Antler Banter: Volume 23

Antler Banter is back with five games to review this week as the Moose finished up their road trip and returned home to play the AHL's best. The Moose had a pair of games against the Houston Aeros and a single game against the San Antonio Rampage as they closed out their West Division swing before returning to the comfy confines of MTS Centre where they would play the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Undoubtedly, this was a week of tests, so let's get to the action. Before we do, stop by the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose tear through Texas and try to sink the Penguins in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Flying High Against The Aeros

Closing out the road trip witha few wins would be key for the Moose to maintain their lofty position atop the AHL North Division. Standing in their way was the Houston Aeros, a team that the Moose have a long history with back to their IHL days. The Moose held a 2-0 record against the Aeros after two wins against the Houston squad way back in December, so there was hope that the Moose could continue their winning ways against the Aeros. Manitoba called upon Eddie Lack to defend their net while Houston sent Matt Hackett to face the Herd.

This one was a low-scoring affair, but I want to point out that the Moose are notorious for starting fairly slow in games. This game was entirely different as the Moose hit the ground running as they fired 18 shots on Matt Hackett in the first frame. The best part of those 18 shots? Mario Bliznak's tenth goal of the season at 14:46 of the first period. If the Moose can put up half of their shot total in the first period every game, they'll put a lot of teams in big holes before the first intermission.

Eddie Lack was outstanding again in this game, and is really making a name for himself in the AHL. A powerplay goal midway through the third period ended his shutout bid, but the Moose netminder stopped 32 of 33 shots that he faced over 65 minutes. He then stopped three of four shots in the shootout. If Lack is alright with playing behind Luongo and Schneider in the pecking order, Manitoba will have a bright goaltending future for a long, long time.

It took the breakaway contest to decide this one, but Jordan Schroeder and Joel Perrault gave the Moose a 2-1 win in the skills competition and a 2-1 victory in the game. Again, Lack was outstanding in the victory, and it really speaks volumes as to how good this young man is at his job. With the victory, the Moose improve to 36-23-6 on the season!

Stampeding The Rampage

The Moose and Rampage met up in San Antonio for the fourth time this season. The Moose owned a 1-1-1 record in those three games, so they were looking to close out their season series with the Rampage in style with a win. Eddie Lack got the call for the Moose once again, and he squared off against San Antonio's Matt Climie. Climie, though, wouldn't last long as he was pulled after two goals on four shots, giving way to Joe Fallon to battle the Herd.

Bill Sweatt had himself a good night as he potted a couple of goals for the Moose. In recording his 16th and 17th goals of the season, Sweatt finished the game with three shots, two penalty minutes, and a +2 rating - a solid evening for any player. Sweatt has been a consistent performer all season long, and he certainly has been a bright spot for the Moose this season.

If there was one negative on the night, it was the Moose powerplay once again. The Herd had seven opportunities with the man-advantage, but converted on exactly zero of them. I cannot stress this enough: the powerplay must be better as the Moose approach the playoffs. A short series can come down to powerplay opportunities, and taking advantages of these opportunities is paramount, especially in the playoffs. To make matters worse, the powerplay units gave up another shorthanded goal. This must change in a hurry. And before the playoffs arrive.

While I seem to call out the powerplay often, even-strength scoring wasn't a problem on this night as six different Moose players tallied goals, and the Moose skated to the 7-2 victory. After standing in the spotlight a number of times on his own, it was nice to see Eddie Lack getting a pile of goals to work with in a game. With the victory, the Moose move to 37-23-6 on the campaign!

Win One, Lose One

The Moose played their third game in three nights once again on Sunday as they traveled back down the highway to Houston to face the Aeros once more. This was the eleventh straight road game that the Moose played over the last three weeks, so there might have been some looking past this game as the Moose looked to get back to MTS Centre. Tyler Weiman got the call for the Moose in this game while Matt Hackett took another shot at beating the Moose.

Maybe less is more for the Moose powerplay? The Herd's man-advantage lines only had three opportunities to play as a unit in this game, but they made it count as Mario Bliznak scored a first-period powerplay goal just nine seconds into the man-advantage. The powerplay also refused to give up a goal on this evening, so there was even more to be happy about. Perhaps the coaching staff had a discussion with the powerplay units about playing better?

After having a big night against San Antonio, Bill Sweatt turned in a pretty poor performance against the Aeros. No points, no shots recorded, and a -4 rating makes for a polar opposite night at the office for Sweatt. While two of those minuses came while the Moose had no one defending the net, Sweatt still needs to show up on the scoresheet in some way - a shot, a goal or an assist, a positive rating. None of these were produced, and that's not what is expected of Sweatt.

While it looked like the Moose might take another low-scoring game off the Aeros after leading 1-0 through two periods, the house of cards came crashing down in the third period. Houston scored four times in eight minutes to make it a 4-2 game. Manitoba scored with just over five minutes to go to make it 4-3, but two empty-net goals salted the game away for Houston. Houston's shot total was 13-15-17 through the three periods for 45 shots total, so there was a significant difference in aggressiveness between these two teams on Sunday. The 6-3 loss at the hands of the Aeros moves Manitoba's record to 37-24-6.

Moose Snowed Over By Penguins

I was very excited to catch this game as I really thought this game would be an excellent litmus test as to how the Moose may fare against the Eastern Conference's best if they were to make the Calder Cup Final once again. The Penguins entered the game with an AHL-best 46-18-1 record, so there some electricity in the air as the Moose and Penguins squared off. Eddie Lack was back between the pipes for the Moose while the Penguins opted to go with John Curry in this first of two games on Tuesday night.

