Recap: Texas 2 at Moose 3

Manitoba Moose (21-21-3-2) vs. Texas Stars (23-19-3-2)
Saturday, February 9, 2019 - Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Man.

Goal Summary

Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (21-21-3-2) battled back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 3-2 win over the Texas Stars (23-19-3-2) on Saturday night at Bell MTS Place.  The Moose had two great chances in the opening frame.  The first was a blast from Logan Shaw on the power play that Stars goaltender Phillip Desrosiers just managed to stop with his outstretched pad.  The second came on a later opportunity with the man advantage and saw Michael Spacek put a slick pass from the goal line and out to Cameron Schilling in the slot, but the Moose defender was turned away.  The Stars outshot the Moose by an 8-5 count as the clubs came out of the first tied 0-0.

Texas opened the scoring just 17 seconds into the middle frame as a turnover sent Michael Mersch in on a breakaway.  Eric Comrie foiled his first attempt, but the rebound found the back of the net.  The Moose nearly tied the game moments later when JC Lipon's shot beat Desrosiers, but rang off both posts.  Texas added to its lead 5:13 into the frame as Joel L'Esperance took advantage of another turnover and put the puck in the goal.  The momentum in the game shifted when Stars forward Samuel Laberge was assessed a match penalty for a check to the head of Moose captain Peter Stoykewych.  On the 4-on-4 following the resulting penalties, Nelson Nogier set up Skyler McKenzie on a two-on-one to get the Moose on the board with 3:33 left in the period.  With the four-on-four concluded, Manitoba took advantage of the extended power play as Tucker Poolman ripped home his third of the season 1:11 after the McKenzie tally.  The late surge sent the Moose and Stars to the third period tied 2-2.

The Moose gained their first lead of the night 3:59 into the final stanza when Marko Dano played a little baseball.  Logan Shaw's point shot bounced up off Seth Griffith, and Dano picked the puck out of the air to put the Moose ahead 3-2.  Comrie turned away 13 Texas attempts in the third period to solidify the 3-2 Moose win.

Quick Hits

• The Moose have points in nine straight home games (8-0-0-1).
• Tucker Poolman has points in four straight games with five points in that span (1G, 4A).
• Eric Comrie reached the 2,000 minute mark for the fourth straight season.
• Comrie also tied Alex Auld for second on the franchise wins list with his 69th victory.
• Skyler McKenzie has goals in two straight games.
• Seth Griffith recorded his ninth multi-point game of the season.

Quotable
Forward Skyler McKenzie the mood on the bench when trailing - "It was just positivity on the bench.  Starting from the coaches, they're always telling us 'stay positive, we're fine, we're still in it'.  The leadership group is amazing for that, the same thing.  They're telling us jokes on the bench trying to keep our spirits up.  Then we got lucky enough and went out there and got one, and right after that we got another one so we were back in that game real quick."

Head Coach Pascal Vincent on a turning point in the game - "We had a shift with Girard, Reichel and McKenzie where we had good forechecking, and we stayed on the puck, and it gave us some momentum.  From there I think we took off."

Linked Up

Game Summary: https://mbmoo.se/2Ggt9op
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: moosehockey.com/moosetv
Photo Gallery: https://mbmoo.se/2SLrddr

What's Next?
The Moose and Stars clash again tomorrow in a 2 p.m. puck drop on Polar Bear Jersey Day.  The Moose will wear limited edition Polar Bear Jerseys which will be auctioned on the concourse during the game and online in the days following.  Proceeds support the Assiniboine Park Zoo Polar Bear Rescue team.  Tickets for Sunday's game are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.