Highlight reel goals the story as Moose earn split with Marlies

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This article was published 19/02/2021 (2049 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Moose capped off a busy week with a 2-1 victory over the visiting Toronto Marlies Friday night.

The Moose received goals from Jeff Malott and Bobby Lynch, both of which were from the highlight-reel aisle.

Malott ripped home a shot from a seemingly impossible angle, beating Marlies goalie Andrew D’Agostini high from the right corner. Not to be outdone, Lynch took a cheeky backhand pass from Tyler Graovac before converting his own backhander, firing the puck to the right top corner at the 4:54 mark of the third period in what turned out to be the deciding goal.

Calle Rosen scored for the Marlies.

“We feel we’re getting better every game. When you look at the first game and then how we played tonight, there’s a difference,” Moose head coach Pascal Vincent said after the game. “The guys are paying attention to the small details we’re talking about and they work hard. It’s a good group.”

The victory marked the fourth straight game between the Moose and Marlies, over a stretch of five days, with the series finishing even at 2-2. Toronto took the first two games, earning 3-2 and 6-2 victories, while Manitoba answered back with a 4-2 win Thursday, to go with Friday’s triumph.

The Moose are part of a reconfigured Canadian Division, owing to COVID-19, with the Marlies, Laval Rocket, Belleville Senators and Stockton Heat, playing out of Calgary, rounding out the group.

With the Moose made up of mostly younger talent, with a few veterans sprinkled in, including a number of “rental” players from other organizations, it was never going to be a seamless transition. But Vincent has liked what he’s seen so far, and while he understands it will take some time to establish an identity, the early returns have been positive.

“It takes some time. I’m not sure exactly what’s going to be our team identity,” Vincent said. “Because we don’t know enough (about us) and we don’t know enough about the other teams in the league. What I do know is that is a team that is not willing to give up every night…and that’s a good start. That’s a good foundation.”

The Moose have a number of new and exciting pieces on the roster. Cole Perfetti, who the Jets selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and defencemen Ville Heinola, another first-round pick, and Dylan Samberg highlight the young talent.

“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in and having that first game, getting that first goal out of the way, that kind of took a lot of pressure off,” Perfetti said.

“It’s just adapting, evolving and seeing what it’s like getting a taste of pro hockey. It’s a big difference and a pretty heavy league.”

Samberg and Heinola have been playing as a defensive pair with the Moose since being sent down by the Jets. And like Perfetti, not only are they logging significant minutes, they’re also playing in key situations, whether that be on special teams or late in games when trying to score or protect a lead.

“It’s definitely a grind, especially starting off with four games in five nights,” Samberg said. “It was a good battle and it was nice to split the series with Toronto.”

“We’re going to give those young players all kinds of opportunities and we’ll learn from that,” added Vincent. “What I see so far is their reads are really good and that’s something that’s hard to teach. You can help hockey players to improve their hockey sense…but the reads are so good for such young players.”

Another thing made clear this week is goaltender Mikhail Berdin will be a busy man this season.

As the Moose work to fine-tune their systems, breakdowns will be inevitable. It’s a good thing then that Berdin appears up for the challenge. Through four games, the 22-year-old has stopped 141 of 153 shots, for a modest 3.02 goals-against average and a stellar .922 save percentage.

The Moose continue their season with four straight road games against Laval. The Rocket should provide another stiff test. They currently sit in first place in the Canadian Division, with a record of 3-1-0.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton