It was Thanksgiving eve, the Wolves were on the prowl in the Horizon and the visitors from the north looked like fair game.
But the Manitoba Moose (9-12-1) were no turkeys, and it wasn’t until the last 2 minutes that the Wolves were able to sink in their teeth to gain a 5-3 triumph.
Set up by Steve Maltais from behind the net, Ravil Gusmanov delivered the game-winning goal with 1 minute 48 seconds to play. Scott Pearson scored on an empty Manitoba net vacated by goalie Rich Parent for the extra attacker with 7 seconds left.
“Gusmanov is a skilled player,” said Randy Carlyle, Manitoba’s general manager and coach. “Give him space and he will hurt you.”
Even though they outshot their opponents 48-24, the Wolves (14-5-2) struggled nonstop. They are off to the best start in their four-year history and boast the best winning percentage in the 18-team International Hockey League.
“The shots didn’t indicate the tough game it was,” Maltais said. “Wendell Young had to make some real big saves.”
The Wolves first got a lead when Chris Marinucci put them ahead 3-2 by scoring the team’s fourth shorthanded goal in the last seven games at 2:30 of the third period.
“Those are huge and Marinucci keeps getting them,” said Wolves coach John Anderson. “They’re a real turning point.
The Moose got a chance to win with a goal by Rick Girard that tied the score at 3-3 midway through the period.
