Manitoba Moose force deciding game in first-round series with last-minute victory – Winnipeg

It came right down to the last minute, but with their season hanging in the balance, the Manitoba Moose came through with their backs against the wall.

With the Moose facing elimination in Game 2, David Gustafsson scored the go-ahead goal with just 43 seconds left in a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday at the Canada Life Centre.

The best of three series is now tied at one apiece.

After a scoreless first period, Ryan Ufko stepped out of the penalty box in the middle stanza and scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway to open the scoring for the Admirals.

Parker Ford answered back for the Moose only two minutes later with his second goal of the series. The Moose outshot Milwaukee 12-5 in the period.

The two teams combined for just three shots in the first 10 minutes of the final frame, but with a little under two minutes left Manitoba went on the power play. And with just 43 seconds remaining in regulation, Brayden Yager’s point shot was tipped in by Gustafsson to send the nearly 5,000 fans into a frenzy.

Manitoba outshot the Admirals 12-6 in the third and 35-20 overall.

Elias Salomonsson played his first game in antlers since February after finishing the regular season with the Jets in concussion protocol.

Domenic DiVincentiis had 19 saves in the win, while Matthew Murray made 33 stops for the Admirals.

The deciding Game 3 goes Sunday at 2 p.m. at Canada Life Centre.

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