Chicago Wolves Sweep Weekend Series With Manitoba Moose

In the overtime period, Ty Smith walked into the slot and ripped the game winner past Milic, winning the game for the Wolves. He was a difference maker in the contest, recording the game winner along with two assists.

Game 2, Apr. 6, 2025: CHI 3 – 2 MB

In true Moose and Wolves fashion, it was another exciting matchup full of rough stuff and dramatic goals.

The Wolves opened the scoring on a scramble play in front of Moose netminder Domenic DiVincentiis. After the puck rolled in front, DiVincentiis made several attempts at freezing it before it came free to Fensore beside the net, who made it 1-0.

Early in the second period, the Wolves added to their lead after a series of bounces and some missed defensive coverage. After DiVincentiis made a pair of saves, Ryan Suzuki snuck in behind the Moose defenders and was left alone in front, making no mistake to make it 2-0.

The Moose stormed back in the third, however, as they potted two goals of their own to tie it less than two minutes into the final frame.

They cut into the deficit on a goal by Mason Shaw 42 seconds into the third period. He was able to get to a rebound in front of Wolves’ netminder Spencer Martin and slide it past him to make it 2-1.

Just over a minute later, Liam Malmquist recorded his first professional goal to tie the game 2-2. Malmquist, who signed with the Moose on an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) on March 25, was playing in his third career game on Apr. 6.

The two teams seemed destined for another overtime thriller, but that didn’t happen as the Wolves took a 3-2 lead late on a power-play goal. Nick Swaney scored with 55 seconds left, and despite some pressure to tie the game with the goalie pulled, the Moose were unable to score as the Wolves swept the series.

Officiating the Focus After Penalty-Filled Series

It feels like it’s been a while since officiating was as much of a focus as it was after this series, but here we are again. The entire weekend felt chaotic in terms of what was and wasn’t called, and that was especially evident in the series finale.

While some things that should have been penalties weren’t called, like Lambert taking a high hit to the head, there were others that were head scratchers that left more questions than answers. Perhaps none more than the hooking penalty that was assessed to Phillips late in the third period of the Apr. 6 game.

At that stage in the game, it was highly questionable to call that, especially when it appeared fairly obvious that Phillips’ stick was grabbed by the opponent. That was something that stuck out to Moose head coach Mark Morrison.

“I thought there were some bad calls, I really did,” Morrison said. “There was a call on Phillips there that I thought that the player was holding his stick inside, and for me, that was a tough one.”

The call that came after, one to Lambert on another hook, wasn’t as egregious, but making that call with less than a minute left felt as if the officials were putting their hands into things just a bit too much. Nobody wants a good game taken over by penalties, and both games in the series were overshadowed by that.

Malmquist, Guzzo Adapting to Professional Game

The weekend also played host to a pair of home debuts for two collegiate players who have made the jump to the professional ranks. Malmquist, who scored his first professional goal on Apr. 6, was signed to his ATO and has since played three games.

After scoring his first American Hockey League (AHL) goal, he was thrilled.

“It’s awesome,” Malmquist explained. “Seeing that goal go in the back of the net was like a breath of fresh air, it was awesome.”

His goal, which tied the game in the early stages of the third period, was reviewed for a kicking motion before eventually counting. He made sure to plead his case with the officiating crew as they were deciding, perhaps to his benefit.

“I was telling the ref that I don’t even know how to kick a soccer ball, so I don’t know how I’ll kick a hockey puck,” he said while laughing. “It was a little tense, but I was happy it went in.”

Patrick Guzzo was another college free-agent who signed an ATO with the Moose after captaining the Ohio State Buckeyes. Apr. 6 was his professional debut, and he was excited to be given the chance to get into his first game.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “Fun game to be a part of, obviously not the result we wanted, but I had a lot of fun out there.”

Making that jump to the professional game can certainly be an adjustment for collegiate players, and in his first game with the Moose, Guzzo was just trying to stick to his game. I asked him what parts of his game he thought could transition well to the AHL.

“I think just my 200-foot game,” Guzzo explained. “[I’m] someone who’s reliable in the d-zone, someone who’s reliable in the o-zone as well. A power forward who likes to get in the corners to protect the puck and get in front of the net to try and screen the goalie when I can.”

Wrapping Up the Home Schedule With a Pair Against Iowa

The Moose finish up the home portion of their schedule with a pair against the Iowa Wild on Apr. 11 and 12. There’s a chance they could add a prospect or two to their lineup with the respective seasons ending for Kevin He and Kieron Walton, but that remains to be seen.

Looking to finish strong, they’ll have those two against the Wild and two against the Texas Stars to wrap up their season.