Jermaine Loewen scores in Manitoba homecoming to spark Wolves’ victory

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Jermaine Loewen, who grew up in Manitoba, scored his first American Hockey League goal to spark the Wolves to a 4-2 victory Saturday against the Moose.

Defenseman Dylan Coghlan and forwards Reid Duke and Lucas Elvenes also scored for the Wolves (11-14-2-0), who earned their first victory this season when outshooting their opponent. Goalie Oscar Dansk made 25 saves.

The Moose (13-13-0-0) took a 1-0 lead at 11:40 of the first period. While skating away from the net, forward Kristian Reichel fired a wrist shot from 10 feet inside the blue line. The puck zipped between two Moose and two Wolves battling in front of the crease and wound up in the back of the net.

Loewen, who was born in Jamaica but was adopted by a family in Arborg, Manitoba, when he was 5, pulled the Wolves even with 1:08 left in the first. Coghlan sent a wrist shot toward the net, where Loewen fought off a defenseman and redirected the puck over goalie Griffen Outhouse’s left shoulder.

Just 32 seconds later, Coghlan pounced on a bouncing puck above the right faceoff circle and ripped a rising slap shot just under the crossbar to give the Wolves a 2-1 lead.

Duke made it 3-1 at 6:50 of the second. Valentin Zykov collected the puck at the red line, escaped two defenders while carrying the puck into the offensive zone and sent a pass to Duke, who delivered a rising blast from the top of the right circle.

The Wolves made it 4-1 when Elvenes scored from the right faceoff circle on a power play with 4:07 left in the third.

JC Lipon tipped home a shot with 2:33 left to cut the Wolves’ lead to 4-2, but the Moose could get no closer.