putting Nolan Schaefer between the pipes.

The second period saw early scoring action from the home team. Greg Rallo flew down the right side of the ice and made a slick pass to Cody Hodgson. Hodgson wired the puck into the mesh to score his first professional goal and Manitoba's fourth unanswered marker of the night.

The Moose went two-for-two on the PP at 4:37. With Benoit Pouliot in the sin bin for high-sticking, Michael Grabner scored his second of the night with a one-timer from the slot, 5-0.

At 7:25 Cory Schneider reacted to John Lammers fake attempt allowing J.P. Testwuide to snap the puck into the open net to get the Aeros on the board.

With 10 seconds left in the second period Marco Rosa sent the puck flying over Schneider's shoulder for a 5-2 tally heading into the final frame.

Back-and-fourth play consumed the last 20 minutes of play, but the Moose held onto their 5-2 lead to take a 2-0 series lead over the Houston Aeros.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Moose travel to Houston for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

NEXT GAME

Monday, May 18, 2009 - 7:05 p.m. @ Toyota Centre

(7:05pm on CJOB Radio with Brian Munz)

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American Hockey League Stories from May 16, 2009


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