2
|
Manitoba
5
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Chicago Wolves’ Anttoni Honka scored his first career American Hockey League goal and veteran Mackenzie MacEachern also had a goal but it wasn’t enough as the 2022 Calder Cup champions fell 5-2 to the Manitoba Moose on Friday night.
“I think everyone wants to just do a little too much,” veteran Wolves forward Brendan Perlini said after the Wolves’ second loss in as many contests. “Once the games start coming a little bit thicker for us things will be a little bit simpler out there and hopefully a little bit easier.”
The Moose raced to a 3-0 lead early in the second period at Allstate Arena on scores by Wyatt Bongiovanni, Mikey Eyssimont and Jansen Harkins before Honka lit the lamp. The 22-year-old defenseman scooped up a loose puck deep in the Moose zone and ripped a shot from the right circle past the stick of Manitoba goaltender Oskari Salminen. William Lagesson and Jamieson Rees earned assists on the play.
Manitoba sealed the deal midway through the third when Nicholas Jones scored shorthanded and Henri Nikkanen found the empty net. MacEachern notched his first goal of the season for the Wolves in the waning seconds.
“It’s frustrating not getting results,” Wolves coach Brock Sheahan said. “We’re not playing fast enough, we’re not putting enough pucks behind them and we’re not wearing them down. We’re kind of waiting for the game instead of initiating. We have to get to that tempo, that pace to wear a team down.”
Pyotr Kochetkov (22 saves) suffered the loss in goal for Chicago while Salminen (17 saves) picked up the win for Manitoba (2-0-1-0).
Next up: The Wolves are back in action Saturday night when they travel to Rockford to take on the IceHogs in the season’s first road contest.
For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2022-23 season — everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings — visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
