Recap: Manitoba 3 at Belleville 1
By: Anthony Fusco | Published: December 4th 2021
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Quick Hits
- Kristian Reichel had two assists in the win
- Austin Poganski's game-winning goal gives him points in seven straight games with 12 points (3G, 9A) in that span
- Mikhail Berdin finished with 27 saves for his third straight victory
Game Story
The Manitoba Moose (12-6-1-0) faced off against the Belleville Senators (9-10-0-0) for the first of a two-game weekend. The Moose were coming off a 5-3 win over the Stars last Sunday afternoon at Canada Life Centre.
The Senators opened the scoring in the first frame. With under three minutes to go in the period, the Moose gave the puck away which sent Cole Reinhardt in on the attack. The forward beat Mikhail Berdin with a gorgeous deke for the 1-0 Senators lead. Berdin finished the first period with seven saves on eight shots. Matt Murray was perfect for Belleville with 13 stops of his own.
The Moose struck just past the five minute mark of the middle frame with a goal from Cole Maier. Mikey Eyssimont fired the puck on net and the shot rolled up and over the padding of Murray. Maier was waiting at the back door and tucked the equalizer home for his second goal in as many games. With the Senators in the box, the Moose tallied the go-ahead power play goal from Austin Poganski. The forward received a pass from Kristian Reichel and whipped the puck past Murray for the 2-1 lead at 17:07. Manitoba carried the one-goal edge to the break with a 26-17 shots advantage.
The Moose scored right off the hop in the final frame with a goal from Jeff Malott. C.J. Suess and Malott streaked in on a two-on-one and with the latter ripping home his fifth of the year for a 3-1 Moose lead 15 seconds into the third. The Senators pushed late, but the Moose rallied and Berdin slammed the door on the rest of the chances he faced. Manitoba took the contest 3-1 for their third straight win. Berdin finished the game with 27 saves on 28 shots for his eighth victory of the season.
Statbook
- Cole Maier and Jeff Malott have goals in back-to-back games
- The Moose penalty kill went 4/4 on the night for Manitoba's 11th game this season not allowing a power play goal
- Cole Perfetti's assist places him first in Moose scoring with 15 points (6G, 9A) in 16 games
Quotable
Moose Forward Jeff Malott (Link to Full Interview)
"Maybe a little bit of a slow start. They came out with some good pace there. They're a hard-working team who finishes their checks and forechecks hard. I think once we kinda got up to speed and figured out it was going to be more of a possession in-zone game not so much a neutral zone possession game, we got up to speed quickly and made the best of it."
What's Next?
The Moose continue their Canadian road swing with a rematch against Belleville on Sunday. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT. Catch the game on MooseHockey.com/LISTENLIVE and AHLTV.
