Craig Heisinger was grinning from ear to ear -- and for good reason.
The first ever Manitoba Moose super skills competition had just wrapped up and the general manager was basking in the afterglow.
"It was a home run -- from the production to the execution," said Heisinger. "It was a new concept to us and we're pretty happy with the whole thing."
A crowd of 3,727 provided a lively atmosphere inside the MTS Centre and the players put on an exciting and interactive show during the four events.
Rookie right-winger Eric Walsky went into the competition as the favourite for fastest skater and he didn't disappoint, finishing his hot lap around the MTS Centre ice in a time of 13.46 seconds -- which was .22 seconds quicker than Marco Rosa.
Walsky then surprised the masses by hitting all five targets in the accuracy shooting challenge in just 11.96 seconds to make him a double-winner.
"I didn't expect to win, to be honest with you," said Walsky. "But it was a good night."
By capturing the first two events, Walsky gave Team Black a decisive 10-0 edge, but Team White made things interesting when second-year defenceman Travis Ramsey won the hardest shot with a blast that registered 97 miles per hour -- and beat fellow Californian Brian Salcido by one mile an hour.
"We have a lot to prove, I guess -- there's a lot of anger in our shots," said Ramsey. "I was shocked by how many people were here and there were a lot of smiles in the crowd. It was a great time."
During the breakaway challenge, Team Black outscored Team White 3-2 and backup goalie Daren Machesney outlasted Cory Schneider when Darryl Bootland scored on a slapshot that gave Team Black an 18-7 overall triumph.
