Peter Sarno's shootout goal gave the Moose a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Road Runners Sunday afternoon. Brandon Nolan scored the only regulation time goal for Manitoba and Auld stopped 17 of 18 shots for the win. The Moose now head out on the road for a four-game trip through Texas.
>> Game Preview
Edmonton got on the board early. Justin Morrison was stripped of the puck in the corner. Nate DiCasmirro then came off the boards and roofed it top corner past Alex Auld to make it 1-0.
The Moose had a powerplay opportunity shortly after the Edmonton goal. Dan Smith was sent off for holding but they were unable to sustain much pressure on the man advantage.
Dan Baum and Wade Brookbank engaged in the first fight of the weekend between the two rivals. Brookbank got the upper hand on Baum but near the end of the fight he lost his balance.
Edmonton started to put some more pressure on the Moose, but Auld made a great shoulder save off Raffi Torres to keep the deficit at one goal.
On the same shift, play went back up ice and Justin Morrison fed Nathan Smith in the slot from behind the net. Smith's shot was stopped by Edmonton netminder Mike Morrison.
Tensions were heating up near the end of the first. Jimmy Roy and Eric Beaudoin fought to a draw after a skirmish between the two teams.
After the first period, Edmonton was holding on to a one-goal lead though the Moose had an 11-7 lead in shots.
The Moose had two outstanding scoring chances while shorthanded early in the second.
Jason King had a breakaway but his progress was impeded enough that he could only get a weak backhand on Morrison. Then, on the same penalty kill, Ryan Kesler turned a neutral zone turnover into a partial break but Morrison stopped him as well.
Morrison continued to turn away Moose shooters through the second period. He stopped a flurry of shots from Burrows and Schultz in close and made a pad save off Lee Goren while the power forward was positioned right in the crease.
The Moose were finally rewarded for a period in which they've dominated. With their tenth shot of the period to Edmonton's one, Brandon Nolan fired a shot from the right faceoff circle that eluded Morrison and found the back of the net.
Manitoba pressed for the go-ahead goal during a late period powerplay but were unable to score.
Shots in the period were 12-4 with Manitoba dominating the majority of play in addition to tying the game up.
Alex Auld was called upon to make a huge stop in the third, preserving the 1-1 tie. Sean McAslan had the puck right in front of the net but couldn't get it over Auld's pads.
Following a Moose powerplay, J.J. Hunter was sent on a breakaway after coming out of the penalty box. However, he lost control of the puck and Auld cleared it out of the zone.
After regulation time, the game was still tied 1-1. Shots were 33-17 for Manitoba.
Edmonton carried the play in overtime, cycling the puck in the Moose zone for most of the five minutes. Auld made a big toe stop on Dan Smith in the final minute.
Toby Petersen went first in the shootout, but his shot was kicked out.
Josh Green went next for the Moose, his shot just barely crossing the goal line.
Raffi Torres blasted it from the slot past Auld to tie the shootout at 1-1 but Jason King came right back to put the Moose up 2-1.
Jarret Stoll came right back and scored for Edmonton to even the score at 2-2, shooting five-hole. Justin Morrison and Brad Winchester then missed for their respective teams.
Alex Burrows tried a deke from in close but Morrison turned him away. Auld then tried to poke the puck away from Mike Bishai. He missed but Bishai hit the post.
With a chance to win the game for the Moose, Peter Sarno skated in, deked and roofed the puck.
>> View full box score
NOTES: The start was Mike Morrison's second of the season for Edmonton, with the first coming this past Thursday - a 1-0 shootout loss to Rochester... The shootout win was Manitoba's first since a 1-0 victory over Utah March 18 at the Winnipeg Arena...