Game Recap: Bakersfield 1 at Moose 4
By: Daniel Fink | Published: April 6th 2018
Manitoba Moose (40-24-4-4) vs. Bakersfield Condors (29-25-9-1)
Friday, April 6, 2018 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Bakersfield Condors | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Manitoba Moose | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Shots By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Bakersfield Condors | 5 | 9 | 10 | 24 |
| Manitoba Moose | 8 | 12 | 11 | 31 |
| Special Teams | PP | PK | PIM |
| Bakersfield Condors | 1/3 | 1/1 | 2 |
| Manitoba Moose | 0/1 | 2/3 | 6 |
| Goaltender Summary | Goaltender | MIN | SA | SV |
| Bakersfield Condors | Laurent Brossoit | 59:53 | 30 | 27 |
| Manitoba Moose | Michael Hutchinson | 60:00 | 24 | 23 |
Goal Summary
| P | TIME | TEAM | GOAL | ASSIST | ASSIST | STR | SCORE |
| 1 | 6:48 | MB | M. Spacek (15) | M. Appleton (41) | B. Lemieux (22) | ES | 1-0 MB |
| 1 | 7:39 | MB | JC Lipon (15) | ES | 2-0 MB | ||
| 3 | 4:02 | BAK | J. Currie (20) | E. Polei (5) | J. Gambardella (6) | PP | 2-1 MB |
| 3 | 15:17 | MB | JC Lipon (16) | B. Sutter (7) | J. Kulevich (2) | ES | 3-1 MB |
| 3 | 18:39 | MB | JC Lipon (17) | C. De Leo (20) | EN | 4-1 MB |
Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (40-24-4-4) welcomed the Bakersfield Condors (29-25-9-1) to Bell MTS Place on Friday night. Both teams had glorious chances to open the scoring in the early going, but Brendan Lemieux hit the post and a Moose defender helped out Michael Hutchinson by getting in the way of a Condors shot on a scramble in front of the Moose goal. Manitoba would strike first, 6:48 into the game, as Mason Appleton set the table for Michael Spacek who fired home his 15th of the season. Less than a minute later, Brody Sutter busted into the zone and took a few Bakersfield defenders with him. Sutter was taken off the puck, but JC Lipon grabbed it and snapped a shot over the glove of Laurent Brossoit for a 2-0 Moose lead. Hutchinson kept the Moose up by a pair with a brilliant post-to-post save as the hosts took the 2-0 lead to the break.
The second period saw no shortage of chances for the teams, but the goaltenders were equal to the task. Hutchinson turned away nine shots in the period, most coming in the early stages of the frame. The second half of the period saw Brossoit put up the wall as the Moose pressed to add to their lead. Manitoba's best opportunity came on a scramble in front, finishing with Jansen Harkins snapping a shot into the crowd that couldn't find its way to the twine. When the dust settled, the score still read 2-0 through 40 minutes.
Bakersfield pulled within one early in the third, courtesy of a Josh Currie power play marker four minutes into the period. The score stayed locked at 2-1 until the final five minutes when JC Lipon restored the lead by scooping a backhander up to the top of the Condors net. Lipon completed the hat-trick with 1:21 remaining, by sending the puck into an empty Bakersfield net as the Moose.
Quick Hits
- The Moose have won 40 games for the first time since 2013-14 (St. John's).
- JC Lipon recorded his second hat-trick of the season, and his career.
- Justin Woods made his AHL debut tonight.
- Brody Sutter has points in four straight games with four points (3G, 1A).
- Attendance was announced at 4,434.
Quotable
Defenceman Justin Woods on his first AHL game - "It was hard to get the pace at first because I wasn't playing as much as I'm used to. I had fun out there. Hopefully, I made an impact, but I'm glad we got the win tonight."
Head Coach Pascal Vincent - "This was a good week for us. The guys worked hard. It was a good week of practice, and we could see it today. We could see some energy that we didn't have recently."
Linked Up
Game Summary: https://mbmoo.se/2H6FQlo
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: https://mbmoo.se/2qbfEMT
What's Next?
The Moose and Condors will play their rematch on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Bell MTS Place. The final Moose home game of the regular season is Fan Appreciation Day featuring prize giveaways throughout the game. Tickets are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.
