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Game 1 Recap: Grand Rapids 2 at Moose 3 - Manitoba Moose

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Game 1 Recap: Grand Rapids 2 at Moose 3

By: Daniel Fink | Published: April 21st 2018

Central Division Semi-Final Game One
Grand Rapids 2 at Manitoba 3
Manitoba Leads Series 1-0
Saturday, April 21, 2018 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB

Scoring Summary 1 2 3 F
Grand Rapids Griffins 1 0 1 2
Manitoba Moose 0 0 3 3

 

Shots By Period 1 2 3 F
Grand Rapids Griffins 20 8 8 36
Manitoba Moose 8 16 7 31

 

Special Teams PP PK PIM
Grand Rapids Griffins 0/3 2/3 6
Manitoba Moose 1/3 3/3 6

 

Goaltender Summary Goaltender MIN SA SV
Grand Rapids Griffins Tom McCollum 59:08 31 28
Manitoba Moose Eric Comrie 60:00 36 34

 

Goal Summary

P TIME TEAM GOAL ASSIST ASSIST STR SCORE
1 12:42 GR B. Street (1) E. Tangradi (1) J. Hicketts (1) ES 1-0 GR
3 6:22 MB J. Kostalek (1) C. Schilling (1) C. De Leo (1) ES 1-1
3 12:41 GR T. Elson (1) B. Lashoff (1) L. Esposito (1) ES 2-1 GR
3 13:12 MB C. Schilling (1) K. Gotovets (1) C. De Leo (2) ES 2-2
3 18:51 MB M. Spacek (1) N. Petan (1) M. Appleton (1) PP 3-2 MB

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (1-0) and Grand Rapids Griffins (0-1) opened their Central Division Semi-Final series on Saturday afternoon at Bell MTS Place.  Moose goaltender Eric Comrie stole the show in the first period as the Griffins came out firing.  Comrie made 19 saves in the frame, including a post-to-post effort to shut down a scoring chance on a Grand Rapids power play.  The visitors did get one puck past Comrie as Ben Street got the puck following a faceoff, stepped into the slot and wired a shot to the twine.  The tally stood up as the only goal of the frame as Grand Rapids led 1-0 after 20 minutes.

The second period saw the Moose find their legs and push the pace early.  That momentum would carry through the frame as Manitoba outshot Grand Rapids by a 16-8 count.  Despite the increased shots and some good looks, the Moose were unable to get on the board.  Comrie continued to hold the line in his own net as the score remained 1-0 through two periods of play.

The offence finally clicked for the Moose in the third period.  Jan Kostalek tied the game 6:22 into the frame, firing a shot from the point for his first career playoff goal.  The deadlock last until Turner Elson restored the Griffins' advantage with 7:19 to go.  Manitoba had an answer again as Cameron Schilling's point shot redirected into the goal off a defender 31 seconds after Elson's goal.  Comrie came up large again with the game tied, turning away a Matthew Ford breakaway to keep the score even.  With overtime looming, Mike Sgarbossa was tripped in the offensive zone, sending the Moose to the power play.  With the man advantage, the hosts turned to one of their most potent combinations as Nic Petan found Michael Spacek cross-ice, and the power play specialist picked a spot just inside the far post with 1:09 remaining.  The Moose held onto their first lead of the game to take Game 1 by a 3-2 final score.

Quick Hits

  • A total of 12 Moose players made their Calder Cup Playoffs debuts today.
  • Eric Comrie recorded his first professional playoff win with a 0.944 save percentage.
  • Jan Kostalek's goal was the first Calder Cup Playoffs goal scored at Bell MTS Place since May 6, 2011.
  • Today's game is the first time this season the Moose have won when trailing after two periods of play. (0-18-2-2 in the regular season)
  • Defenceman Sami Niku was reassigned to the Moose by the Winnipeg Jets prior to today's game.
  • Attendance was announced at 5,317.

Quotable

Defenceman Cameron Schilling - "I think it took us a full period to get into it. Once the second started, we settled into our own game, got a couple power plays, were able to get some chances and it gave us some confidence going into the third."

Head Coach Pascal Vincent - "After the first period, we took off. We were playing the way that we can play. The second and third period we played the right way."

Linked Up

Game Summary: https://mbmoo.se/2qVj8D1
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: https://mbmoo.se/2F4x2aX

What's Next?
The Moose look to take a 2-0 series lead when they host the Griffins on Sunday in Game 2 of their Central Division Semi-Final series in a 2 p.m. puck drop.  Tickets are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.