Moose D stand tall

It wasn’t exactly air tight, but it was pretty darn stout.

When you consider that the Grand Rapids Griffins strolled into Canada Life Centre as the second highest scoring team in the American Hockey League during the regular season, you had to be impressed by the sound defensive effort the Manitoba Moose put forth in a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.

It was just the second time in 73 games that the Griffins had been held without a goal – the other coming back in Feb. 6 against the Charlotte Checkers – and that is a testament to the superb play of goalie Domenic DiVincentiis (who made 39 saves for his first playoff shutout) but also the effort of the players in front of him.

“I just think we’ve been stressing and emphasizing defending as a five-man unit all over the ice,” said Moose defenceman Kale Clague, who moved up onto a pairing with Isaak Phillips that was relied on heavily. “I thought we did a really good job in the D-zone of closing fast and then, also being there for support when there was a loose puck to break it out.”

The win allowed the Moose to take a 1-0 lead in this best-of-five Central Division semifinal, with Game 2 set for Sunday afternoon.

While defending as a five-man unit was essential, the play of the Moose defence corps was exemplary, with each of the six blue-liners suiting up doing an exceptional job of leaning on their strengths.

“I thought we defended well,” said Moose head coach Mark Morrison. “We were on the right side a lot of times, of a lot of battles. That’s kind of the game plan against them. Zero-zero going into the third, I was happy with that. But let’s face it, that’s a good team. They had just as many chances, if not more, than us. That could have gone either way.”

The Moose needed a strong effort from each of the six blue-liners in the lineup, especially after the news earlier this week that Jets top defence prospect Elias Salomonsson was done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Salomonsson is a big-time minute muncher at the AHL-level and his absence required a number of players to take on more responsibility.

“Obviously Sal, you can’t replace that kid. He’s unbelievable and does so many things right on the ice for us,” said Moose captain Mason Shaw, who delivered the game-winning goal with 2:26 left in regulation time. “I thought everybody did a great job. That’s one of the best forward groups in the league (to defend against).”

Like he was in the opening-round series with the Milwaukee Admirals, Phillips was involved physically and moved the puck efficiently while Clague played a mostly tidy game at both ends of the ice – and while he didn’t get an assist on the game-winner, he was involved in the sequence that led to Shaw’s rebound marker.

“I thought he handled the puck well and he made some good plays,” said Morrison, when asked about Clague’s contribution. “Defensively, he was good. Sometimes he can take high risks for you because he wants to create offence, but (on Saturday), he played the right way and I thought he did a heck of a job.”

The shutdown pairing of Tyrel Bauer and Ashton Sautner also did some excellent work in the contest, providing plenty of physical play while helping to limit the second and third chances in front of DiVincentiis.

Bauer is someone who Jets management will be watching closely in these playoffs, since his overall improvement has him on the radar for his NHL debut in the not-so-distant future.

“You know how tough he is and that kind of thing. Guys are on edge when he’s out there, knowing that he’s big, strong, tough.”

“He’s just the ultimate teammate,” said Clague. “You know how tough he is and that kind of thing. Guys are on edge when he’s out there, knowing that he’s big, strong, tough.

“But the thing that impresses me the most is that he’s been able to keep it simple and when he keeps it simple and his feet are moving. I don’t know what he’s been like the last few years, but he seems to be confident right now, breaking pucks out and using his legs. He’s great in front of the net and he’s tough. Those things are always going to be there, but when he’s moving his legs and breaking pucks out, that’s important.”

Salomonsson’s injury opened the door for the professional hockey debut of Jets 2022 fourth-rounder Garrett Brown.

Brown, who recently completed his junior season with the University of Denver Pioneers by capturing an NCAA Frozen Four championship, skated on the third pairing with Dylan Anhorn and provided some quality minutes.

“What can I say about that? His first five minutes, I was like ‘OK, he’s under pressure here a little bit but he certainly settled in really well,” said Morrison. “He has some poise with the puck and he made some really nice plays. He hung onto pucks and made some nice breakout passes. For his first game, in that environment, with one of the best teams in the AHL, I thought he did extremely well.”

Morrison wasn’t the only one who came away impressed by the play of Brown, who is already being projected by some as having the potential to be a right-handed version of Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg.

“He’s big, he’s long and he skates well for a big guy,” said Clague. “He looked pretty comfortable, especially against a team like that. It’s your first game and it’s the playoffs, against a really good hockey team. I thought he held his own.”

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