The Moose penalty killing units were at their best on Tuesday as they held the Penguins off the board while on the powerplay. The Penguins had five opportunities, and all five were successfully killed off by the Moose. Again, the penalty killing units are showing the mettle needed in the playoffs, and are clearly one of the best teams while playing with four players on the ice. Another solid night at the office for the Moose PK units!

The Moose blueline really deserves some credit for keeping the Moose in this game for as long as they did. The Penguins outshot the Moose by a large margin in each period, but the efforts by Eddie Lack and the Moose defenders played a large part in keeping the Penguins at bay. This has to make the coaching staff happy as the blueline weathered the storm as best they could.

Unfortunately, weathering the storm didn't end with happiness. The Penguins put on a clinic in how to play defence, keeping the Moose snipers on the outside for most of the night while clearing rebounds with authority. The Moose only managed 23 shots on Curry and the majority of those were not of the dangerous variety. In the end, the Penguins took the first game off the Moose by a 2-0 score. The Moose fall to 37-25-6 after being shutout.

Pummeled By Penguins

I don't normally post Wednesday night games on the current Antler Banter Wednesday, but I had the chance to see the Penguins and Moose battle for the second straight night, and I couldn't pass up that opportunity. After watching the Penguins control most of the game the night before, I was interested in seeing how the Moose would react after being shutout against the AHL's best. Eddie Lack and John Curry squared off for the second straight night, but Brad Thiessen would finish the game for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

It's good to see Joel Perrault back on the scoresheet. Perrault used a powerplay to notch his first goal in 13 games, and the crafty centerman had his fourth goal of the season off a gorgeous drop pass from Cody Hodgson. Seeing these two connect on the powerplay reminded me of their great play in December when they were together on the man-advantage. Here's hoping that the chemistry returns between these two, especially for the powerplay's sake.

The Moose certainly can run with the Penguins. There's no doubt that they held the Penguins in check for 50 minutes on Wednesday, but a couple of bad plays gave the Penguins all they needed to capitalize in this game. A turnover in their own zone led to the first goal. A deflection off a Moose player led to the second goal. A loose puck in the slot led to the third Penguins goal. An undisciplined hit by Ryan Parent put the Moose down one body, and the Penguins capitalized again. In less than five minutes, the Penguins put four pucks into the Moose net. That's not the kind of third-period play you want to see from your team.

Perrault's goal looked like it might hold water, but those four goals sunk the Moose very quickly. Eddie Lack stopped 39 of 43 shots, but he can't be expected to take care of the entire Moose zone. It looked like the Moose may have solved the Penguins through the fifty minutes they led, but the Penguins showed patience, resiliency, and a killer instinct. As for the goaltending change, I'm not sure why Thiessen came in after the opening period, but he kept the Moose off the scoresheet in stopping all 17 shots he faced as the Penguins downed the Moose by a 4-1 score. With the loss, the Moose drop to 37-26-6 on the season.

Bringing Texas To Manitoba

The Moose have a bit of a reprieve this week as they only have two games as they enter the weekend. The Texas Stars roll into town as the visitors, and are looking to catch their red-hot state rivals in the Houston Aeros in the West Division. There are a number of former Manitoba Moose players currently on the Stars' roster, so it might feel like a reunion for the players. Well, at least until the puck drops.

The Moose are battling two charging teams below them. The Lake Erie Monsters and Grand Rapids Griffins have overtaken the Hamilton Bulldogs, and now sit in second and third in the North Division, respectively. The Moose need to put up four points against Texas to hold onto their first-place standing. Otherwise, they might be looking up at one of these teams by the time the weekend is over.

The Moose and Stars split the games in Texas, so there is a need for the Moose to step on the gas when they face the Stars this weekend. After stumbling against the Penguins, the Moose have to start racking up the wins to help them hold onto to first place. DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 22

The Moose face a big test as they tackle four teams from the Western Conference that are fighting for supremacy in that division. Games against the Peoria Rivermen, Milwaukee Admirals, Chicago Wolves, and the Oklahoma City Barons on the road is no easy task, so the Moose would have to be at their best as they worked through this tough stretch of road games. Make sure you visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose take to the road through the West Division in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Rivermen Without A Paddle

The Moose have had pretty good success against the Rivermen thus far with three wins to their credit. Peoria is missing Ben Bishop from their nets as he's playing in St. Louis, so this was a perfect opportunity for the Moose to capitalize. Eddie Lack got the start for Manitoba while Peoria called upon Jake Allen to guard their nets.

Big night for a brand-new Moose player as Keith Seabrook, on loan from the Abbotsford Heat, notched his first goal as a member of the Herd. Seabrook's fifth goal of the season came midway through the second period, and #22 celebrated his first goal in antlers. Seabrook ended the night with a goal, three shots, and a +1 rating - pretty good for his first action on a brand-new team. He and Yann Sauvé played a pretty solid game together as a pairing. There will be more about how Seabrook got to Winnipeg below.

Special teams need to be better for the Moose as I continue to preach on this aspect of their game. The powerplay unit gave up a shorthanded marker when a turnover in their own zone resulted in a Dave Spina goal. To make matters worse, the Moose penalty kill was victimized in the second period when they gave up a goal as well. I'm not going to harp on the penalty kill units as they have been a strength all season long, but these powerplay woes the Moose are experiencing will catch up to them in the playoffs. This must be fixed sooner than later.

