 |
| Power
Play |
11TH
- 17.8 |
| Penalty
Killing |
14TH
- 83.6 |
| FORWARDS |
| BRAD
MORAN |
22-55-77
(+19) |
| COLBY
GENOWAY |
15-34-49
(+10) |
| JASON
JAFFRAY |
21-27-48
(+21) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| SHAUN
HESHKA |
9-21-30
(+18) |
| NOLAN
BAUMGARTNER |
5-19-24
(0) |
| DANNY
GROULX |
4-20-24
(+11) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| DREW
MacINTYRE |
25-8-2
(2 SO)
2.32 GA
.921 PCT |
|
| COREY
SCHNEIDER |
21-12-2
(3 SO)
2.28 GA
.916 PCT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Manitoba
vs Syracuse |
|
|
SCHEDULE |
| 1 |
APR.
18 |
MANITOBA
1 - SYRACUSE 2 (OT) |
SEED
3 |
2 |
APR.
19 |
MANITOBA
3 - SYRACUSE 2
(OT) |
SEED
2 |
46-27-3-4
(99) |
3 |
APR.
22 |
SYRACUSE
2 - MANITOBA 1 (OT) |
46-26-2-6
(100) |
| |
4 |
APR.
25 |
SYRACUSE
2 - MANITOBA 5 |
|
| |
5 |
APR.
26 |
SYRACUSE
3 - MANITOBA 2
(OT) |
|
| |
6 |
APR.
28 |
MANITOBA
2 - SYRACUSE 3 (OT) |
|
| |
7 |
APR.
29 |
MANITOBA
at SYRACUSE |
|
| Syracuse
Wins Series 4-2 |
|
SERIES
PREVIEW
|
| Adriel
Bettelheim - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Syracuse
Crunch (46-26-2-6, 100 points) 2nd in North Division
Near the bottom of the league standings in November, the
Crunch mounted a dramatic comeback that culminated in
a 15-game, season-ending winning streak, vaulting the
team into second place with home ice advantage. Center
Derick Brassard was one of the strongest finishers, recording
14 points in seven games in April and getting named Rbk
Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month.
Joakim Lindstrom led the team with 25 goals and 60 points
in 49 games. Veteran Zenon Konopka has a history of coming
up big in the playoffs, tallying 29 points in 19 games
for the Portland Pirates during the 2006 playoffs. Adam
Munro and Karl Goehring split the goaltending duties.
Manitoba Moose (46-27-3-4, 99 points) 3rd in North
Division
The Moose split their four-game season series against
the Crunch this year and while not matching Syracuse’s
season-ending heroics, did go a respectable 5-3-1-1 in
its last 10 games. Rookie right wing Michael Grabner netted
22 goals, five of them game-winners, while fellow freshman
Corey Schneider was a force in goal, setting rookie franchise
records for games played (36), wins (21) and goals against
average (2.28).
Center Brad Moran is one of the hottest players entering
the postseason, with six goals and 23 points in the last
16 games. Wing Jannick Hansen is another Moose to watch,
entering the playoffs with 19 points in the past 16 games.
|
|
| Game
1 |
Manitoba
1 - Syracuse 2 (OT) |
|
Adriel Bettelheim
- PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 1-1 |
Syracuse,
NY - The hottest team in the AHL continued its
winning ways Friday night as the Syracuse Crunch won its
16th in a row, defeating the Manitoba Moose, 2-1, in the
opener of their first-round AHL playoff series.
Joakim Lindstrom took a drop pass from Zenon Konopka and
fired a wrist shot over the glove of Manitoba goalie Cory
Schneider just 30 seconds into overtime. The teams played
a physical, tight checking game that remained scoreless
until Juraj Simek fired home a rebound past Crunch goalie
Karl Goehring in the second period. Syracuse’s David Cullen
tied the game seven minutes into the third period, blasting
a point shot that deflected off Zack FitzGerald’s stick.
“We’re going to be in for a long series. It’s one game.
We have to forget about it and concentrate on tomorrow’s
game,” said Syracuse head coach Ross Yates.
|
|
| Game
2 |
Manitoba
3 - Syracuse 2 (OT) |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 1-1 |
Syracuse,
NY - Mike Brown stuffed a wrap-around goal behind
Karl Goehring with 14:50 expired in overtime to give his
Manitoba Moose a series-tying win over the Syracuse Crunch.
Manitoba's win stopped Syracuse's winning streak at 16
games and sent the series back to Canada for the next
three games.
