Recap: Manitoba 2 at Milwaukee 0

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Quick Hits

• Mikhail Berdin finished with 24 saves for his third shutout of the season
• Austin Poganski had two points (1G, 1A) including an empty net tally
• Luke Johnson added the game-winning goal late in the second

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (19-9-1-1) faced off against the Milwaukee Admirals (13-18-2-0) for a Wednesday night showdown at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Moose were coming off a thrilling 5-4 win over the Texas Stars on Saturday.

Both Manitoba and Milwaukee exchanged chances throughout the first frame and despite decent opportunities at either end, neither side could find twine. Manitoba had two power play chances and used them to pepper the Admirals net. Devin Cooley was up to task and stopped all 15 shots he faced in the first. Mikhail Berdin, making his first start since Dec.16, ended with seven total saves for the visiting Moose.

Manitoba got the scoring started for the eighth straight contest in the middle frame. After a gusty and frantic penalty kill, the Moose went on the attack. Simon Lundmark fired a shot on net that was deflected by Austin Poganski in front and bounced over to Luke Johnson. The forward took a knee and swatted the disc into the back of the net to give the Moose the 1-0 lead with under five to play in the second. It was Johnson’s second straight game with a tally. Berdin continued his solid play including a big save in the dying moments to maintain the Moose 1-0 lead . After 40 minutes of play, the boys in antlers were up in shots 27-16.

The third and final frame saw the Admirals make a push and attempt to find the equalizer. The Moose were stingy on the defensive end and locked the game down to prevent the Admirals from amassing too many quality chances. Late in the third, with the Milwaukee net empty, Austin Poganski got a hold of the puck, sent it down the ice and into twine for a 2-0 lead. Berdin finished the contest with 24 saves and his third shutout of the season. Cooley took the loss and ended the contest with 33 saves of his own.

Statbook

• Luke Johnson has scored in back-to-back contests and has three points (2G, 1A) in his last three games
• Mikhail Berdin recorded his seventh career shutout and third this season which is a new career-high
• Austin Poganski has recorded four points (3G, 1A) in his last three games and is the first Moose to hit 20 points (7G, 13A) on the campaign

Quotable

Moose Goaltender Mikhail Berdin (Click for full interview)

“I think it was a great battle. We played good. The defence blocked lots of shots. We were just battling and working hard. We brought everything to the table and I think we did a great job.”

What's Next?

The Moose travel to Grand Rapids for a game against the Griffins on Friday, Jan. 14. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Catch the game on CJOB.com/sports, the Manitoba Moose App and AHLTV.