It wasn't a stand-out game for the Moose as they built a 3-1 lead before surrending a single point to Peoria, but the Moose responded in the shootout as Bill Sweatt put this game to bed in the breakaway content. Two points are two points, and those points are important on this road trip. With the win, the Moose improve to 33-22-6 on the season.

Admirals Find No Safe Port

The Moose haven't been welcomed very well in past games to the Bradley Center, so the game against the Admirals would be a tell-tale sign of how the Moose are evolving this season. The first-place Admirals have been playing pretty good hockey as they battled their way to the top of the West Division standings, so the Moose needed to see if they could pass this test. Veteran Tyler Weiman was given the nod for the Moose while the Admirals went with Mark Dekanich as their goaltender.

Several Moose players put up multi-point nights in this game. Cody Hodgson, Sergei Shirokov, and Guillaume Desbiens all recorded a goal and an assist each. Getting contributions from your main cogs like this will go a long way in giving the Moose a great chance to secure top spot in the North Division. It's always nice to see Hodgson picking up points after he seemed to be stuck in a mini-slump.

The addition of Keith Seabrook into the Moose line-up is looking like one of the best moves this squad has seen in a long time. Seabrook had a pair of helpers on the evening, and he earned an assist on Yann Sauvé's first goal of the season, a powerplay marker midway through the second period. Sauvé and Seabrook could be the steadying pair that the Moose blueline needed for a while, and the offence being produced by the two rearguards is very impressive.

The Moose put three pucks past Dekanich, and Cody Hodgson iced it in the final minute as the Moose downed the Admirals by a 4-2 score on Saturday night. Weiman played well in his first start in two weeks, and the addition of Seabrook is paying off in spades. With the win, the Moose improve to 34-22-6 on the season, and move into sole possession of first-place in the North Division.

Wolves Take Bite Out Of Moose

Another weekend of hockey meant another three-games-in-three-days for the Moose. This time, they rolled into Chicago to play their longtime rivals in the Chicago Wolves. And this game felt like an old IHL game as there were lots of shots in a game of wide-open hockey. Eddie Lack squared off against Edward Pasquale as the two netminders took to the ice.

Kudos to Yann Sauvé who wanted more than just his first goal one night earlier. Sauvé, paired with Travis Ramsey on this evening, turned in another great performance as he scored his second goal of the season, had a team-high four shots, and ended the night with a +2 rating. Sauvé is quietly becoming one of the Herd's most reliable defencemen, and it is extremely encouraging to see him becoming one of its most productive as well. Well done, and keep it up!

How important has Garth Murray been to the Manitoba Moose this year? Not only has the tough-as-nails winger been an important leader on this team, but his work on the penalty kill is the kind of stuff that makes men into local folk heroes. Murray poke-checked a Wolves defender, sprinted down the ice on a breakaway, and scored his fifth goal of the season - and third shorthanded goal of the season - to give the Moose some life at the end of the second after trailing 3-0. I'd take a team of Garth Murrays in terms of his efforts on the ice.

While fatigue may have been a factor, it took Manitoba over 39 minutes to finally cash in a goal, and it was too little, too late as the Wolves had already jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Manitoba fought valiantly to try and tie the game, but the final horn sounded on a 3-2 Wolves victory. With the loss, the Moose fall to 34-23-6 on the season.

Oil Well Runs Dry

The Moose and Oklahoma City Barons got to renew acquaintances on Tuesday night as the two teams met in Oklahoma City. The Herd had been playing some pretty solid hockey over their last three games despite falling to Chicago on Sunday, so there was hope that they could continue playing well as the road trip progressed. Tyler Weiman earned the start after his solid performance against Milwaukee on Saturday, and Oklahoma City responded by sending former NHL netminder Martin Gerber to the nets.

After being hard on the powerplay for their poor play over the last few weeks, the powerplay units came to play tonight. Manitoba scored two powerplay markers thanks to a couple of players who started their seasons in Vancouver. Guillaume Desbiens redirected a beautiful slap-pass from Sergei Shirokov past Gerber midway through the second period, and Alexandre Bolduc tapped in a gift from Desbiens midway through the third period. Manitoba finished the night 2-for-6 on the powerplay, and really controlled the puck well while having the extra man on the ice.

Desbiens really had himself a solid game as he a goal and two assists on the night. The veteran is expected to contribute, and tonight was a very good night on the scoresheet as Desbiens also had two shots and ended the night with a +2 rating. This kind of leadership shown by example will certainly get the rest of the line-up involved.

Kudos goes out to Alex Bolduc as well as he not only scored a powerplay goal in the third period, but he scored a shorthanded marker early in the second period and assisted on Desbiens' powerplay goal! Bolduc's offensive outburst in this game gives him four goals on the season, but the scrappy forward has been so muhc more important than just his offensive output. Bolduc eats up minutes on the penalty kill and wins a ton of key face-offs - two things the Moose will certainly be able to use as they make their way into the playoffs. Well done on a great night, Alex!

The Moose really played a sound game in this one, controlling the puck and not giving the Barons many good scoring chances on Weiman. More importantly, the Moose showed a total teal game - an even-strength goal, a shorthanded marker, and two powerplay goals for a 4-1 win. This is the kind of game that the coaching staff should send to all the players as an example of a total team game. With the win, the Moose improve to 35-23-6 on the season!

More Bodies In Camp

As stated above, the Moose got themselves some serious help on the blueline from Keith Seabrook. With the Heat having a plethora of defencemen and needing forwards, they went searching for options. Manitoba had a pile of forwards, and needed a defenceman. The two teams came to an agreement as the Heat received recently-acquired MacGregor Sharp on loan from the Moose for Seabrook. Both teams had a need, and both had that need filled.

