Game Recap: Cleveland 0 at Moose 4

Manitoba Moose (17-5-1-1) vs. Cleveland Monsters (7-8-2-2)

Saturday, December 2, 2017 – Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB

Goal Summary

Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (17-5-1-1) and Cleveland Monsters (7-8-2-2) battled it out on Saturday evening in Cleveland’s final visit of the season to Bell MTS Place.  The Moose nearly opened the scoring a couple minutes into the contest when Patrice Cormier stole the puck and fired a shot off the post.  Manitoba got a good bounce off the iron at 6:52 of the frame as Julian Melchiori’s point shot ricocheted off the post, then goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks’ skate and into the goal.  The Moose added to their lead just over a minute later courtesy of a power play goal.  Jack Roslovic tipped Sami Niku’s point shot to the back of the net for the two-goal advantage.  Manitoba kept up the pressure, hitting a pair of posts the rest of the frame, but couldn’t add to the lead, taking the 2-0 edge to the break.

The second frame was filled with special teams work as the teams combined for six minor penalties.  The Moose capitalized on one of their four power play chances in the period to push their lead to 3-0.  Nic Petan freed up the puck and shoveled it over to Michael Spacek who unleashed on a one-timer, bulging the twine at 8:19 of the period.  That goal held up as the only marker of the frame as Manitoba rolled into the third with a three goal lead.

The Moose penalty kill got more work in the third and continued its hot streak, killing off three more disadvantages.  On the other side of things, the power play continued to take a bite out of the Monsters.  In a similar play to Roslovic’s tally, Petan tipped Niku’s point shot to the back of the goal for a 4-0 Moose lead.  All that was left was for the Moose defence to hold firm in front of Michael Hutchinson.  The reigning CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month faced one late scare when a puck hit the post with less than a second remaining, but stopped 27 shots as part of his first shutout of the season.  It all added up to Manitoba’s ninth straight win, by a 4-0 score.

Quick Hits

• The Moose are one win away from tying their franchise mark of 10 straight victories.
• Nic Petan had eight points (2G, 6A) in three games this week.
• Julian Melchiori set a new career high with his fourth goal of the season.
• Michael Spacek recorded the first multi-point night (1G, 1A) of his AHL career.
• Manitoba has killed 29 straight penalties.
• Attendance was announced at 5,160.

Quotable

Head Coach Pascal Vincent – “Our offense is coming from all five players on the ice. We’re moving the puck quick, we’re supporting the puck, and we communicate well.”

Defenceman Julian Melchiori on being a veteran player – “Obviously you get older every year and it feels like everyone else gets younger, especially with the way the AHL works now. I had a big veteran role last year, but I think every year it just gets a little bigger... It starts with Patrice Cormier. He’s obviously a great leader; I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m happy to be a leader on this team because it’s a pretty special team.”

Linked Up
Game Summary: http://mbmoo.se/2ADnKEG
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: http://mbmoo.se/2j8kyXG

What’s Next?
After a hectic stretch of games, the Moose get some time to recover next week.  The team returns to game action on Saturday and Sunday for a pair of 2 p.m. matchups against the Milwaukee Admirals at Bell MTS Place.  Saturday’s game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Red River Co-op while Sunday is Star Wars Day.  Tickets for both games are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.