Recap: Manitoba 3 at Chicago 4

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Quick Hits

• Todd Burgess recorded his first multi-point AHL game (1G, 1A) in the loss
• Josh Levio had three points (1G, 2A) including the winning goal with two seconds left
• Mikhail Berdin finished with 25 saves in the loss

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (15-8-1-0) faced off against the Chicago Wolves (18-4-1-1) for their first morning game of the season. The Moose were coming off a 3-2 win against the Grand Rapids Griffins this past Saturday evening.

The Moose got the scoring started 59 seconds into the first frame with a tally from Jeff Malott. C.J. Suess sent the puck in on goal which set off a mad scramble in front. Malott was able to get the final swipe and knock the puck past Alex Lyon for the early Moose lead.  With just under seven to go in the first, the Wolves tied the contest. A rising shot from Artyom Serikov beat a screened Mikhail Berdin to knot the game at 1-1. Berdin finished the first with eight saves while his counterpart Lyon ended with 12 of his own after 20 minutes of play.

Manitoba struck first in the second frame. Johnathan Kovacevic skated into the corner and sent the puck through the crease. The disc took a funny bounce off a Wolves skate and slid into the open net for a 2-1 Moose lead at 3:10. Manitoba scored again just before the halfway point of the frame with a goal from Todd Burgess. Leon Gawanke fired the puck on net and the rebound squirted loose to Burgess. The forward ripped the quick rebound past Lyon to make it 3-1 Moose. The Wolves scored a goal with nine seconds left in the second to pull within one. Maxim Letunov tipped a shot from the slot past Berdin, reducing the Manitoba lead to 3-2. Berdin had 19 saves after 40 minutes, while Lyon recorded 22 through the two frames.

The Wolves tied the game near the halfway point of the final frame on the man advantage. David Cotton found a puck in front and sent it past Berdin to tie the game 3-3.  Despite outshooting the Wolves 11-8 over the course of the final 20 minutes the Moose were unable to find a fourth goal. Josh Leivo scored the winning goal with two seconds left in regulation off a beautiful move. The Moose dropped the Thursday contest by a score of 4-3. Berdin finished the game with 25 saves in the loss. Lyon captured the victory with 33 saves to his credit.

Statbook

• Jeff Malott's seventh of the season ties him with David Gustafsson and Cole Maier for the Moose goal-scoring lead
• J. Suess had a pair of assists in the loss
• Isaac Johnson made his AHL debut
• Johnathan Kovacevic set a new career-high with his fifth goal of the season
• The 29 penalty minutes by the Moose are a season-high for the team

What's Next?

The Moose continue their road swing with the first of two games against the Iowa Wild on Friday, Dec. 17. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Catch the game on CJOB.com/sports, MooseHockey.com/LISTENLIVE and AHLTV.