By Jen Sharpe
www.moosehockey.com
On the same day that Team Canada beat Team USA at the World Junior Hockey Championships, the Manitoba Moose beat the Rochester Americans 5-1 at the MTS Centre. Rookie Michael Grabner extended his goal-scoring streak to five games with a two-goal performance, Rick Rypien earned three assists, and Drew MacIntyre made 26 saves for his 14th win of the season.
>> Click to view photos of tonight's game.
>> Click here to see official scorer's sheet
First Period
Wearing their black 'road' jerseys in contrast to Rochester's whites, Manitoba started this two-game series with Drew MacIntyre in net. Just as MacIntyre faced his fourth shot at the nine-minute mark, Moose forward Rick Rypien was called for elbowing and Rochester benefited from the game's first powerplay.
The Americans were unable to register a shot on the man-advantage and eventually spit up a powerplay in the other direction, offering the Moose their first five-on-four at 10:51. Midway through the powerplay, Pierre-Cedric Labrie played keep-away with the puck, powered around Tyler Plante's net, and fed Bourdon at the point, who drilled the puck into the mesh to score the first goal of the game.
A second powerplay would help put the Moose up nine shots to six, and the club headed to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
Second Period
39 seconds into the second period, a three-player collision in the Rochester slot coughed up the puck for Michael Grabner. The offensive first-year forward descended on the net and out-played Plante, backhanding the puck into the net to put the Moose up 2-0. The goal extended Grabner's goal-scoring streak to five games, setting a new standard among Moose skaters this season.
Near the four-minute mark, the Americans got a chance to narrow the gap on the man-advantage, but the Moose forced a second scoreless powerplay and maintained their two-goal lead.
Another Moose penalty for too-many-men was highlighted by a Alexandre Bolduc breakaway and subsequent penalty shot. #49 swept up the ice and cut in from the right to take his shot, but Plante's sturdy right pad blocked the attempt and the score remained unchanged.
A third consecutive Moose penalty, this time to Bourdon for tripping, offered the Americans their fourth powerplay of the game, but the visitors were unable to crack their goose-egg. In the final minute of play, Juraj Simek took advantage of Manitoba's momentum, snapping the puck past Plante to score his fourth goal of the season and give the Moose a three-goal lead. By registering the second assist on the play, goalie MacIntyre earned his first Moose point.
Third Period
Second intermission did little to slow Manitoba's momentum, especially for the rookies. On the home team's fourth breakaway of the game, Grabner beat Plante on the stick side to score his second goal of the game, sixth in five consecutive contests, and put him tied for fourth on the AHL rookie scoring list with 13 goals and 24 points in 35 games.
Six minutes later, Rochester's fourth consecutive powerplay finally paid off for the visitors. With Bourdon in the box for slashing, a persistent Mark Mancari plugged at the puck near MacIntyre's crease and got it into the Moose net to put the Americans on the scoreboard with just over 12 minutes left to play.
A heavy hit delivered by Labrie on Rochester's Mike Card sent the Americans defenceman to the ice and fists flying between the two lines. After the melee, Americans forward Dylan Hunter netted an extra two minutes for roughing and the Moose wasted no time extending their lead to four goals on the powerplay, with Brad Moran shocking Plante with a goal only three seconds off the face-off.
More Moose penalties gave the Americans a two-man-advantage in the dying minutes of the third, but the home team held on through the final few minutes and a second scuffle to beat Rochester 5-1 on Friday night.
|
| SCORING |
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| Rochester |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Manitoba |
1 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
Jan 4, 2008 - MTS Centre FIRST PERIOD:1. Manitoba, L. Bourdon (4) (P. Labrie, R. Rypien) 11:59 PP Penalties - R. Rypien Mtb (elbowing) 8:40, K. McArdle Rch (slashing) 10:51, K. McArdle Rch (tripping) 15:54 SECOND PERIOD:2. Manitoba, M. Grabner (12) (M. Gajic) 0:39 3. Manitoba, J. Simek (4) (R. Rypien, D. MacIntyre) 19:17 Penalties - Z. FitzGerald Mtb (high-sticking) 4:10, Served by M. Gajic Mtb (bench minor - too many men) 8:23, L. Bourdon Mtb (tripping) 13:57 THIRD PERIOD:4. Manitoba, M. Grabner (13) (M. Gajic) 1:43 5. Rochester, M. Mancari (8) (M. Gragnani, C. MacArthur) 7:47 PP 6. Manitoba, B. Moran (8) (R. Rypien) 11:47 PP Penalties - L. Bourdon Mtb (slashing) 7:21, M. Funk Rch (misconduct) 11:44, D. Hunter Rch (roughing) 11:44, S. Meyer Rch (roughing) 11:44, M. Weber Rch (fighting) 11:44, P. Labrie Mtb (roughing) 11:44, N. McIver Mtb (fighting) 11:44, B. Moran Mtb (hooking) 13:58, Z. FitzGerald Mtb (cross-checking) 14:49, D. Hunter Rch (roughing) 18:54, S. Heshka Mtb (roughing) 18:54
| SHOTS |
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| Rochester |
6 |
11 |
10 |
27 |
| Manitoba |
9 |
7 |
5 |
21 |
POWER PLAYS:Rochester Americans 1-7. Manitoba Moose 2-3. GOALTENDERS:Rochester Americans Plante 6-16-1 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 60:00 SV: 16 GA: 5 [L] Manitoba Moose MacIntyre 25-18-2 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 60:00 SV: 26 GA: 1 [W]
Attendance:
7,557
- MTB - Michael Grabner
- MTB - Drew MacIntyre
- MTB - Rick Rypien
- Manitoba hosts Rochester for the second of back-to-back games tomorrow night. The club honours Team Canada by donning Moose Team Canada jerseys and the first 1,500 kids in the building will receive a megaphone courtesy of Manitoba Hydro.
|
Updated: Jan. 4, 2008 at 9:58 PM CST
