Moose Even Up Series 2-2

TORONTO (CP) -- The Manitoba Moose used their power play to get back on even terms with the undisciplined Toronto Marlies on Tuesday night.

The Moose scored three times with the man advantage to bury the Marlies 5-1 and tie their North Division semifinal series 2-2.

Jason Jaffray, Maxime Fortunus and Mark Fistric each had a goal and an assist for Manitoba. Greg Rallo and Mark Cullen notched third-period goals to put the game away for the Moose in front of 2,258 fans at the Ricoh Coliseum.

Bates Battaglia had Toronto's lone goal as Cory Schneider stopped 20 shots in the win.
With Manitoba up 3-1 in the third, Rallo converted a pass from Dusty Collins, tipping the puck high over Toronto goalie Justin Pogge's glove.

The goal came off a turnover by Toronto's Jeremy Williams. The Marlies winger then cross-checked Rallo as he celebrated.

The ensuing penalty, coupled with a minor to Toronto's Phil Oreskovic for trying to pick a fight with Manitoba's Raymond Sawada, helped Cullen score Manitoba's fifth goal just after the five-on-three power play expired.

After a spirited but scoreless first period, things opened up with four second-period goals, three of which came on the power play.

Fistric got the ball rolling 3:18 into the frame when his floater from the point on a Manitoba man advantage got past a screened Pogge and found the top corner.

Just moments earlier, Toronto's Ben Ondrus had a chance to put the puck deep and get a line change, but he failed to do so, the Marlies got pinned in their zone and ultimately fell behind 1-0.
Toronto pulled even on a power play of its own when Battaglia, standing right in front of Schneider, tracked a loose puck and quickly swept it into the side of the net.

Just when things were looking up for the Marlies, Andre Deveaux took a foolish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to give Manitoba another man advantage.

Fortunus' point shot found the corner of Pogge's goal to put Manitoba up 2-1 less than two minutes after the Marlies drew even.

Deveaux did not see the ice for the remaining eight minutes of the second.
The only even strength goal of the period came with 29 seconds left. After Toronto failed to clear its zone, Matt Pope slid a quick pass to the middle of the ice and Jaffray buried a wicked wrist shot under the crossbar on Pogge's stick side for his series-leading third goal.

Notes: Game 5 is Thursday night in Toronto. ... The teams return to Winnipeg for Game 6 Saturday night. ... Manitoba's Michael Grabner left the game briefly after crashing hard into the end boards in the second, but returned. ... Defenceman Jonas Frogren, who played all season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, suited up for his first game of the year with the Marlies after recovering from a knee injury.

SOURCE: torontomarlies.com.