Wranglers Score Six in Second Period, Rout Moose 7-2
Six goals in 7:57 of the second period turned a tight game into a rout as the Calgary Wranglers dismantled the Manitoba Moose 7-2 at the Saddledome.
Manitoba had reason for optimism after Brayden Yager snapped a power play goal into the top corner over Arsenii Sergeev's blocker in the first period, his ninth of the rookie season. Then the second period started, and the Wranglers buried the Moose.
Calgary scored six times in the middle frame Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 lead and handing the Manitoba Moose a 7-2 defeat that left the visitors searching for answers. The Moose fell to 27-21-5-1 on the season; Calgary improved to 20-24-10-4.
Domenic DiVincentiis had kept it close through 20 minutes, stopping 13 Calgary shots to protect the one-goal lead while Sergeev made 12 saves. The second period undid all of that in a hurry.
Justin Kirkland tied the game just 63 seconds into the period. Aydar Suniev then put the Wranglers ahead at 4:41, and before the Moose could adjust, Suniev struck again 41 seconds later to make it 3-1. Sam Morton extended the lead at 8:07. Remarkably, Manitoba held a 15-12 edge on the shot clock in the period, yet the scoresheet told an entirely different story. Kirkland added his second goal in the final minute, and Clark Bishop capped the outburst with 13 seconds remaining to complete a six-goal frame that effectively ended the contest before the third period began.
Manitoba managed one bright moment in the third when Walker Duehr deflected a Samuel Fagemo shot past Sergeev at 7:06 to make it 6-2, but Artem Grushnikov answered at 13:35 to restore the five-goal cushion and set the final scoreline at 7-2.
The Moose came into the game already stinging from a 4-1 loss to the Abbotsford Canucks on Wednesday, and the back-to-back setbacks left forward David Gustafsson blunt in his postgame assessment. "I'm expecting all of us to go out with a different mindset and really want to win on Sunday," Gustafsson said, "because this one was embarrassing for all of us."
Suniev and Kirkland each scored twice in the second period alone. Bishop, Morton, and Grushnikov rounded out the Calgary attack, while Fagemo collected an assist on the Duehr deflection. The Wranglers have a chance Sunday to extend their recent momentum; for Manitoba, that game arrives as an urgent opportunity to prove Friday night was an aberration.
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