Game Recap: San Antonio 1 at Moose 3

Manitoba Moose (23-5-1-2) vs. San Antonio Rampage (16-12-2-0)

Friday, December 22, 2017 – Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB

Goal Summary

Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (22-5-1-2) and San Antonio Rampage (16-11-2-0) played their second game in as many nights at Bell MTS Place on Friday.  Manitoba got on the board first when a pass from a Rampage skater found its way to the tape of Brendan Lemieux whose shot just had enough to trickle over the goal line at the 9:10 mark.  The Moose added to their lead four minutes later as Jack Roslovic freed the puck up to Nic Petan who put the moves on, but it would be Mason Appleton who finished the play off.  Michael Hutchinson made six saves in the period as the Moose took a 2-0 lead to the break.

The visitors turned up the heat in the second period.  Hutchinson was under the spotlight, making 19 saves in the Moose net as the Rampage put 20 shots on goal in the frame.  The lone puck to beat the reigning CCM/AHL Player of the Week came on a San Antonio power play with 1:05 left.  Rampage defender Chris Butler held in a clearing attempt and snuck a shot through the crowd in front and to the back of the net.  The lone goal of the period sent the teams to the final period with the Moose leading 2-1.

Play balanced out in the third frame, but it was still a busy one for both goaltenders.  Hutchinson made 11 stops for the Moose while Spencer Martin made 12 to keep the Rampage in striking distance.  San Antonio had a glorious chance to tie the game late on a shorthanded breakaway, but Hutchinson got a piece of the puck.  Heading back the other way, Mason Appleton scored into an empty net with 23 seconds left to seal the game at a 3-1 score.  The Moose have won six games in a row and have points in 16 straight contests as the club hits the holiday break.

Quick Hits

• Jack Roslovic leads the AHL with 35 points (15G, 20A) in 31 games.
• Mason Appleton leads rookie skaters with 31 points (12G, 19A) in 31 games.
• Brendan Lemieux set a new career high with his 20th point (9G, 11A) of the season.
• Attendance was announced at 5,555.

Quotable

Head Coach Pascal Vincent – “Tonight I liked Hutchinson quite a bit. I liked the final result. I felt the third period we came out pretty good, but it wasn't pretty, we expected that. So we're facing a team that just before the weekend, got nine points out of 10. They're a physical team.”

Forward Chase De Leo on the heated series against San Antonio – “We're a skilled team, but we can play hard, play gritty and play mean if we need to. We knew coming into the game, that's how they were going to play. I would assume the rest of the teams for the rest of the year will play us like that, trying to get us off our game.”

Linked Up
Game Summary: http://mbmoo.se/2Bmd22j
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: http://mbmoo.se/2zjlptI

What’s Next?
The Moose get the next few days to spend with friends and family before returning to game action for a weekend set on Dec. 30 and 31 against the San Jose Barracuda, the last team to beat the Moose in regulation before Manitoba’s 16-game point streak.  Tickets for Patrice Cormier Mini-Bobblehead Day (Dec. 30) and the New Year’s Eve game featuring Shutout Hunger presented by Red River Co-op are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.