Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (34-29-5-3) fell in the shootout for the second consecutive outing, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Iowa Wild (27-35-6-3) at Casey’s Center. They were coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday.

Manitoba started on the front foot in the opening minute, creating a series of chances to open the scoring early, but the Wild weathered the storm. With Iowa providing some push back, Danny Zhilkin corralled a pass and broke in on goal with a head of steam. Zhilkin forced his chance past Riley Mercer, giving the Moose a 1-0 lead at 8:15. Thomas Milic made nine stops in the opening 20 minutes, while Mercer contributed 12 for the Wild.

Iowa controlled the play for large portions early in the second and outshot the Moose 9-4 in the frame. Riley Heidt tied the game at 5:24, beating Milic with a shot from the slot. Mercer made all four stops asked of him, as the clubs headed to their respective locker rooms deadlocked.

The Moose thought they may have found the winner in the final moments of the third. Dawson Barteaux potted his first goal of the season at 18:31, putting the visitors 89 seconds from victory. The game’s status changed quickly, however, as Iowa equalized 22 seconds later. Bradley Marek deflected a Ben Jones point shot past Milic, and the game headed to overtime. The extra frame solved nothing due to some brilliant stops from Milic and Mercer, who combined for eight saves. The Moose required a shootout to split the sides for a second straight game. Mercer denied Zhilkin with a sensational desperation save, and the Wild scored on their two attempts, as Iowa captured a 3-2 victory in the skills competition.

Quotable

Moose defenceman Dawson Barteaux (click for full interview)
“I thought as a group we played pretty well. We had lots of chances tonight. That’s hockey, it’s late in the year. Bounces go the other way sometimes, and it’s too late in the year to dwell on it. We’re just going to move on and look forward to tomorrow.”

Statbook

• The Moose didn’t have a penalty to kill for the first time this season
• David Gustafsson recorded three shots in his return to the lineup
• Danny Zhilkin notched his sixth multi-point game of the season
• Mason Shaw led all skaters with a +2 rating
• Manitoba can finish no lower than fourth in the Central Division