Manitoba Moose

Get out the brooms again, Moose fans. Your team is getting ready to attempt its second straight clean sweep and advance to the Calder Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

FIRST PERIOD

The Aero Dynamics are barely in place before they have something to cheer about. Corey Locke jams a shot past Cory Schneider just 1:26 into the game, and Houston has an early 1-0 lead.

So Houston Coach Kevin Constantine is back with Anton Khudobin after opting for Nolan Schaefer in Game 3. It can’t be fun playing goalie in his system, that’s for sure.

Khudobin seems to edge closer to a spot on the bench after Mike Keane pots one through his wickets to tie the game at one. Constantine starts dusting off the seat after Keane adds another not two minutes later, short-handed, no less, and all of a sudden, it’s 2-1 Manitoba.

The first intermission entertainment is some sort of cheerleader, and they sure ain’t the Aero Dynamics. Let’s just say they’re the opposite of aerodynamic. For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction?

SECOND PERIOD

Schneider makes a couple of brilliant saves to keep the Moose lead at one, but can’t protect it forever as Robbie Earl is the beneficiary of a beautiful passing play and it’s 2-2.

For being four games into a series, it’s not as chippy as I was expecting, but neither was the Grand Rapids series. Must have something to do with only four meetings a year instead of eight.

THIRD PERIOD

The Toyota Center faithful aren’t in their seats when Jason Krog stakes the Moose to the lead once again. It’s 3-2 Moose just 25 seconds into the frame.

A fan almost dumps the child he’s holding trying to pick up a t-shirt tossed into the crowd. Fortunately, the person in the next seat over helped prop up the kid. No indication whether the shirts say “Father of the Year”.

Building pressure, the Aeros tie it as Matt Beaudoin beats Schneider to knot the game at three. And not a minute later, Tony Hrkac also finds the back of the net to put Houston out in front.

But no fear, Moose fans. Captain Crunch-time is here. Keane gets his third point of the game after Mario Bliznak wraps around a blocked shot to even the score at four, and we are off to overtime.

OVERTIME

Remember that spot on the bench for Khudobin I was talking about? He found it at an odd time. Nolan Schaefer is in net to start the extra period.

Raymond Sawada buzzes around the Aero net early in overtime, but can’t put one away. The Aeros rush the other way, culminating in Matt Beaudoin firing home his second of the night as Houston lives to see another day (well, two…Thursday and Friday).