Game Recap: Moose 5 at Laval 2
By: Daniel Fink | Published: January 27th 2018
Manitoba Moose (29-10-3-2) at Laval Rocket (17-22-5-2)
Saturday, January 27, 2018 - Place Bell, Laval, Que.
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Manitoba Moose | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Laval Rocket | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Shots By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Manitoba Moose | 6 | 11 | 9 | 26 |
| Laval Rocket | 12 | 8 | 14 | 34 |
| Special Teams | PP | PK | PIM |
| Manitoba Moose | 1/4 | 5/7 | 35 |
| Laval Rocket | 2/7 | 3/4 | 19 |
| Goaltender Summary | Goaltender | MIN | SA | SV |
| Manitoba Moose | Michael Hutchinson | 60:00 | 34 | 32 |
| Laval Rocket | Michael McNiven | 59:49 | 25 | 21 |
Goal Summary
| P | TIME | TEAM | GOAL | ASSIST | ASSIST | STR | SCORE |
| 1 | 2:58 | MB | B. Lemieux (10) | C.D. Beaudoin (3) | B. Robinson (18) | SH | 1-0 MB |
| 1 | 15:22 | LAV | A. Cracknell (18) | M. Taormina (35) | N. Scherbak (22) | PP | 1-1 |
| 2 | 5:58 | MB | M. Spacek (9) | N. Petan (28) | S. Niku (21) | PP | 2-1 MB |
| 2 | 8:20 | MB | M. Appleton (16) | N. Petan (29) | P. Cormier (13) | ES | 3-1 MB |
| 3 | 4:36 | MB | JC Lipon (9) | P. Stoykewych (15) | ES | 4-1 MB | |
| 3 | 19:06 | LAV | C. Terry (20) | N. Scherbak (23) | M. Taormina (36) | PP | 4-2 MB |
| 3 | 19:41 | MB | P. Cormier (17) | M. Appleton (26) | EN | 5-2 MB |
Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (29-10-3-2) closed out a three-game road swing with a second straight matchup against the Laval Rocket (17-22-5-2) on Saturday. Special teams were a big part of the opening frame with the teams combining for six power plays. The first penalty of the contest went against the Moose, but the Manitoba penalty kill would gain the upper hand. After an aggressive forecheck, Brendan Lemieux tipped a Charles-David Beaudoin shot to the back of the net at the 2:58 mark. The Moose thought they had a 2-0 lead 1:35 later, but the goal was rescinded and Mason Appleton was assessed a goaltender interference penalty as a result of his drive to the net. After the teams traded some power play opportunities, Laval struck on the man advantage with Adam Cracknell redirecting Matt Taormina's point shot past Michael Hutchinson with 4:38 left in the period. Getting into his first game action in nearly three weeks, Hutchinson made 11 saves in the first to help the Moose to a 1-1 draw after 20 minutes.
Manitoba's power play came through with a tally of its own to restore the Moose lead at 5:58 of the second. Michael Spacek fired a shot that hit a body in front and redirected into the goal for the 2-1 lead. Just over two minutes later, Appleton struck by finishing off a sweet setup from Nic Petan as the shifty forward faked out a defender, and goaltender Michael McNiven, before sending the puck to Appleton for the 3-1 goal. The Moose upped the pressure from there and had a few good looks, including a Lemieux breakaway and Petan knocking a pass out of mid-air. The score would stay at 3-1 with the visitors carrying the edge to the final frame.
The Moose added some more breathing room 4:36 into the third as JC Lipon called his own number on a two-on-one and ripped a shot in off the post. Manitoba clamped down from there, and got some help from Michael Hutchinson who made 13 saves in the period. The only puck to beat the Moose netminder came in the final minute off a one-timer from Chris Terry on a Laval power play. For the second night in a row, Patrice Cormier rounded out the scoring by tallying into an empty net to leave the final score at 5-2 in favour of the Moose.
Quick Hits
- Manitoba did not allow an even strength goal during its three-game road swing.
- The Moose have matched their win total from 2016-17 in just 44 games.
- Peter Stoykewych set a new career high with his 21st point of the season.
- Attendance was announced at 7,433.
What's Next?
The league takes a break the next couple of days for the AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino. Tune into the action on Sportsnet, the NHL Network or AHL Live. The Skills Competition is slated for 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, with the All-Star Challenge following on Monday at 6 p.m. CT.
