Quick Hits

• Kevin He became the first China-born player to appear in the AHL, and scored two points (1G, 1A) in his debut
• Domenic DiVincentiis stopped 36 shots in a shutout performance
• Noah Gregor scored his first goal in his first game with the Moose

Game Story

The Manitoba Moose (1-0-0-0) took down the Chicago Wolves (0-1-0-0) in their home opener at Canada Life on Saturday afternoon. Manitoba hosts the Wolves again on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Moose owned a 13-9 edge on the shot clock in the opening 20 minutes and tallied the frame’s only goal. Chicago killed off the first penalty of a five-on-three midway through the period, but Manitoba struck before they could kill off the second. Noah Gregor waited patiently and took the gap the defence left him. Gregor cut across the face of the goal, and tucked the puck past Zach Sawchenko to put the Moose up 1-0. Sawchenko and Domenic DiVincentiis were otherwise perfect in their respective goals in the first, sending the clubs to their rooms with the 1-0 scoreline favouring the home side.

Chicago amped up the pressure in the second, but DiVincentiis was up to task. The Wolves fired 21 shots toward the Bolton, Ont. native, forcing him to make some big saves, but DiVincentiis kept the Moose ahead 1-0. Sawchenko stopped all six shots he faced in the frame. Brayden Yager had the best chance for Manitoba in the period, outwaiting Sawchenko in front of the net, but was foiled by the post.

The Moose padded their advantage midway through the final stanza. Colby Barlow finished off a setup from Jacob Julien and Kevin He, with He collecting his first career professional point on the play. The goal was Manitoba’s second power play marker of the contest. A special night for He continued. The rookie winger picked up the loose puck in the neutral zone, and planted it into the yawning cage for his first AHL goal. DiVincentiis stopped six shots in the third, backstopping the Moose to a 3-0 victory, earning his first shutout of the campaign. 

Quotable

Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis (click for full interview)

“It looked like how we left off in playoffs. We were rolling there in playoffs, and it looked like it just transitioned into the first game. It was exciting. Home openers are always a blast; you could feel the team really took advantage of the energy that was in the rink.”

Statbook

• Colby Barlow recorded a pair of points (1G, 1A)
• Noah Gregor played in his 400th professional game
• Dysin Mayo and Henry Thrun also made their Moose debuts
• Thrun tallied his first point with the Moose with an assist
• Manitoba won their home opener for the second straight season

Prepared by Frankie Benvenuti