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BROOK JONES\/FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
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Manitoba Moose goaltender Domenic Divincentiis keeps an eye on the puck during first period action Saturday in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think we\u2019ve been stressing and emphasizing defending as a five-man unit all over the ice,\u201d said Moose defenceman Kale Clague, who moved up onto a pairing with Isaak Phillips that was relied on heavily. \u201cI thought we did a really good job in the D-zone of closing fast and then, also being there for support when there was a loose puck to break it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The win allowed the Moose to take a 1-0 lead in this best-of-five Central Division semifinal, with Game 2 set for Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
While defending as a five-man unit was essential, the play of the Moose defence corps was exemplary, with each of the six blue-liners suiting up doing an exceptional job of leaning on their strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we defended well,\u201d said Moose head coach Mark Morrison. \u201cWe were on the right side a lot of times, of a lot of battles. That\u2019s kind of the game plan against them. Zero-zero going into the third, I was happy with that. But let\u2019s face it, that\u2019s a good team. They had just as many chances, if not more, than us. That could have gone either way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Moose needed a strong effort from each of the six blue-liners in the lineup, especially after the news earlier this week that Jets top defence prospect Elias Salomonsson was done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n
Salomonsson is a big-time minute muncher at the AHL-level and his absence required a number of players to take on more responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously Sal, you can\u2019t replace that kid. He\u2019s unbelievable and does so many things right on the ice for us,\u201d said Moose captain Mason Shaw, who delivered the game-winning goal with 2:26 left in regulation time. \u201cI thought everybody did a great job. That\u2019s one of the best forward groups in the league (to defend against).\u201d<\/p>\n
Like he was in the opening-round series with the Milwaukee Admirals, Phillips was involved physically and moved the puck efficiently while Clague played a mostly tidy game at both ends of the ice \u2013 and while he didn\u2019t get an assist on the game-winner, he was involved in the sequence that led to Shaw\u2019s rebound marker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he handled the puck well and he made some good plays,\u201d said Morrison, when asked about Clague\u2019s contribution. \u201cDefensively, he was good. Sometimes he can take high risks for you because he wants to create offence, but (on Saturday), he played the right way and I thought he did a heck of a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shutdown pairing of Tyrel Bauer and Ashton Sautner also did some excellent work in the contest, providing plenty of physical play while helping to limit the second and third chances in front of DiVincentiis.<\/p>\n
Bauer is someone who Jets management will be watching closely in these playoffs, since his overall improvement has him on the radar for his NHL debut in the not-so-distant future.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know how tough he is and that kind of thing. Guys are on edge when he\u2019s out there, knowing that he\u2019s big, strong, tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just the ultimate teammate,\u201d said Clague. \u201cYou know how tough he is and that kind of thing. Guys are on edge when he\u2019s out there, knowing that he\u2019s big, strong, tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the thing that impresses me the most is that he\u2019s been able to keep it simple and when he keeps it simple and his feet are moving. I don\u2019t know what he\u2019s been like the last few years, but he seems to be confident right now, breaking pucks out and using his legs. He\u2019s great in front of the net and he\u2019s tough. Those things are always going to be there, but when he\u2019s moving his legs and breaking pucks out, that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salomonsson\u2019s injury opened the door for the professional hockey debut of Jets 2022 fourth-rounder Garrett Brown.<\/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 Brown, who recently completed his junior season with the University of Denver Pioneers by capturing an NCAA Frozen Four championship, skated on the third pairing with Dylan Anhorn and provided some quality minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I say about that? His first five minutes, I was like \u2018OK, he\u2019s under pressure here a little bit but he certainly settled in really well,\u201d said Morrison. \u201cHe has some poise with the puck and he made some really nice plays. He hung onto pucks and made some nice breakout passes. For his first game, in that environment, with one of the best teams in the AHL, I thought he did extremely well.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrison wasn\u2019t the only one who came away impressed by the play of Brown, who is already being projected by some as having the potential to be a right-handed version of Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s big, he\u2019s long and he skates well for a big guy,\u201d said Clague. \u201cHe looked pretty comfortable, especially against a team like that. It\u2019s your first game and it\u2019s the playoffs, against a really good hockey team. I thought he held his own.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken 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 Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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