5
|
Manitoba
4
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Kenny Agostino registered his second consecutive three-point night while Andrew Agozzino tallied two goals to help the Chicago Wolves edge the Manitoba Moose 5-4 Sunday at Allstate Arena. The victory marked the eighth consecutive win on home ice for the Wolves and the sixth straight win overall.
Chicago (35-17-4-3) rallied from an early 2-0 deficit in the first period and scored five straight goals to build a 5-2 lead. However, the Moose (23-28-4-4) collected two goals 46 seconds apart in the third period to build the suspense.
Manitoba opened the scoring on the power play as Brandon Tanev scored at 5:43 in a net-front scramble. A Brendan Lemieux shot from near the middle of the left circle went off Tanev and a Chicago player and then behind Jordan Binnington (12-6-4) for the 1-0 lead.
A defensive-zone giveaway cost the Wolves just 2:08 later. Jack Roslovic stripped the puck, weaved through a couple Chicago defenders to the bottom of the right circle and slipped a shot between Binnington’s glove and pad.
With less than five minutes to play in the opening period, the Wolves pulled back within a goal while on the power play. Agozzino, standing near the top of the right offensive circle, accepted a pass from Agostino near the same-side wall. Agozzino then skated farther into the circle and snapped a shot past Moose goaltender Jamie Phillips (1-2-0).
Just 56 seconds later, Agostino and Samuel Blais battled for the puck in the left offensive corner before pushing it to Wade Megan in the slot for an easy shot to tie the game, 2-2.
The Wolves gained their first lead of the contest at 8:06 of the second session when Scooter Vaughan, standing on Phillip’s doorstep, redirected a Morgan Ellis point shot to make 3-2.
In the final two minutes of the second period, Agozzino netted his second goal of the game when he redirected another Ellis point shot.
At 3:56 of the third period, James Wisniewski and Vince Dunn funneled the puck down to Agostino near the left side of the net mouth. His soft shot trickled over the goal line for Chicago’s fifth tally.
A few minutes later, Manitoba pressured while on the power play, and Binnington made a couple saves before Lemieux finally stuffed the puck past him to make it 5-3.
Less that a minute later, Manitoba’s Kyle Connor won the puck in a one-on-one situation. Connor zipped around a defenseman and shelved a shot past Binnington to put the Moose back within a goal.
Chicago fended off Manitoba for the remainder of the period, including the final 1:48 with Phillips on the bench in favor of an extra attacker, for the 5-4 final score.
Binnington turned aside 37 shots for the win while Phillips stopped 34 in the loss.
The Wolves wrap up a six-game homestand on Thursday (March 9) against the Cleveland Monsters. Puck drop is 7 p.m., and the game will stream live on AHLLive.com. For ticket information or complete 2016-17 broadcast information, visit ChicagoWolves.com.
Three stars: 1. CHI, Kenny Agostino (1-2–3); 2. CHI, Andrew Agozzino (2-0–2); 3. MB, Brendan Lemieux (1-1–2).