For awhile it appeared Brown's late-game heroics would
be unneeded as Manitoba held a 2-0 lead for over 40 minutes
of play. Michael Grabner opened the scoring when he converted
a breakaway. Grabner aexited the penalty box, picked up
the puck and defeated Goehring one-on-one with just 15
seconds remaining in the first period. Manitoba's Danny
Groulx widened the lead when his shot went just under
the crossbar while the Moose were enjoying a five-on-three
power play late in the second period.
Syracuse's change came when Manitoba's Cory Schneider
left the game due to leg cramps. Schneider had stopped
all 26 shots he had faced when he turned his duties over
to Drew MacIntyre. Andrei Plekhanov quickly solved MacIntyre
with a shot from the point and Duvie Wescott completed
the comeback when he threw the puck through a screen and
past MacIntyre. Neither of the two clubs could score during
the rest of regulation and into overtime until Brown came
through with the winning goal.
|
|
| Game
3 |
Syracuse 2 - Manitoba 1 |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Syracuse Leads Series 2-1 |
Winnipeg, MB - The Syracuse Crunch and Manitoba Moose are getting accustomed to stalemate in regulation time.
For the third straight game in their first-round playoff series, the teams battled into overtime Tuesday night, with Syracuse
emerging on top, 2-1. Syracuse won when Brett Motherwell’s point shot was deflected in by Tom Sestito nine minutes into the
extra frame. Syracuse leads the series, 2-1.
Manitoba opened the scoring at 12: 19 of the second period when Michael Grabner batted home a loose puck that had caromed off
the boards and skipped over Mothwell’s stick. The Moose have scored first in each of the three games in the series.
Syracuse knotted the game, 1-1, four minutes later, when Zenon Konopka spun off a defender to the left of Moose goaltender
Cory Schneider and threw the puck at the net, where it deflected off Rick Rypien.
Schneider and Syracuse starter Karl Goehring were sharp in the back-and-forth game, with Schneider facing down three
first-period Crunch power plays. |
|
Game
4 |
Syracuse
2 - Manitoba 5 |
| PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Series
Tied 2-2 |
Winnipeg,
MB - A three goal explosion in record time gave
the Manitoba Moose the offense they would need to climb
back into a tie with the Syracuse Crunch in this best-of-seven
series.
Alexandre Bolduc, Jason Jaffray and Michael Grabner scored
within 1:52 of each other to set a franchise-record for
the quickest three goals. The lead separated the two clubs
from a first period 1-1 tie and put the Moose up 4-1.
Joakim Lindstrom started the Crunch in the correct direction
when he beat Cory Schneider, who would go on to win his
first career playoff game, under the crossbar. Just when
it appeared the lead would stand Danny Groulx registered
a power play goal with just ten seconds in the period.
After a scoreless first half of the second period Bolduc
started the Moose surge at the 10:18 mark. Derek MacKenzie
answered for Syracuse with a shorthanded goal late in
the playoffs, but it would not be enough. Mike Brown scored
an empty-net goal for the Moose late in the third period
to complete the scoring.
Jaffray picked up the eventual game-winning goal and an
assist in his first game back after missing nearly five
weeks with a shoulder injury.
Tom Sestito picked up an attempt to injure penalty when
he punched Schneider in the face with little time remaining
in the game. Because the play was ruled as an attempt
to injure the AHL will review the penalty to determine
if supplemental discipline is necessary.
Game 5 of the series is set for tonight in Winnipeg.
|
|
Game
5 |
Syracuse
3 - Manitoba 2 (OT) |
|
PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Syracuse
Leads Series 3-2 |
Winnieg,
MB - Given the animosity between the Syracuse Crunch and
the Manitoba Moose, it would have made sense if both team’s
net minders were wearing full body armor because pucks
weren’t the only things flying at the nets.
While Cory Schneider and Karl Goehring were busy stopping
rubber and being run over by opposition skaters, it was
Derek MacKenzie’s goal at 10:54 of overtime that lifted
the Crunch to a 3-2 victory and a three games to two series
lead in their North Division semifinal series with the
Moose. Syracuse can end the series back at home on Monday
night.
The visiting Crunch were not in a very good mood as they
found out before the game that forward Tom Sestito had
been suspended by the AHL for three games as a result
of a punch that dropped Schneider to the ice at the end
of Friday night’s contest. Just as they had in that game,
Syracuse came out in the first and were buzzing around
the Moose net only to have Schneider make save after save,
a total of 13 in all in the stanza. Goehring wasn’t as
busy but he was ready when the Moose came calling, making
four saves.
