Winnipeg, MB— Jeffrey Viel scored four points to lead the Moose to a 6-4 win over the Admirals Sunday at Canada Life Centre.
Manitoba outscored Milwaukee 4-1 in the third period to come back for the victory. The loss snapped Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak. Milwaukee ended the four-game road trip with a 3-1-0-0 record. It was Milwaukee’s first loss when leading after two periods (8-1-0-0).
Manitoba scored the first goal of the game at 1:35 of the first period. Viel found his way behind Admirals goalie Yaroslav Askarov and deflected a shot from the right point into the net for his third goal of the season.
Milwaukee tied the score at 14:08 of the first period with a power play tally. Defenseman Roland McKeown sent a pass to the left circle for Egor Afanasyev. Afanasyev loaded up a wrist shot and whipped it past the glove of Moose goalie Oskari Salminen for his 11th goal of the season. It was Afanasyev’s third power play marker.
The Admirals took its first lead at 14:08 of the second period. Afanasyev and Mark Jankowski worked the puck free from Moose defenders along the right wing boards. Afanasyev sent a pass to a wide-open Marc Del Gaizo in the left circle and he ripped a shot past the glove of Salminen for his second goal of the season, and second in as many games.
Milwaukee’s Afanasyev scored his second of the game when the Moose, on a power play, made an Ill-advised line change. Jasper Weatherby and Afanasyev left the Admirals zone on a 2-on-1 break. Weatherby entered the zone on the left and passed the puck to Afanasyev. From the right circle, Afansyev zipped a shot into the goal at 17:09 of the second period for his 12th goal of the season and third shorthanded tally.
Manitoba struck back near the end of a power play at 17:46 of the second frame when a puck bounced to a wide-open Kyle Capobianco in the right circle. He was able to slap the puck into the goal before the Ads defense could respond to make the score 3-2.
The Moose pressured early in the third period to tie the game when Kristian Reichel crashed the goal and slid a backhander into the net at 2:21.
Manitoba took the lead at 7:49 of the third period. Brad Lambert one-timed a slap shot from the right face-off dot for his ninth goal of the season.
The Moose made it 5-3 when Parker Ford slammed a rebound into the net after several chances in front of Askarov. The goal, at 11:42 of the third stanza, turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Joakim Kemell tallied at 15:51 to bring the Admirals within one goal at 5-4. Kemell’s shot from the left circle was assisted by Jankowski and Jake Livingstone.
Viel added an empty-netter with :07 remaining to seal the win.
Salminen stopped 31 shots in goal to earn the win for Manitoba. Askarov stopped 30 of 35 shots in Milwaukee’s net for the loss.
Milwaukee returns home to host the Iowa Wild Wed., Dec. 20 at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
