Manitoba Moose

While there were plenty of momentum shifts during the course of the Calder Cup final, the consensus was that the riveting series really swung in the opener.

As the Hershey Bears spent part of Friday night enjoying the spoils and parading around the MTS Centre ice with the Calder Cup after securing the chalice in six games, the Manitoba Moose were poring over the wreckage.

Most signs pointed to Game 1, when the Moose were unable to hold a 3-1 lead they held after 40 minutes of play.

When Alexandre Giroux notched his third goal of the game at 13:33 of the first overtime, the Bears grabbed the opener and never really looked back.

"We had opportunities to win games and I look back to Game 1 and how big that was to blow that lead," said Moose head coach Scott Arniel. "Going down to Hershey up two probably would have been a better situation for us."

Bears forward Graham Mink concurred.

"It could have gone either way and there were a lot of bounces," said Mink. "Game 1 was big for us, to get that win in overtime and get us going."

SLOW START: Although Arniel thought his team would be better prepared for a return to home ice and the raucous atmosphere, he admitted nerves looked to be a factor as the Moose stumbled out of the gate in Game 6.

"It was certainly uncharacteristic of how we wanted to start the game and how we do start games," said Arniel. "We turned the puck over 15 or 16 times. We looked very nervous and they pounced on every opportunity. Once (the Bears) they got that first one, they got a sniff of where they were trying to get to. Obviously, being down three was a big hill to climb."

MVP DEBATE: There was some surprise when Bears goalie Michal Neuvirth won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.Neuvirth was excellent during the post-season (16-6, 1.92 goals against average and four shutouts), but Giroux had 15 goals and 28 points and was a huge factor, especially in the final as he notched six goals (including a hat trick in Game 1 that included the overtime winner) and eight points in six games.

Bears head coach Bob Woods agreed with the selection.

"Giroux gave him a good run, but Neuvy was a good choice," said Woods.

SOUND DEFENCE: Most of the talk coming into the series was about the Bears potent attack, but they did a great job defensively in this series, limiting the Moose to 12 goals (one into an empty-net) in the six games.

"It starts with the goaltender," said Arniel. "Their goaltender was huge when he needed to be, especially in Games 3 and 4.

"They're an offensive team that led the league in scoring, but they defend pretty well. They do a good job of limiting the quality chances and you have to work for every inch."

"They're known as an offensive team, but they locked us down pretty good," added Moose goalie Cory Schneider, who finished the post-season with a record of 14-7, a 2.15 goals against and .922 save percentage. "They didn't give us a whole lot in the series."

INJURY UPDATE: Moose forward Alexandre Bolduc played the final three games of the series with a torn groin, while centre Mark Cullen missed the final two games after re-injuring a fractured clavicle in Game 4 after taking a hit from Bears defenceman Dean Arsene.

The timing couldn't have been much worse, as both Bolduc and Cullen were having a solid playoff prior to the injuries.

Bolduc finished with five goals and nine points in 13 games, while Cullen had four goals and 13 points in 20 games.