Heat head coach Jim Playfair had made Keith Seabrook a healthy scratch a number of times this season, calling into question his play on several occasions as well. Playfair stated that he wasn't very excited to letting Seabrook leave to play for a division rival, but they needed a body up front and the Moose demanded Seabrook in return. Well done on GM Craig Heisinger's part for making the play to get Seabrook, and I doubt I'm not the only person who isn't complaining with Seabrook's excellent play so far in his Moose debut.

The Moose also got a huge shot in the arm from the Vancouver Canucks as they allowed the Moose to place fan favorite Rick Rypien on their reserve list. Rypien, who had been out of hockey for personal reasons since November, should give the Moose a huge boost if there are a number of recalls by the Canucks.

AHL rules state that Rypien and the other seven players on the reserve list may only play when three or more regular-roster players are injured, suspended or recalled. As it stands, the Moose are sitting with six players in those three categories. I'm not wishing harm on anyone as I like the make-up of the Moose roster right now, but if another player goes down or gets recalled, the Moose can replace that player with an NHL-ready player. This is not something of which most AHL teams have the luxury, especially heading into the playoffs.

More importantly, it's just great to see Rick Rypien back in hockey. Welcome back, Rick!

Finish The West, Start With The East

The Moose continue their road trip this week as they swing through the state of Texas for three games before returning home by the middle of next week. They'll see the Houston Aeros on Friday and Sunday, the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

The Aeros have three players with 40+ points on the season, but play very good defensive hockey. They don't take many risks, but have scoring threats that can make undisciplined teams pay. They have decent goaltending in Matt Hackett and Josh Tordjman, so the Aeros aren't pushovers and are challenging for first-place in the constantly-changing West Division. The Moose will have to bring their A-game to start off and finish this Texas road swing.

The San Antonio Rampage pose a different sort of problem for the Moose. They are missing a few players who have been recalled to the NHL, so they aren't as solid as they normally are, but that doesn't mean there should be any let-up for the Moose. Matt Climie is a very good goaltender who can shut down any offence, so the Moose will still need to play well to get by the Rampage. Although they sit sixth-place in the West Division, they only trail first-place by six points.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is still the toast of the league as they boast a 45-18-0 record for first overall in the AHL. Brett Sterling and Ryan Craig are having great seasons for the Penguins, and the goaltending tandem of Brad Thiessen and John Curry has been outstanding. If the Moose are looking for a test, they need look no further than Tuesday and Wednesday at MTS Centre when the Penguins visit.

With those five games on-tap, the Moose will need to be at the top of their game if they hope to take down the rest of the West before tackling the best team in the AHL. Lack and Weiman have been providing excellent goaltending over the last few weeks, so the offence just needs to continue to roll. Get on it, Moose, and DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Coyote Ugly Situation

I've had a number of people email me over these last few days as the situation surrounding the Phoenix Coyotes nears the boiling point. I've said it before and I'll say it again right here: I'm not going to comment on any team moving to any other city without seeing the moving trucks heading out of town. Could I make comments? Of course. However, it's far better to not let speculation, innuendo, and rumour whip people into a frenzy when nothing may come of it. Besides, I still have a team that I'm passionately following, and I think that the AHL's Manitoba Moose are perfect for a city of Winnipeg's size. So let's tone down the Phoenix-to-Winnipeg chatter for the next few weeks, and let's focus on some more important hockey news.

First, some great news out of Toronto where the efforts to raise funds for the Pat Burns Arena has now broken through the seven-figure mark! The Stanstead, Quebec arena should not only wear Burns' name as a tribute to the NHL coaching legend, but all that he embodied should be a part of that arena. There still is some work to be done, though, as the city of Stanstead has to raise the remaining $1.2 million to reach the goal needed to put this arena on the map. Good job in getting halfway there! You're almost there!

Next, I received an email with a very impressive link in it, and I want to give some credit to Mr. Mark Divver for his work in researching Alton White's career at Providence as a member of the AHL's Reds. As you may remember from my January 29 article last year, Alton White was the first black player to record a hat trick in professional hockey and the first black player to record a 20-goal season as part of the WHA! Mr. Divver has taken a small part of Mr. White's hockey career and expanded on it wonderfully in his article. Thank you, Mark, for sending me a link to your excellent work!

Lastly, there was a very scary hit in the NHL tonight, and one player looks like he may not return until next season. Let's go back to January 8, 2011 where Montreal's Max Pacioretty and Boston's Zdeno Chara appear to be developing quite the rivalry.

Pacioretty scores the overtime winner, appears to shove Chara, and then a fracas breaks out. Fast-forward to tonight's game, and it appears this rivalry just crossed the line.

Wow. Listen to what NESN's Andy Brickley says in his commentary on the play:

"You cannot finish your check. You gotta release him... when that puck is chipped by. Chara's gotta let him go there. And not only does he ride him into the boards, he puts him into that dangerous spot and that is a defenceless position for Pacioretty."

I fully agree with Brickley's assessment on this one. Pacioretty was trying to go wide, and Chara was trying to slow him up. That's a textbook case of interference, but the fact that he was destroyed by the stanchion only makes this look a lot worse.

The good news is that Pacioretty was awake when they finally got him off the ice on a stretcher, so that's positive. He did spend approximately five minutes on the ice, so there is certainly some concern as to his long-term health. It's a scary situation, but I'm not sure that anything can be done in this situation in regards to punishing Chara. This is the kind of hockey play that coaches teach everywhere.

