CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Quicken Loans Arena was abuzz last night as the home town Lake Erie Monsters, tried for a third time try to boot the Manitoba Moose from the playoffs. The Monsters who once held a 3-1 edge over the Moose went on to lose three straight games to have the Moose turn the tables on them and the Monsters were ejected from the AHL Playoffs last night a 4-3 series win. Important game note is the fact that Aaron Volpatti who was ejected from game four for a questionable hit and was then in turn suspended for two games was able to return to the Moose line up on Tuesday night and he was put back on the roster, that being Coach Claude Noel’s only roster change for Tuesday’s game.
The first period saw the Moose playing shorthanded as they were working so hard to be the first on the board that the Moose left their game plan and started to play on the wrong side of the rules, Manitoba was given three minor penalties in the first period, including a 5 on 3 chance for the Lake Erie Monsters. The Moose have a very well oiled penalty kill and were able to hold off the surging Monsters. The first period was knotted in a scoreless draw when the Monsters were able to finally solve the ever impossible Eddie Lack, on a great shot by Jonas Holos at 19:02 of the first period giving the home side a 1-0 advantage heading into the break. The second period started and both the teams were searching hard for the next goal, the Monsters looking for a insurance goal and the Moose looking for the equalizer. The Monsters were hungry very hungry as they had a one goal lead at mid point through the game and held a 20-6 lead in shots of the Moose, with Lack being the only reason the Moose were still in a close game. At 16:21 the Moose leading scorer Marco Rosa had come into the Monsters zone hanging hard on the left wall before he was able to fed Sergei Shirokov who as always was driving the net hard and was able to put the shot past John Grahame to tie the game. Heading into the break the Monsters and Moose were knotted at one goal a piece and the final twenty minute frame would decide both teams fate, as both teams hit the ice for the third period of game seven in a very hard fought series the crowd as Quicken Loans Arena was very loud the Monsters fans were wanting to put the Moose out. At the 10:00 minute mark of the third period Alexandre Bolduc was able to get control of the puck in the neutral zone and was able to skate over the Monsters blue line and was able to split the d men and fired the shot past Grahame and that put the Moose up 2-1 and it was the key to taking excitement out of the Quicken Loans Arena. Keith Seabrook who was a trade line day pick up from the Abbottsford Heat was a key part to the Moose power play for the remainder of the season and of course in game six and now had a chance again to help the power play unit pad their stats. Seabrook controlled the puck off the draw and was able to get the puck to Bill Sweatt who took control of the loose puck and popped it in the net putting the Moose up 3-1 at 9:02 of the third period, with time running out the Monsters needed heroics and needed it now. With a 1:02 remaining the Monsters pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin when Marco Rosa was able to put the puck in the empty net, the Moose who had scored four unanswered goals had made hockey history coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Moose now begin a new series with their arch nemesis the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate. The Moose and the Bulldogs have a storied history that goes back fifteen years.
