Manitoba Moose 3 at GRIFFINS 1

Nov. 24, 2017

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Manitoba Moose tallied two goals in the game’s opening 8:01 and Michael Hutchinson recorded 37 saves to propel Manitoba to a 3-1 win against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday night at Van Andel Arena.

The Griffins, who were playing their first home game since Nov. 8 and first game overall since last Saturday at Rockford, have fallen below the 0.500 mark (8-9-0-2), while the Central Division-leading Moose (13-5-1-1) have won five straight and own a five-point margin over the second-place IceHogs.

After a weekend off from games, the Griffins will continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday when they host the Texas Stars at 7 p.m.

Showing no side effects from yesterday’s holiday, Manitoba struck just 1:05 into the opening period. Jared Coreau used his right pad to deny Sami Niku’s initial attempt from the right point, but Patrice Cormier gained control of the puck amid a trafficked crease and slipped it past the netminder’s outstretched right skate.

Mason Appleton, the reigning AHL Player of the Week, doubled the Moose’s advantage during the team’s first power play of the game. Skating up the right side, Nic Petan fed a backhanded pass toward the slot. After Brendan Lemieux’s initial attempt was knocked down, Appleton banged in a bouncing puck between Coreau’s pads with 11:59 remaining in the first stanza.

Turner Elson cut Manitoba’s lead in half 2:42 into the middle frame which allowed the partisan crowd of 9,930 to unload their teddy bears onto the ice. The first-year Griffin, who now leads the team with seven goals, picked off a pass from Cormier in the Manitoba zone and made a quick move to his backhand in the slot to get past Moose defender Peter Stoykewych. He walked in on Hutchinson and, with his left-handed shot, went top shelf to the upper left corner, ensuing the cascade of teddy bears. The 4,000 stuffed animals thrown onto the ice tonight will benefit Hug-A-Bears of Kent County, as the Griffins hosted their 18th annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Grand Rapids went on to outshoot Manitoba 15-7 in the second period, aided by over four consecutive minutes of power play time near the middle portion of the frame, but were unable to find the equalizer. The Griffins, who entered tonight’s game third in the AHL in power play percentage, finished 0-for-8 on the man-advantage.

JC Lipon restored Manitoba’s two-goal edge with 8:36 left in regulation. Skating up the left side, Chase De Leo dumped the puck in behind the Griffins’ net. After taking an odd bounce off the end boards, the puck glanced off an in-pursuit Mike Sgarbossa’s skate and waited innocently by the left post for Lipon to swoop in and score.

Coreau, who finished with 27 saves, came off for the extra attacker with 2:44 remaining but Grand Rapids could not inch closer.

Manitoba concluded the game 1-for-6 on the power play.

Three Stars: 1. MB Hutchinson (W, 37 saves); 2. MB Appleton (game-winning goal); 3. GR Elson (goal)