Personally, I'd like to see a game or two for Chara just for the NHL to send a message to the players that this kind of play, while a normal hockey play 99 out of 100 times, needs to be controlled. Thoughts on this one, readers?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 21

The Manitoba Moose came into this week on a bit of a stumble as February has been tough on the Herd. Player movement between the Moose and the Vancouver Canucks has left their blueline tattered, but the squad perseveres. Injuries have knocked out key players, but the team continues forward. This week, the Moose have some tough divisional games against Rochester and Toronto, and they'll need to be better than what they showed in last week's games. Don't forget to visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose take to the road in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Lack-Ing Nothing

Wednesday night had the Moose in Rochester to play the Americans. Manitoba has racked up a 2-1 record against the Amerks thus far into the season, but they desperately need some wins against teams lower than them in the standings. The Moose opted to go with Eddie Lack in the nets this evening while the Americans responded with Tyler Plante.

There comes a time in every season when you can narrow the campaign down to one game where you really see a team's MVP emerge. Tonight may be that game as Eddie Lack turned in a performance not seen in these parts since Cory Schneider took the Moose to the Calder Cup Final. The Moose netminder stopped all 28 shots he faced tonight, including five in overtime. The only puck that got by Lack was on Michal Repik's shootout goal in the skills competition, but he held off enough shooters for the Moose to pick up the victory! Lack's fourth shutout of the season took a little longer than normal, but he was more than impressive in this victory.

Rarely will you find me praising the opposition in this article, but kudos to Rochester's Tyler Plante for playing his tail off as well. The Amerks' netminder stopped 33 shots, including 23 over the first two periods, in helping his team get to the shootout. Thanks to the work of Plante in matching Lack on every save, this game became a classic goaltender duel as both Lack and Plante put on a goaltending clinic!

The Moose got goals in the shootout from Sergei Shirokov and Garth Murray to end up one goal better than the Americans for the 1-0 shootout win! Great chances were thwarted by the two goaltenders all night, giving this game a playoff feel to it. The Moose, thankfully, came out on top, and see their record improve to 31-20-6 on the season.

Moose See Stars... and Stripes

After watching the game on Wednesday, Friday's game had all the makings of a classic rubber match as the Moose and Americans squared off again. The only thing that one could hope for is more scoring than what we saw on Wednesday. The same two goaltenders got the call is this one as Tyler Plante and Eddie Lack took their positions 200-feet apart.

Defenceman Mark Flood came to play tonight as he contributed in a big way. Flood scored his eighth goal of the season, added a helper, had four shots on net, and finished the game as a +3. Those are normally stats found beside a forward's name, so good on Flood for leading the offence from the blueline.

The Moose penalty kill was the difference in this one as they were victimized three times on the night. Travis Ramsey and Ryan Parent were on the ice for all three goals while Stefan Schneider witnessed two goals scored on Lack from where he was on the ice. Normally, the PK units are one of the highlights as they routinely do yeoman's work, but Rochester ate them up tonight. That can't happen. Not if you're an elite team.

Three goals from the Moose tonight weren't enough as Rochester equaled that on the powerplay alone. The effort that Lack gave on Wednesday night shouldn't be expected every night as the man is human, and it was apparent that the Moose were looking for another bail-out from their goaltender. Rochester took full advantage of that, and downed the Moose by a 5-3 score. With the loss, the Moose fall to 31-21-6 on the campaign.

Another Helping Of Marlies

I'll be honest: I'm really getting sick of writing about the Marlies. I'll have to send a thank-you card to the AHL scheduling team because the Moose made their way to Toronto for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday from the Ricoh Centre. There was some buzz in this game as a "monster" suited up for the Marlies. Jonas Gustavsson took his spot in the blue paint for the Marlies, but a bout of flu changed things up for Tyler Weiman as he needed the night off to combat the illness. That meant that Eddie Lack was called upon once again to guard the Herd's net.

Another defensive pairing earned low marks on this night as Yann Sauvé and Travis Ramsey bought front-row seats to the Nazmi Kadri show. Kadri made the two Moose defenders look foolish as he danced in for a highlight-reel goal just 3:00 into the first period. To make matters worse, these two men were on the ice for the Marlies' powerplay goal later in the period. That's two straight games that Ramsey has been called out by this writer after I was big on his physical defensive play early in the season. Ramsey needs to get back to his physical ways in a serious hurry.

Full marks for the penalty killers as they are doing their best to keep the Moose in games. With Mark Flood in the box for tripping, the PK units erased the powerplay goal scored by Toronto earlier in the game. Garth Murray was credited with his fourth of season as the puck found its way behind Gustavsson. After getting shelled the night before in Rochester, the PK units earned their keep again on this night.

The Moose can't seem to find the net when playing with five men on the ice, and it's really beginning to hurt them. A late empty-net goal by Christian Hanson put the cap on this game as Jonas Gustavsson and the Marlies downed the Moose by a 3-1 score. With the loss, Manitoba finds itself with a 31-22-6 record.

Three In Three For The Win

The third game in three days saw the Moose getting an early start as they took to the ice on another CBC production of AHL on CBC. The Marlies and Moose met less than 24 hours after the Marlies handed the Moose a loss, so there was revenge on the minds of the Moose despite their tired bodies. Lack and Gustavsson were given the starts for their respective teams again as these two Swedish goaltending phenoms squared off once more.

Give full credit to Eddie Lack for the performance he put on in this game. Lack was out of his mind in the first period as he stopped all 14 shots he faced, including several of the ridiculous variety during a five-on-three powerplay for the Marlies. Much like his performance in Rochester on Wednesday night, Lack was flawless on this afternoon, pitching his fifth shutout of the season - on national TV no less - as the entire CBC audience got to see just how good he is.

