Manitoba Moose: New look first line lights up IceHogs

Call it spring thaw: hockey style.

The Moose’s shiny new first line of Matt Pope, Marco Rosa and Peter Olvecky wasted no time getting to know each other and put some heat into their club’s frigid offence, to the tune of a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of the Rockford IceHogs.

The top line combined for four goals and four assists — not too shabby for a trio who first played together this morning for less than half an hour.

Pope — who potted a pair of goals in a two minute span late in the first — had nothing but praise for his new linemates.

“Olvecky works hard, he’s a big kid, and I’m a big kid,” noted Pope. “And Rosa’s got tons of skill.”

The offensive outburst melted away a shaky start for the home side. The ice in the Rockford zone was barely scratched some seven minutes in — the only Moose chance a weak effort which was easily deflected up into the protective mesh above the glass — while Cory Schneider faced half a dozen shots in that span.

“Cory’s always a difference maker. Cory kept us in it,” Moose coach Scott Arniel told the media scrum following the victory.

On just the second Manitoba shot of the game, Matt Pope had the home side on the board–the puck squirting from behind the net to the waiting winger, who wristed it high stick side on a visibly frustrated Toivonen.

“The first 13 minutes, we were really slow out of the gate,” Arniel admitted. “The first goal really had the bench going.

“We didn’t deserve it, but to see that first one go in, that was a big turning point.”

Not two minutes later, with the IceHogs making a line change, goaltender Cory Schneider fed Marco Rosa at the Rockford blue line. Rosa deked around the only IceHog in sight — former Moose Nick Boynton — before finding Matt Pope for a powerplay marker, his second goal of the night.

The Moose limped into the dressing room after 20 minutes. Despite holding a 2-0 edge, the play was more clearly reflected in the shot total that read 12-6 for Rockford.

“Even though we knew this was coming, we weren’t prepared,” Pope said. “We did come out harder in the second period, and we took more shots, and when you shoot more you’re going to score.”

And score they did.

First Matt Pettinger shorthanded, four minutes into the middle frame, after a Rockford defenceman fanned on a shot. Then Rosa, two minutes later, on an even-strength one-timer.

Yan Stastny and Peter Olvecky both scored their first goals as Manitoba Moose — Olvecky with a wraparound late in the third, and Stastny with a one-timer on the powerplay.

The Moose had scored just 14 goals in their last seven games, but sent IceHogs goalie Hannu Toivonen to the showers early in the 2nd period. He allowed three goals on nine shots in 24 minutes of work. Backup Corey Crawford also gave up 3 goals, and made 17 saves.

Rockford’s Matt Keith scored the lone IceHogs goal with a minute to go in the second period.

SPECIAL TEAMS RENAISSANCE?
Manitoba’s nearly cellar-dwelling powerplay, ranked 28th in the league, went two for four thanks to the Stastny and Pope goals. Meanwhile, Pettinger’s shorthanded marker came on a perfect night (5 for 5) for the 17th ranked penalty kill in the league.

CORY CRAZY
Cory Schneider picked up his 28th win of the season — behind only Worcestor’s Alex Stalock, who has 33 victories to his name this year. The Moose goaltender is near the top of almost every goaltender category tracked by the AHL including wins, losses, minutes played, and saves. He is tied for first in shootout wins with five.