Wolves’ offense comes alive in win over Manitoba

The Chicago Wolves ran their points streak to five games after dispatching the Manitoba Moose 6-3 on Tuesday at Allstate Arena.

Felix Unger Sorum (two goals, assist), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (goal, assist), Bradly Nadeau (goal, assist), Justin Robidas (goal), Gabriel Seger (goal), Noel Fransen (two assists) and Charlie Cerrato (two assists) provided the offense as the Wolves won for the fourth time in five contests to erase an 0-4-0-0 start to the season.

The Wolves raced to a 2-0 advantage midway through the opening period on a pair of power-play goals.

First, Unger Sorum gathered a faceoff win from Cerrato and wired a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Manitoba netminder Thomas Milic to the glove side. In his professional debut, Cerrato recorded the assist.

Moments later it was Joseph’s turn to cash in on the man advantage. The defenseman took a cross-ice feed from Stiven Sardarian and fired a one-timer from the top of the right circle past Milic. On Joseph’s second goal of the season, Sardarian and Noel Fransen had assists.

Evan Nause’s tally late in the first pulled the Moose to within 2-1 at the intermission.

Early in the second, Unger Sorum notched his second of the game — and the season — when the forward wheeled into the offensive zone, cut to the net and sent a shot that Milic stopped before Unger Sorum batted in the rebound. Cerrato and Joseph picked up assists on the score.

Manitoba again cut the Wolves’ lead to a goal when Lucas Wahlin found the back of the net a short time later.

Robidas hit pay dirt on another Wolves power-play opportunity late in the second. The forward took advantage of time and space, skated to the net and flipped a shot from short distance that solved Milic to the glove side. Nadeau and Unger Sorum had helpers on Robidas’ second marker of the season.

The Moose kept coming and trimmed the Wolves’ advantage to 4-3 at the second intermission on Danny Zhilkin’s score.

Special teams came through again for the Wolves when Seger scored shorthanded to make it a 5-3 contest early in the third. Evan Vierling carried the puck toward the crease and slid a pass to the slot where Seger knocked it by Milic for the Wolves forward’s first goal of the season. Vierling and Ronan Seeley were granted assists.

Nadeau capped the scoring with an empty-netter in the waning moments.

Cayden Primeau (20 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves while Milic (24 saves) suffered the loss for the Moose.

Chicago upped its record to 4-4-0-1 on the season while Manitoba dropped to 7-3-0-0.