The Skinny:
The Moose came into action having won eight straight at Bell MTS Place and had secured a point in 12 straight (11-0-0-1) which meant they’ve swept the last four series here. They came into today’s game against division rival Milwaukee a point back of the Admirals who sat in sixth and just three points out of a playoff spot (currently held by Rockford) with three games in hand.
Moose Lineup:
Harkins-Shaw-Griffith
McKenzie-Spacek-Lipon
Fejes-Girard-Reichel
Pedersen-Maclise-D’Aoust
Stanley-Poolman
Schilling-Beaudoin
Oligny-Nogier
Comrie
Berdin
Game Play:
– Marko Dano was a late scratch after taking warm up (he blocked a shot at the end of the last game);
– He took warm up skate but didn’t dress for Manitoba who ended up moving their left wingers up one line each;
– Admirals got two goals to start the game as they came out really quickly;
– Early in the 2nd the Moose tied it up quickly as Skyler McKenzie and Jansen Harkins scored 1:47 apart;
– But 19 seconds later the Admirals took a 3-2 lead after the puck flubbed off Jimmy Oligny’s stick and onto Joe Pendenza’s blade;
– Four minutes later Adam Helewka got his second of the game to make it 4-2
– This was followed by Eeli Tolvanen ripping one upstairs to make it 5-2;
– Five goals was the limit and Coach Vincent gave Eric Comrie the mercy pull;
– After 40 minutes it was 5-2 and shots were 25-21 for the visitors;
– Right after the Moose got hit with a questionable faceoff violation minor in the 3rd, JC Lipon scored shorthanded to make it 5-3;
– With 6:45 left in the final period Alexis D’Aoust floated a harmless looking shot which caught Grosenick off guard to make it 5-4;
– The Moose came close to tying the game when Skyler McKenzie was a post away from making it 5-5;
– The Admirals Matt Donovan lifted a backhand which sent the puck 190 feet towards the Moose end and into the empty net;
– JC Lipon scored with 1:08 left to make it a 6-5 game but that’s as close as the Moose would come.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Kozub (Manitoba Moose)
Streaks:
– Tucker Poolman extended his streak to eight games (1G 8A);
– Michael Spacek hit the three game mark with the assist he picked up on the first Moose goal (2G 2A);
– JC Lipon hit double digits in goals for the fourth consecutive season (third multi goal game this season);
– Seth Griffith hit the 30 assist mark for the fourth time in his career.
Notable:
Despite making 15 saves on 15 shots Mikhail Berdin picked up the loss. Imagine not giving up a goal against but getting hung with an L on the night. Clearly not all losses are created equally.
Standings:
With the loss the Moose drop to 24-22-3-2 and with an IceHogs win today, Manitoba find themselves five points back of a playoff spot although they still have three games in hand on Rockford who hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division.
Next Game Action:
In the sixth and final game of this homestand, the Moose will conclude their two-game series with the Admirals on Monday, February 18 at Bell-MTS Place at 2 pm.
