WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Moose let a franchise record tying 10 game win streak slip right through their grasp.
Riding a wave of nine straight victories the Moose wasted a two goal lead as they suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday afternoon at Bell MTS Place.
“I don’t think it’s time to panic.” Moose captain Patrice Cormier said. “I think we’ll be all right. We get a big point, but it would have been nice to get the 10th in a row.”
The loss comes after a six day break between games. But despite the defeat the Moose still have at least a point in 10 straight games now. They’ve also won 13 of their last 15 games overall.
“We’ve been pretty successful recently.” Moose head coach Pascal Vincent said. “We need to learn a lesson. We’re up by two goals and we’re playing decent hockey. We had our scoring chances. We could have scored way more goals and we didn’t.”
“That’s the game of hockey and it’s just too bad we didn’t win, but we did a lot of good things.”
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Admirals goalie Juuse Saros made several key saves and finished the game with 23 stops. Phil Lane, Jimmy Oligny, and Tyler Kelleher scored for the Admirals in the win.
For the first time in eight starts Michael Hutchinson surrendered more than two goals. He stopped 22 of 25 shots to lose for the first time in his last eight appearances.
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The Moose had goals from Cameron Schilling, Cam Maclise and Mason Appleton as the Moose built up a 3-1 lead after one period of play. But the Admirals scored once in the second and then tied the game with just six minutes left in regulation time.
Both teams had chances to win the game in what was a thrilling back and forth overtime period but it ended up going to the shootout. Mike Sgarbossa scored to open the shootout. Justin Kirkland and Trevor Smith both beat Hutchinson but Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux failed to find the net to end the Moose streak.
Manitoba’s other lengthy streak also ended. Kelleher’s third period powerplay goal ended a Moose streak of killing off 30 consecutive penalties.
The Moose held their annual Teddy Bear Toss in the first intermission where fans threw 2,137 stuffed animals on the ice.
Manitoba closes out their four game homestand with the rematch against Milwaukee on Sunday starting at 2:00 pm at Bell MTS Place.
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