Game Recap: Iowa 4 at Moose 5 OT

Goal Summary

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (35-15-4-3) took on the Iowa Wild (26-17-8-4) at Bell MTS Place on Saturday night.  Manitoba got the scoring going 5:45 into the contest when Michael Spacek was allowed to step into a slap shot on the power play for his 10th of the season.  Just 61 seconds later, Brendan Lemieux drove to the net and showed some good hands to finish off the play cutting across the goal mouth for a 2-0 edge.  Steve Mason got the start on conditioning assignment from the Winnipeg Jets and didn't face his first shot until 9:36 into the frame.  He finished the period with four saves as Manitoba took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

Iowa pulled within one at 6:05 of the second period as Ryan White jammed a puck over the goal line just after the conclusion of a power play.  The Moose responded 21 seconds later on Spacek's second goal of the night, finishing off a Tucker Poolman pass that just managed to find its way across the ice.  Manitoba pushed its lead to three goals with a shorthanded marker at 9:39 of the period.  Cam Maclise chipped the puck out of the zone to JC Lipon who rushed up the ice before sending a return pass to Maclise on the back door for the goal.  The tally sent Manitoba to the break with a commanding 4-1 lead.

After the Moose controlled the first 40 minutes of the game, the Wild came on strong in the final period.  Zack Mitchell got Iowa back within two 29 seconds into the final stanza.  Just over five minutes into the period, Cal O'Reilly was open in the slot and had plenty of time to pick a corner to kick the Wild comeback into full-gear.  Sam Anas tied the game at 4-4 before the mid-point of the period, chipping in a bouncing puck that came to the Wild forward lurking to the side of the net.  The run stopped there as the teams played to a deadlock through 60 minutes.  It took until the final nine seconds of overtime to decide a winner.  With the Moose on a five-on-three power play, Sami Niku set the table for Brendan Lemieux who pounded home his second of the night to send the Moose to a 5-4 victory.

Quick Hits

• Patrice Cormier played the 400th game of his AHL career, posting one assist.
• Brendan Lemieux has 10 goals in his last 10 games.
• Michael Spacek recorded the first multi-goal game of his AHL career.
• Attendance was announced at 4,102.

Quotable

Head Coach Pascal Vincent on forward Michael Spacek's position on the power play - "He has a very good shot and vision as well. He can move the puck. You've seen a good seam pass to Nic Petan on the power play at some point. He's got this quick release. Really good at accuracy with his shot, and he has a powerful shot. To me, it was just natural to put him in with this position. We felt pretty good about it, and he's been proving to us that it's a good position for him."

Goaltender Steve Mason on the most challenging aspects of returning to game action - "Just the timing of reading the rush in zone play, fighting through screens. Those are the things that are hard to replicate in practice because everything is so structured. As the game went on I started to feel more comfortable. I think it was a good step in the right direction."\

Linked Up

Game Summary: http://mbmoo.se/2CXxjeo
Highlights and Post-Game Coverage: https://moosehockey.com/moosetv/
Photo Gallery: http://mbmoo.se/2tcnpX1

What's Next?
The Moose and Wild have a quick turnaround, taking to the ice again tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT at Bell MTS Place.  The first 3,000 fans in attendance at tomorrow's game will receive a pack of Upper Deck Moose hockey cards.  Tickets for the matinee affair are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.