The Moose got another big game out of their four- and three-man units as the penalty kill eliminated all seven man-advantages that the Marlies received on Sunday. For a squad that has played three games in two-and-a-half days, the PK units' work was incredible as they worked their butts off in this one. I was especially impressed with Yann Sauvé's and Travis Ramsey's work in front of the net on Aaron Voros. Voros never seemed to get good position for a screen, making Lack's job much easier. Well done, gents, and good on you guys for bouncing back and playing much better.

Bill Sweatt's 15th goal of the season 5:04 into the third period was all the scoring on the day as he chipped a rebound past Gustavsson. And thanks to Eddie Lack's outstanding performance, Sweatt's goal stood as the winner as the Moose closed out February with a 1-0 victory. With the win, the Moose improve their record to 32-22-6.

Losing For The Sake Of Winning

The NHL Trade Deadline saw one Moose player leave town while another donned different colours, but remained as part of the team. The Moose also received a player very familiar to Moose fans through a loaned player situation.

Gone from the blueline is Evan Oberg. Oberg was dealt by the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Chris Higgins. The Moose didn't need to lose another body from their blueline, but the Canucks are making a push for the Stanley Cup so you have to give to get, I suppose. It just sucks to lose a good player from the back-end when he's desperately needed. And it appears GM Craig Heisinger is looking to fill that gap left by Oberg's departure.

“This year there have been a lot more defencemen out there than ever before, hence guys like Geoff Waugh and Ryan McGinnis having to spend the better part of the year in the ECHL,” Heisinger told QMI Agency's Kirk Penton. “That’s never been the case, and it’s been hard to find forwards. Right now we have a plethora of forwards and need to find some D.

“You can never have too many defencemen, and right now we don’t have too many defenceman,” he said. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”

Indeed, Mr. Heisinger. The Moose blueline is being held together via duct tape right now, it seems.

The Canucks also dealt Joel Perrault to the Anaheim Ducks for Maxim Lapierre and MacGregor Sharp, but the Ducks, in rather unorthodox move, assigned Perrault back to Manitoba instead of their affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. This means that the Moose will keep Perrault while adding the services of Sharp! On top of that, the Ducks also announced that they would assign former Moose star Jason Jaffray back to the Herd instead of Syracuse as soon as he was cleared to play after recovering from knee surgery!

I had do a little digging to find out what the Ducks are up to in terms of depleting their affiliate while strenghtening another AHL team. At the time of writing this, Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon had gone on record in questioning the moves made by the Ducks to strengthen another team while leaving his team weaker. He stated,

"We are proactively addressing the recent actions of our NHL affiliate, the Anaheim Ducks, including the two recent player assignments to another AHL franchise. Our singular focus is the performance of our team on the ice, and to provide our fans with the enjoyment and unique fan experience that is consistent with the support that they provide to our organization. Character is an essential element of everyone associated with the Syracuse Crunch and we expect the same character, integrity and honorability from outside parties that are affiliated with our organization."

According to a report filed by Lindsay Kramer in The Post-Standard in Syracuse,

"Murray told the [Orange Country Register] he wants Perrault to remain in a playoff race, which, of course, he wouldn't get a whiff of here. He can also keep company was Jason Jaffray, another Ducks farmhand who Murray thinks would be better off with the Moose.

"'Why move him? He’s there. He’s playing on a playoff-bound team. It’ll keep his interest going. He’s coming off an ankle sprain so he’s about a week and a half away. It’s better for him. That’s all,' Murray told the OCR."

Wow. Talk about a dysfunctional development system. I get what Murray is doing as Syracuse's playoff hopes are hovering somewhere "next season", but it would send a strong message to Crunch fans that the Ducks are interested in building a strong affiliate in Syracuse. All I can say is that I'm not going to complain about Vancouver's affiliation agreement with Manitoba in light of seeing the Anaheim-Syracuse situation.

Because Vancouver found itself with a plethoras of forwards after bringing in Higgins and Lapierre, they also returned Cody Hodgson and Victor Oreskovich to the Moose. If you're doing the math, that's one player gone, and three players in. It also gives the Moose a logjam of forwards, so it will be interesting to see what moves Craig Heisinger will make to patch the defence and open up spots up front. The trade deadline turned out to be a very good day for the Moose, it seems!

March Will Be Busy

The Moose continue their road trip this week as they head into Peoria, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Oklahoma City as they battle four teams from the West Division. These will not be easy games, so the newcomers to the Moose as well as the returnees from Vancouver will have to be at their best.

Peoria is in the mix for a playoff spot as they sit in fourth-place in the West Division. However, they are only five points back of Milwaukee. TJ Hensick has been the best player on the Rivermen all season long as he leads the team in scoring by a large margin over Graham Mink. Peoria has six players with 30+ points, so the Moose will need a big effort in their own zone to grab two points from Peoria.

Milwaukee leads the West Division with 81 points, so the Moose will have to be ready to play on back-to-back nights. Led by Blake Geoffrion's 37 points, the Admirals have five players with 30+ points. They can score if given the chance, so the Moose will have to be responsible in their own zone once again if they hope to get by the Admirals on Sunday for a couple of points.

It's another three-in-three weekend as the Moose travel to Chicago for a game against the Wolves on Sunday. Darren Haydar and Jason Krog continue to be AHL superstars as these two are one-two in scoring for the Wolves. They may be in seventh-place in the West Division, but Chicago is only nine points behind Milwaukee. Don't be fooled by the standings - this is another dangerous team.

