Struggling Manitoba Moose handed 4th straight defeat

WINNIPEG – There were no superheroes to be found for the Manitoba Moose on Superhero Day.

The Milwaukee Admirals struck for three goals in the first period and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Moose on Monday afternoon at Bell MTS Place.

“We didn’t show up on time.” Moose forward Mike Sgarbossa said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We didn't show up on time." Moose forward Mike Sgarbossa said.

“At this point in the season there’s no excuse for not being prepared, and we weren’t ready today. Going into the playoffs, every period is going to matter, and we can’t take a period off no matter how good our team is.”

The Moose still lead the central division but have now dropped three straight games on home ice and lost six of their last seven games overall.

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Despite getting badly outplayed in the first period the Moose had a much better final 40 minutes, outshooting Milwaukee 16-6 in the final frame.

“We need to show up on time and that cost us the game.” head coach Pascal Vincent said. “The second period we worked hard, the third period we worked hard but that’s expected. That’s what we do for a living. Working hard is not amazing, it’s what we need to do.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We need to show up on time and that cost us the game." head coach Pascal Vincent said. "The second period we worked hard, the third period we worked hard but that's expected. That's what we do for a living. Working hard is not amazing, it's what we need to do."

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“We can’t not be ready to play against Grand Rapids or Milwaukee to start the game. That’s what we need to do better the next game, making sure we start on time.”

Brendan Lemieux’s second period goal ended Manitoba’s shutout streak at 171 minutes and 11 seconds after they were shutout in their two previous games. Lemieux set a new career high with his 13th goal of the season to top the 12 goals he scored last season as a rookie. Sgarbossa scored their only other goal.

WATCH: Highlights Milwaukee Admirals vs Manitoba Moose – February 19

1:20 HIGHLIGHTS: Admirals vs Moose – Feb. 19

Frederick Gaudreau had two goals for the Admirals while Trevor Murphy also beat Moose goalie Jamie Phillips. Harry Zolnierczyk recorded a pair of assists.

Phillips finished the game with 23 saves in making his fifth consecutive start in goal.

The announced attendance was 8,430 for Superhero Day which saw many young Moose fans all decked out in the costume of their favourite superhero.

The Moose will try to get back on track when the eight game homestand continues with the rematch against the Admirals on Wednesday at Bell MTS Place.

WATCH: Manitoba Moose Post Game Reaction

0:52 Manitoba Moose Post Game Reaction – Feb. 19

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