Moose Recap: Manitoba 4 at Texas 1

Linked Up

• Full Game Statistics
• Highlights
• Photo Gallery

Quick Hits

• Axel Jonsson-Fjallby notched two points (1G, 1A) in the Manitoba win
• 10 different Moose skaters tallied a point in the victory
• Antonio Stranges scored the lone Texas goal of the night

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (34-35-2-1) rematched with the Central Division's Texas Stars (33-33-4-2) on Saturday evening at H-E-B Center. Manitoba was coming off an 8-3 win against Texas on Friday.

Texas opened the scoring 4:31 into the contest with a goal from Antonio Stranges. Mavrik Bourque got a hold of a rebound after a pad save from Thomas Milic. He found then Stranges, who fired into the back of the net from the high slot. The Moose tied the contest at the 7:18 mark of the frame courtesy of C.J. Suess. Jeffrey Viel carried the puck across the line and dropped a backhand dish to Suess. The forward waited a beat then sniped under the bar past Ben Kraws. Manitoba took a 2-1 lead with 4:24 left in the period with a tally from Carson Golder. Dylan Anhorn activated from the point and sauced the puck to Golder, who was alone in front. The forward quickly whipped the disc through the pads of Kraws. The Moose were ahead 2-1 after the first 20 minutes of play and narrowly outshot Texas by a count of 14-13.

Neither side was able to find the back of the net in the middle frame. Both sides were granted chances on the power play, with Manitoba’s opportunity carrying over into the third period. Manitoba remained ahead 2-1 despite being outshot 10-8 by Texas in the middle frame. Milic ended the frame with 22 stops, while Kraws countered with 20 of his own.

The Moose began the third with a goaltending switch, as Brett Brochu made his Moose debut in relief of Milic. The latter stopped 22 of 23 shots through the first 40 minutes of play. Manitoba added some insurance with a goal from Brad Lambert past the halfway point of the frame. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby stopped at the line and sent the pass to Lambert, who attacked downhill with speed. The forward opened up a lane and beat Kraws over the glove with a beautiful shot. Manitoba added one further goal in the contest with a power play marker from Jonsson-Fjallby. Colby Barlow fired a one-timer that hit a Stars defender, bounced off Jonsson-Fjallby and pinballed across the line. The horn sounded shortly after to draw the game to a close with Manitoba winning 4-1. Milic picked up the victory with 22 stops, while Brochu stopped all six shots he faced in the third stanza. Kraws was hit with the home loss and ended with 29 saves of his own.

Quotable

Moose Defenceman Dylan Anhorn (Click for full interview)

“It was a great effort from the guys. We played for the most part a full 60 minutes. We did a lot of things good in a game that is really a precursor to the playoffs. I think we did our job and we're excited to get things going in the playoffs."

Statbook

• Brad Lambert clinched the Moose scoring title with his 55th point (21G, 34A) of the season
• Dylan Anhorn tallied his first AHL assist
• C.J. Suess reached 10 goals and 20 points for the third straight season
• Parker Ford has points in three straight games with four points (3G, 1A)
• Colby Barlow has points in two straight games with three points (1G, 2A)
• Dawson Barteaux has points in two straight games with two points (2A)
• Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has points in three straight games with four points (2G, 2A)
• Jonsson-Fjallby matched a career-high with his 18th assist

What's Next?

The Moose open their 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs First Round series against the Texas Stars at H-E-B Center. Game 1 of the best-of-three series takes place Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. CT.

You can catch the game on CJOB.com/sports the Winnipeg Jets App or AHLTV. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. CT.