Tuesday night sees the Moose travel to Oklahoma City as they take on the Barons. OKC is right ahead of Chicago, so there's no let up as the Moose play a difficult stretch of teams over the next week. Alexandre Giroux leads the way in Oil Country in terms of stats. Martin Gerber has been playing excellent hockey lately as the Barons look to climb up the standings in the West Division.

Last week didn't go as well as one might have hoped for the Herd, so they'll have to play well this week to get themselves back on top in the North Division. As always, there's really only one thing that must be said: DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 20

It's been an interesting week on Antler Banter as the Moose find themselves stuck in neutral in February. All teams go on streaks, whether they be hot or cold streaks, but the Moose seem to be stuck in these extended streaks that have serious consequences on their overall standing. Going 3-4 so far in March has put a serious halt on the upward movement through the standings that the Moose saw in December and Janaury. Can they break out of this slump against the Toronto Marlies and Lake Erie Monsters? Make sure you stop by the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose finish off their six-game homestand with a little Hardcore Hockey!

Scrivens Makes It Two

The Moose dropped the Tuesday night affair to the Marlies by a 2-1 score, so they were looking to bounce back against a feisty Marlies squad. They also needed to see if they could score more than one goal in a game after having only potted one marker in each of four of the last five games. Tyler Weiman got the call for the Moose as he hoped to reverse the Herd's fortunes, and he faced off against Ben Scrivens who was standing 200-feet away.

It was a "good, bad, and ugly" evening for the Moose powerplay. The good: Ryan McGinnis scored his first goal of the season with the man-advantage with less than five minutes to play. The bad: the Moose went 1-for-6 on the night, missing several excellent opportunities to put this game away early as Toronto found themselves in penalty trouble. The Moose had a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes and four minutes of total powerplay time, but could not capitalize. The ugly: Tyler Weiman whiffed on what appeared to be a routine glove save, giving up a shorthanded goal early in the second period that really seemed to deflate the squad. Overall, poor marks for the powerplay units on this night for not capitalizing on chances, and Weiman has to be better.

It looked like another night at the office for Sergei Shirokov as he picked up an assist on Guillaume Desbiens' second-period goal, but things went completely off the rails in the third period as Sergei Shirokov had had enough of Nazim Kadri's antics. After Kadri slashed the Russian sniper across the shinpads, Shirokov's soft hands lost the gloves as he and Kadri wrestled their way to the ice along the boards. I'd normally say that your best scorers shouldn't be fighting, but I fully believe that a player should be able to defend himself. Good on Shirokov for dropping the mittens and showing Kadri that he's not going to be pushed around.

It took the Moose nearly 56 minutes to wake up in this game as the Marlies built a 4-1 lead in that time. The Moose stormed back in the final four minutes to make it a 4-3 game, but Ryan Hamilton iced it with 2.2 seconds to play as the Marlies hung on for the 5-3 win. The Moose have now dropped two straight games to the Marlies after winning the first three, and see their record on the season drop to 29-19-6.

Monsters Frighten Moose

The Monsters were nipping at the heels of the Moose as they entered Friday's game, so that meant that the Moose needed to put four points on the board with two wins over a team that looked to overtake them in the standings. Eddie Lack looked to reverse the fortunes of the Moose while Jason Bacashihua got the call for the Monsters.

Kevin Connauton should feel responsible for the opening goal of the game. Connauton got muscled off the puck by Greg Mauldin, and then couldn't recover to chase down Mauldin. Mauldin circled behind the net, and Mark Flood left Ben Walter in front of the net to track down Mauldin. Connauton arrived in front of the net seconds late after Mauldin centered to Walter for the first goal of the game. I'm not sure what Connauton was doing, but he certainly seemed to give up after losing the puck in the corner to Mauldin. The effort shown by Connauton might be a reason why the Moose are on a two-game skid.

The Moose penalty killing units took a hit tonight as well as they gave up two powerplay goals to the Monsters. I'm not going to blame the penalty killing units for the result in this game, but they could use a little help from the other special teams unit. Manitoba's powerplay fired blanks again as they went 0-for-4 on the night, and find themselves ranked as the 25th best powerplay in the league. When the penalty kill has an off-night, it would be nice if the powerplay units brought their lunch pails to work and scored a couple of goals.

Overall, there wasn't much to brag about on the home side as the Moose got walloped by the Monsters in a 5-1 loss. The Moose fired 30 shots on Jason Bacashihua, but there weren't many of the high-quality variety that tested Bacashihua often. With the loss, the Moose drop to 29-20-6, and lose their spot atop the North Division standings as the Monsters leap-frog into first.

Moose Fly Past Monsters

It was a big night for one minor hockey team in Winnipeg as the Gateway Flyers took to the ice for their first AHL game in history! Ok, so they weren't the real Flyers, but the Moose donned the jerseys of the Gateway Flyers for their Saturday clash with the Monsters as part of the Community Jersey Program! It was weird seeing the Moose in black-and-orange for the first time in history, but it was easy to get used to when they began playing like the Flyers - scoring and hitting. Eddie Lack would take to the pipes again for Manitoba. Jason Bacashihua started the game for the Monsters, but he would be relieved by Trevor Cann after the Moose had staked themselves to a sizable lead.

