Milic stars with shutout as the Moose seize historic first-ever road win against the Roadrunners, fueled by Jets' momentum.
After bouncing back with a win on Tuesday night, the Winnipeg Jets saw their momentum carry over to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, who also picked up a milestone victory.
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The Moose secured their first-ever win in Tucson, downing the Roadrunners 2‑0 on the road. For Manitoba (2‑4‑1‑0), the triumph was especially significant, marking their first victory in Tucson in franchise history and following a strong performance in a 4‑3 overtime loss to the Chicago Wolves on Oct. 25, giving them points in back-to-back games.
The game opened with both teams pressing offensively. Manitoba starting goaltender Thomas Milic denied Tucson a golden early chance with a paddle save and went on to stop all nine shots he faced in the first period. At the other end, Tucson netminder Matthew Villalta was equally sharp, turning aside ten Moose shots, including a late breakaway. Moose winger Phil Di Giuseppe led all skaters with three shots on goal in the opening frame.
In the second period, Manitoba dominated play, firing 19 shots at Villalta. The Moose capitalized on a power-play opportunity when forward Samuel Fagemo blasted his second goal of the season from the top of the circle. Milic continued his strong night, adding six more saves to finish the period with 15 stops.
The third period saw Villalta under heavy pressure, stopping 10 more shots and finishing with 49 saves to earn first-star honors. But Milic remained unbeatable in net, earning his second career AHL shutout with 26 saves. Jaret Anderson‑Dolan sealed the win with an empty-net goal with nine seconds remaining, giving Manitoba a 2‑0 victory.
Beyond the win, the Moose’s young roster continues to show promise this season. Thomas Milic’s shutout was the second of his AHL career, while Walker Duehr played in his 150th AHL game. Manitoba has out-shot its opponents in four consecutive games, highlighting their offensive pressure.
Center David Gustafsson proves he still has some gas left in the tank as a veteran with a pair of goals and four assists for six points in as many games to start the season. Youngsters Danny Zhilkin and Samuel Fagemo each tallied 4 points through seven games, while high-end prospect Brayden Yager is adapting to the professional game with 2 goals and 1 assist in seven contests in his rookie season. Another high-end prospect in Colby Barlow has seen a slower start than anticipated, with just 1 assist in seven games.
In net, the Moose have split starts between Milic, who sits at 1‑1‑1 with a 2.37 GAA and .909 save percentage, and fellow prospect Domenic DiVincentiis, who has a 1‑3‑0 record with a 3.57 GAA and .887 save percentage.
The Moose will look to carry the momentum of the win over into the second leg of their back-to-back versus Tucson on Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. CT. Fans can catch the action live on AHL.TV via FloHockey.tv or listen in on 680 CJOB.
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