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![\"BROOK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4173233_web1_BJ-20260426ManitobaMooseVsMilwaukeeAdmirals06.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS
\nManitoba Moose right-winger Walker Duehr (No. 7) celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game in the first period.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable feeling,\u201d said goaltender Dom DiVincentiis, who played a huge role by stopping 31 of 32 shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gave them our best and they gave us theirs, but we\u2019re the better team and the better team usually comes out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
It gets late awfully early in a best-of-three series, as Manitoba found out when they dropped Wednesday\u2019s opener 4-1. But they responded to that sudden dose of adversity with back-to-back 2-1 nail-biters against the affiliate of the Nashville Predators.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Game 1 there were a lot of guys who had a lot of belief in how we played and that we could come back from this,\u201d said Moose captain Mason Shaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a little bit of the jitters, you are a little nervous but we put that all in the right direction and once again got off to a great start. When we are playing our game and hounding on their defence, we are a hard team to contain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manitoba will now face Grand Rapids in a best-of-five series starting next weekend.<\/p>\n
Super start<\/p>\n
There was no need to play catch-up in this one, the way Manitoba had to do in Game 2 after giving up the first goal of the game. This time, it was the Moose that came out flying with a flurry of scoring chances.<\/p>\n
Admirals goaltender Matthew Murray made several outstanding saves but couldn\u2019t stop Walker Duehr, who notched his first of the playoffs at 11:43 of the opening frame. David Gustafsson, who broke a 1-1 tie with 47 seconds left in regulation on Friday night with a perfect tip, played the role of set-up man on this one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were kind of ragging it around a little bit the whole shift,\u201d Duehr said of some sustained offensive zone pressure preceding the goal.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Gustafsson) has been a linemate of mine pretty much the whole year. Being back with him is fun, he\u2019s a great player, he\u2019s an easy guy to play with. He does everything right, and if you play the right way and are in the right spots, he\u2019s usually going to find you with the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Moose could have \u2014 and probably should have \u2014 taken an even bigger lead into the intermission as Colby Barlow was robbed by Murray and Samuel Fagemo hit the post.<\/p>\n
Persistence eventually paid off as Fagemo made it a 2-0 game late in the second period, ripping a shot from close range after a stellar feed from Gustafsson.<\/p>\n
It was a huge goal, giving Manitoba some additional breathing room which would prove extremely valuable.<\/p>\n
Dominant defence<\/p>\n
Some of Manitoba\u2019s best work in this game \u2014 over the final two games, in fact \u2014 came in their own end of the rink.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Shot blocks, active sticks and getting in passing lanes was the norm, rather than the exception, and it made life difficult for a Milwaukee team that loves to live in front of the net.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the game plan to get sticks on the inside and make sure they don\u2019t get anything clean. I think the end of the second period and near the end of the game they got some clean, but most of it was chewed up,\u201d said Moose head coach Mark Morrison.<\/p>\n He credited his top four defencemen of Elias Salomonsson, Isaak Phillips, Tyrel Bauer and Ashton Sautner of doing a lot of the dirty work down low.<\/p>\n And, of course, it helps to have a goaltender playing with plenty of confidence to cover up any mistakes that get made.<\/p>\n The only dent in the armour happened with 3:44 left in the third period as the Admirals finished off a nifty three-way passing play to cut Manitoba\u2019s lead in half.<\/p>\n That\u2019s as close as they\u2019d get.<\/p>\n Key play<\/p>\n Samuel Fagemo\u2019s late second-period goal off a slick pass from David Gustafsson gave the Moose a bit of breathing room and proved to be the game-winner.<\/p>\n Three star:<\/p>\n 1. Moose G Dom DiVincentiis: 31 saves<\/p>\n 2. Moose C David Gustafsson: 2 assists<\/p>\n 3. Moose RW Walker Duehr: 1 goal<\/p>\n Extra! Extra!<\/p>\n Manitoba went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill Sunday and a perfect 7-for-7 in the series. The Moose went 0-for-2 on their power play.<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial teams at this time of year are crucial. Obviously, in the last game we had a huge goal from Gus late in the game to get us that win. And once again tonight when we were called upon it seems like we were getting the job done,\u201d said Shaw.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have quick pressure and at the end of the day, your PK is only as good as your goaltending is and I thought Dom did a good job. That is something we are going to lean on moving forward and we hold ourselves to a high standard on the PK so hopefully that continues.\u201d<\/p>\n A crowd of 4,853 took in the matinee and brought the noise, which was noticeable to players and coaches.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u201cThe crowd\u2019s unreal. You know why it\u2019s unreal? Because we don\u2019t usually get those crowds throughout the season,\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n \u201cIt brings some importance to the game. The thing I liked about it, they\u2019re into the game, they\u2019re not just sitting there. They\u2019re cheering and up and it\u2019s excellent. It was a great crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n The only potential downside to the victory was that Salomonsson was shaken up late in the third period after crashing hard into the boards. The young defenceman just returned on Friday night after missing a couple weeks due to a concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t got a medical report yet. I just watched it, he went in awkward. It was right in front of the bench there,\u201d said Morrison. \u201cWe\u2019ll get a report later, but he didn\u2019t play after that.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n Up next<\/p>\n The Moose will now spend the week preparing for Grand Rapids, which finished second-overall in the AHL regular-season standings with a stellar 51-16-5 record. The Griffins earned a bye into the second round by virtue of winning the division.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cIt\u2019s going to give us a bit of time to get some banged-up bodies healed as well as prepare for these guys. They\u2019re a good team,\u201d Morrison said of getting six days in between games.<\/p>\n The first two will be held in Winnipeg \u2014 Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. \u2014 before shifting to Michigan for the duration.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that they\u2019re going to bring their best. I think we can take anybody,\u201d said DiVincentiis.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we keep playing like how we just played those last six periods, we\u2019re going to be very good. We love being in that underdog situation and we\u2019re just going to have fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS
\nManitoba Moose defenceman Isaak Phillips (No. 3) controls the puck while Milwaukee Admirals right-winger Cole O\u2019Hara (No. 77) reaches for the puck during first period action.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS
\nManitoba Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis (No. 50) and Moose teammate Ashton Sautner (No. 6) keep an eye on the puck while Moose defenceman Tyrel Bauer (No. 2) and Admirals left-winger Reid Schaefer (No. 49) battle in the slot during first period action.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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