In between the saves, the bad blood bubbled up in spades.
Syracuse’s Derek Dorsett and Manitoba’s Mike Brown had
the first battle of the period just five minutes in. That
was followed by a heavyweight bout between Nathan McIver
of the Moose and Zenon Konopka of the Crunch at the 15:54
mark. As the horn sounded to end the period, there was
no score but plenty of promise for more fisticuffs to
come.
Manitoba finally opened the scoring early in the second
period. Jason Jaffray out hustled a Syracuse defender
to the puck in the corner and fed it to the slot where
Jannik Hansen took a spin-around backhander that beat
Goehring. Just over two minutes later, the Crunch answered
on a power play when Duvie Wescott’s perfectly placed
shot from the point was redirected by Nate DiCasmirro
past Schneider. As the period came to an end, Syracuse
took two ill-advised penalties, giving the Moose a two
man advantage to start the final period with the score
knotted at 1-1.
The 5-on-3 power play for the Moose netted the home team
no success but as the man advantage continued, Manitoba
cashed in at the 1:26 mark. Danny Groulx sent a shot from
the boards toward the net, hoping for a redirect. He got
just that as teammate Greg Classen was parked just outside
the crease and tipped the puck past Goehring to put the
Moose back in front. Just past the midway point of the
period, Syracuse’s MacKenzie sent teammate Derick Brassard
into the Manitoba end. His blast hit the post behind Schneider
but stayed out. The Crunch continued to press and Brassard
got a second chance, this time point blank in front and
he didn’t miss, tying the game at two.
As the clock ticked down, the tension grew. As the 7,599
in attendance at the MTS Centre hoped for their heroes
to score the winner, Syracuse was given a power play with
just under a minute left in regulation. Konopka tested
Schneider with six seconds left but the Moose goalie was
equal to the task and the game headed to overtime.
Both teams had good opportunities in the extra period
but the goalies were even better. Then, following a face
off, MacKenzie got tied up with Manitoba’s Brad Moran.
In the scrum, Moran’s stick broke, sending to the bench
for a replacement. As he did that, the Crunch broke out
three-on-two. Brassard got the puck to MacKenzie who made
an outside to inside move that got him in position to
put a backhander past Schneider for the game winner.
Game notes: Saturday’s game was the fourth in the
series to go into overtime with Syracuse winning three
of the four…Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play…For
the game, Syracuse out shot Manitoba 33-23, including
a 16-10 advantage in the third period and overtime...Brassard
had a hand in all three Crunch goals, adding two assists
to his goal.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
|
|
Game
6 |
Manitoba
at Syracuse |
| PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Syracuse
Wins Series 4-2 |
Syracuse,
NY - Trevor Frischmon’s first goal of the playoffs
8:35 into overtime lifted the Syracuse Crunch to 3-2 victory
over the Manitoba Moose on Monday night, earning Syracuse
a 4-2 series win and a trip to the second round of the
Calder Cup playoffs.
Frischmon’s shot went through a maze of bodies and past
Manitoba goalie Corey Schneider, ending a series that
saw five of the six games go to the extra frame.
After a scoreless first period, Brad Moran opened the
scoring for the Moose with two Crunch players in the penalty
box, wristing a sharp-angle shot past Syracuse netminder
Karl Goehring at 2:22 for a 1-0 lead. Derick Brassard
tied the game, 1-1, with under three minutes left in the
period, beating Schneider to the glove side.
Syracuse took its first lead of the game at 6:03 of the
third period, when Alexandre Picard pounced on a rebound
during a power play. But Manitoba forced overtime when
Moran found Jannik Hansen for a quick wrist shot with
5:25 left in regulation.
Schneider made 40 saves in the defeat, while Goehring
made 30 saves.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Power
Play |
5TH
- 20.6 |
| Penalty
Killing |
4TH
- 86.0 |
| FORWARDS |
| JOAKIM
LINDSTROM |
25-35-60
(-12) |
| ZENON
KONOPKA |
21-34-55
(+9) |
| DERICK
BRASSARD |
15-36-51
(+9) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| CLAY
WILSON |
14-33-47
(+13) |
| DUVIE
WESTCOTT |
4-23-27
(+6) |
| ANDREI
PLEKHANOV |
9-16-25
(+18) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| KARL
GOEHRING |
15-9-2
(2 SO)
2.20 GA
.926 PCT |
|
| ADAM
MUNRO |
13-9-1
(2 SO)
2.42 GA
.913 PCT |
|
|
|
