By Jen Sharpe
www.moosehockey.com
Though the Toronto Marlies battled back from an early two-goal deficit, the Manitoba Moose finished on top of a 4-3 decision thanks to a third-period goal by defenceman Maxime Fortunus and clutch saves from Cory Schneider. The Moose can now focus on their first-round playoff opponent: the Syracuse Crunch. The Moose-Crunch series gets underway Friday, April 18th in Syracuse.
>> Click here to see official scorer's sheet
First Period
The Moose struck first only two minutes into the game. After feeding Alexander Bolduc with a backhand pass, Brad Moran descended on Marlies' netminder Scott Clemmensen, received the puck back from Bolduc, and lifted it into the net to score the first goal of the game.
Fellow first-liner Jannik Hansen soon made it two on Manitoba's second shot. While surging up the right wing, Hansen fired a slapshot from the top of the face-off circle, and though Clemmensen caught a piece of the puck, it bumbled across the goal line to give the Moose a 2-0 lead.
Shortly after Hansen's goal, Toronto's Kris Newbury took an interference penalty, but Manitoba was unable to extend their lead on the game's first powerplay. Once back at full strength, the Marlies cut Manitoba's lead in half. From the middle of the face-off circle, John Mitchell guided a slapshot over Schneider's glove and inside the post to put his club within one.
With just over four minutes left on the clock, Moose enforcer Rick Rypien headed to the penalty box for tripping and the Marlies tried for a powerplay equalizer. But goalie Cory Schneider stayed strong in net to preserve Manitoba's lead heading into the second period.
Second Period
The Marlies were on the attack early in the middle frame, and despite benefiting from a second powerplay, the Moose struggled to find offensive momentum. A hooking penalty to Moran at the 10-minute mark didn't help matters for Manitoba, but the club excelled on the disadvantage and forced play back into the Toronto zone. Though Clemmensen stopped Greg Rallo's original shot, Greg Classen caught a piece of the bouncing rebound to score his second shorthanded goal of the season and put the Moose up 3-1.
Manitoba took a second consecutive penalty later in the period, and although they couldn't tally a second shorthanded goal, the club killed the penalty and carried their 3-1 lead to the final frame.
Third Period
A mishandled puck brought the Marlies back within one in the first minute of the third period. While playing the puck behind his net, Schneider directed it back out to the slot, where Alex Foster pounced and pushed it across the line before the goalie could get back into position.
Roughing and holding penalties near the five-minute mark resulted in a third powerplay for the Moose, but the league's best penalty killers proved their worth and forced another scoreless powerplay.
With 10 minutes left in the game, Toronto's David Ling evened the score. The Marlies controlled the play in the Moose zone, and when Schneider was scrambling, Ling capitalized by lifting the puck just under the crossbar to set the score 3-3.
But a pair of Toronto penalties threatened the home team's comeback, and Manitoba wasted no time reclaiming their lead. During the five-on-three powerplay, defenceman Maxime Fortunus beat Clemmensen from the slot to put the Moose back up by one.
The Marlies topped 30 shots and iced six skaters in the game's final minutes, but Schneider stepped up to stall the desperate team, ensuring a season-closing 4-3 victory for the Moose.
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| SCORING |
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| Manitoba |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| Toronto |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
Apr 13, 2008 - Ricoh Coliseum FIRST PERIOD:1. Manitoba, B. Moran (22) (A. Bolduc) 2:00 2. Manitoba, J. Hansen (21) (B. Moran, A. Bolduc) 4:35 3. Toronto, J. Mitchell (20) (B. Ondrus, J. Tlusty) 11:41 Penalties - K. Newbury Tor (interference) 5:18, R. Rypien Mtb (tripping) 15:42 SECOND PERIOD:4. Manitoba, G. Classen (11) (G. Rallo) 11:31 SH Penalties - D. Ling Tor (slashing) 5:01, B. Moran Mtb (hooking) 9:54, N. McIver Mtb (hooking) 14:33 THIRD PERIOD:5. Toronto, A. Foster (18) (C. Murphy) 1:02 6. Toronto, D. Ling (17) (C. Harrington, B. Battaglia) 9:23 7. Manitoba, M. Fortunus (8) (C. Genoway, D. Groulx) 11:33 PP Penalties - A. Bolduc Mtb (roughing) 4:12, A. Foster Tor (roughing) 4:12, A. Wozniewski Tor (holding) 5:58, Served by M. Leveille Tor (bench minor - unsportsmanlike conduct) 10:20, C. Harrington Tor (roughing) 10:20
| SHOTS |
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| Manitoba |
9 |
9 |
7 |
25 |
| Toronto |
9 |
11 |
12 |
32 |
POWER PLAYS:Manitoba Moose 1-5. Toronto Marlies 0-3. GOALTENDERS:Manitoba Moose Schneider 21-12-2 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 60:00 SV: 29 GA: 3 [W] Toronto Marlies Clemmensen 23-14-2 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 58:50 SV: 21 GA: 4 [L]
Attendance:
6,719
- MTB - Brad Moran
- MTB - Alexandre Bolduc
- TOR - David Ling
- The Moose return home for a few days before commencing their North Division Semi-Final series vs. the Syracuse Crunch Friday, April 18th in Syracuse.
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Updated: Apr. 13, 2008 at 5:41 PM CDT
