Moose Wrap Road Trip With 4-2 Win

Published on February 24, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


PEORIA, IL. -- With two late goals in the third period, the Peoria Rivermen nearly extinguished Manitoba's 3-0 lead, but the Moose quelled the comeback and scored an empty netter to secure a 4-2 victory Sunday afternoon. The win helped the Moose finish with six of eight possible points on the four-game road trip.

Steady back-and-forth play concluded near the 13-minute mark of the first as Moose rookie Juraj Simek was hit in the head by the puck and required an on-ice check-up by athletic therapist Rob Milette. Just after the following face-off, Manitoba veteran Greg Classen took an interference penalty and the Rivermen benefited from the game's first five-on-four. The home team used the powerplay to take a 5-1 shot lead but were unable to beat Moose goalie Cory Schneider.

At the 12-minute mark, a cluster of players in the Moose crease drew a goaltender interference call for Peoria's Charles Linglet, and Manitoba's powerplay unit made its debut. But Rivermen goaltender Hannu Toivonen stifled all Moose attempts, and on the tail end of the man-advantage, Moose forward Mike Brown put his club back on the penalty kill by taking a high-sticking penalty.

Although powerplay goals eluded both teams, Manitoba's Brad Moran connected during five-on-five. After line-mate Jason Jaffray led a two-man rush into the Rivermen zone, Moran pounced on the drop pass and fired from the top of the face-off circle to put the Moose up 1-0.

Peoria continued to dominate the shot-clock in the early minutes of the second, tallying six attempts to Manitoba's one in six minutes. With the Rivermen in the Moose zone, tempers flared near the blue line, resulting in flying fists between Zack FitzGerald and scruffy scrapper Eric Neilson. The pair floated into the slot and each landed a handful of punches before tiring themselves out and heading to the penalty boxes.

An extra roughing penalty to FitzGerald was followed by consecutive elbowing and boarding minors to the Rivermen, but the powerplays were unproductive for both clubs and the score remained stuck at 1-0.

A fifth Rivermen powerplay helped the home team hit the 25 shot mark in the third, but the Moose would be the next to light the lamp. At 9:17, sniper Colby Genoway directed a slapshot past Toivonen to score his first goal in eight games and put Manitoba up 2-0.

Just over three minutes later, Manitoba's top line would make it 3-0 on a three-on-one. Working up the slot, Moran fed the puck to Jaffray who passed it back across to Jannik Hansen. The Danish import concluded the perfect play with his ninth of the season at 12:45.

Shortly after the goal, Peoria's 30 shots finally caught up with Schneider. Poised on the edge of the crease, winger Cam Keith got the Rivermen on the scoreboard with his second of the season. On the home team's next shot, the goal gap got smaller. With Toivonen out of his net and six Rivermen skaters on the ice, Trent Whitfield fooled Schneider to put Peoria back within one.

The vacant net balanced a late Rivermen infraction and kept skaters evenly matched in the final minute, but a two-on-one for the Moose and corresponding empty-net goal by Rick Rypien at the buzzer killed Peoria's comeback. With the 4-2 win, the Moose concluded their four-game road trip with six of eight possible points.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Moose head home and kick off a four-game homestand Wednesday night vs. the East Division's Hershey Bears.

NEXT GAME: WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27 (MTS CENTRE - WINNIPEG, MB.)

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American Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2008


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