Game Recap: Moose 4 at Laval 1
By: Daniel Fink | Published: January 26th 2018
Manitoba Moose (28-10-3-2) at Laval Rocket (17-21-5-2)
Friday, January 26, 2018 - Place Bell, Laval, Que.
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Manitoba Moose | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Laval Rocket | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shots By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Manitoba Moose | 9 | 13 | 8 | 30 |
| Laval Rocket | 11 | 17 | 12 | 40 |
| Special Teams | PP | PK | PIM |
| Manitoba Moose | 1/3 | 4/5 | 10 |
| Laval Rocket | 1/5 | 2/3 | 8 |
| Goaltender Summary | Goaltender | MIN | SA | SV |
| Manitoba Moose | Eric Comrie | 59:58 | 40 | 39 |
| Laval Rocket | Charlie Lindgren | 58:17 | 29 | 26 |
Goal Summary
| P | TIME | TEAM | GOAL | ASSIST | ASSIST | STR | SCORE |
| 1 | 8:22 | MB | M. Appleton (14) | N. Petan (25) | S. Niku (20) | ES | 1-0 MB |
| 2 | 3:25 | LAV | D. Audette (10) | N. Scherbak (21) | C. Terry (23) | PP | 1-1 |
| 2 | 8:13 | MB | E. Pearce (1) | ES | 2-1 MB | ||
| 3 | 6:41 | MB | M. Spacek (8) | N. Petan (26) | M. Appleton (25) | PP | 3-1 MB |
| 3 | 18:04 | MB | P. Cormier (16) | N. Petan (27) | EN | 4-1 MB |
Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (28-10-3-2) played their first game at Place Bell in franchise history tonight, taking on the Laval Rocket (17-21-5-2) in the first of a back-to-back set. The Moose broke the ice by striking 8:22 into the game. After Laval goaltender Charlie Lindgren turned away two good looks from Patrice Cormier, Nic Petan found Mason Appleton in the slot who spun and fired to open the scoring. Eric Comrie did his part at the other end of the ice to keep the Moose in front, robbing the Rocket of what looked like a sure goal, scrambling to stick with the shooter to stone him with a pad save. The Moose carried the 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.
Special teams played a big part early in the second frame. After the Moose were unsuccessful with power play time carried over from the first, Manitoba got into some penalty trouble. Despite getting through a 5-on-3 kill, the Moose surrendered a goal on the remaining Laval power play time. Nikita Scherbak's shot was deflected and Daniel Audette pounced on the rebound to tie the contest at 3:25. Manitoba jumped back into the lead at the mark 8:13 of the period. A wild bounce off the boards found Elgin Pearce in front and the forward wrapped the puck around Lindgren to restore the Moose lead. Comrie remained busy in the period, making 16 saves and helping the Moose to keep the 2-1 lead into the third.
Manitoba used the power play to extend their lead in the final frame as Nic Petan made a brilliant play to react quickly and go between his legs to send a pass over to Michael Spacek, who pounded the puck home at 6:41. Laval emptied its net with over three minutes left and the gamble nearly paid off, but the Rocket couldn't tuck away two glorious chances, with one hitting the crossbar. Patrice Cormier would ice the game into an empty net with just under two minutes left as the Moose came away with the 4-1 victory.
Quick Hits
- Nic Petan tallied three assists and has six points (1G, 5A) in his last three games.
- Elgin Pearce scored his first career AHL goal.
- Eric Comrie made 39 saves in the win, one off his season high.
- Attendance was announced at 6,223.
What's Next?
The Moose finish up their pre-AHL All-Star Classic schedule against the Rocket tomorrow in a 6 p.m. CT matchup. Listen in on TSN 1290, at moosehockey.com/listenlive/, or through the Manitoba Moose App starting at 5:45 p.m. CT.