It was another big night for Manitoba's Garth Murray. The scrappy, defensive forward scored a goal, added a helper on Sergei Shirokov's goal, picked up two minutes for tripping, had two shots, and finished the game as a +2! The scorekeepers certainly used a lot of ink on his stats tonight! Murray played really well at both ends of the ice, deserving some kudos despite not earning one of the three stars on the night. He scored, he played physical, and he was responsible in his own zone. That's the kind of effort the Moose need from all 22 players.

Manitoba's best player continues to make great plays as Sergei Shirokov scored a goal, added an assist, had four shots on net, and ended the night as a +2. Shirokov's assist was a gorgeous backhanded no-look pass to Mario Bliznak that seemed to confuse Jason Bacashihua. Shirokov made a move to head behind the net casuing Bacashihua to move off the post, but Shirokov threw the puck out front on the backhand. Bacashihua, realizing he made a mistake, went back to hugging the post, but Bliznak wired it past his right shoulder into the cage before Bacashihua could find the puck again. Great plays like that show you why Sergei Shirokov was an easy choice as Manitoba's AHL all-star representative.

The Moose really played well for 57 minutes before giving up a couple of goals to the Monsters. Despite giving up a pair of goals late, the Moose hung on for the 4-2 victory to jump ahead of the Monsters in the standings once again as they have a better winning percentage. With the win, the Moose snap their three-game losing streak and improve to 30-20-6 on the season.

Gotta Grind Out Some Wins

The Moose hit the road over the next week with games starting tonight against the Rochester Americans. They'll battle the Amerks again on Friday before heading into Toronto for games against the Marlies on Saturday and Sunday. You can catch the Sunday game against the Marlies on CBC as the AHL on CBC comes to the Ricoh Coliseum for the Marlies-Moose tilt.

The Americans come into the games having gone 6-4 over their last ten games. During that stretch, the Americans have beaten the Hamilton Bulldogs twice, the Hershey Bears once, and knocked off the Worcester Sharks. They're led by Tim Kennedy and Clay Wilson offensively as both men are nearing the 40-point mark on the season. Tyler Plante is playing fairly well in net, and is even sporting a blocker with the old-style holes painted on it! Or maybe they're real holes? Either way, that looks cool! The Moose have to keep winning as the Bulldogs and Monsters are breathing down their necks, so two wins over the Americans would help immensely!

The Marlies need no introduction as the Moose re-engage in battle with them. Kadri is becoming a thorn in the side of Moose players, Scrivens and Gustavsson are playing well in net, and the Marlies are closing the gap with each win over the Moose. Again, beating divisional rivals is vital if a team wants to go far in the AHL, so the Moose need to play well against the Marlies this coming weekend after dropping the these last two games at home against Toronto!

Eight points await the Moose if they are hungry enough to get them. Working harder than their opposition is a good way to start, and the talent that the Moose bring should put them over the top in each game if they work hard. Only one thing to say as the Moose head down the stretch: DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 19

Antler Banter is back this week as the Moose return home for a battle two teams as they welcome the San Antonio Rampage and the Toronto Marlies to MTS Centre this week. The Moose have seen their blueline depleted as the Vancouver Canucks are keeping Vancouver's hospitals in business, so the Moose need to roll up their sleeves and apply a little elbow grease in their own zone. We'll take a look at how the Herd did in the three games thus far this week. Don't forget to visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose push forward in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

All Hooves And Horns

The Moose welcomed the San Antonio Rampage to MTS Centre this weekend as they began a six-game homestand. With all of the roster changes happening in the Moose locker room right now, it will be interesting to see how the Herd responds, especially with their defence corps being depleted due to the NHL's Canucks. Tyler Weiman got the call for the Moose at home on Friday while San Antonio sent Matt Climie out to the nets.

Nothing says impact like scoring in your first game after being out with an injury, and Tommy Maxwell made that impact tonight. Having been out since the middle of January, the pugilistic Moose winger took a pass from Shawn Weller in the right face-off circle and snapped a puck past under Climie's glove. Maxwell's fourth of the season showed that any effects from that hand injury are non-existent.

The Moose penalty killing units, now ranked second in the AHL, are looking to regain their spot atop the AHL statistics board as they went 3-for-3 in killing off penalties tonight. The Moose have been playing some excellent hockey while down a man for nearly two months, and the penalty kill will be an important factor down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Moose must keep this going as this could be the difference in a playoff round or two.

Juts as we've seen over the last week, it's feast or famine for the Moose as they were unable to build on Tommy Maxwell's first period goal. While Tyler Weiman stopped 27 of 29 shots sent his way, it wasn't enough to push the Moose to a victory as they drop the first of two games against the Rampage by a 2-1 score. With the loss, the Moose fall to 28-17-6 on the season.

Moose "Keane" To Grab Bull By Horns

It was a big night on Saturday as the Manitoba Moose looked to hang their first jersey from the rafters in a retirement ceremony as hometown hero and fan favorite Mike Keane was being honoured not only for his work in a Moose uniform, but for his overall hockey career. The former Moose captain remained at MTS Centre to catch the second half of the Moose-Rampage series as Eddie Lack donned the mask and pads for the Moose. Matt Climie would start this game, but Joe Fallon would close this one out.

Moose all-star Sergei Shirokov was the set-up man all night as the Moose sniper showed off his vision in collecting four assists in the game. Shirokov looked dangerous all night, ending the evening with four assists, four shots, and a +2 rating. While some may say that all four assists of Shirokov's assists were second assists, I say you still need a good first pass to get the play going. Shirokov possessed that talent tonight.

I was very impressed with the Moose blueliners on this night. All evening, the rearguards were active in the play, and they were very physical in their own zone without going over the line. If the Moose can get some continuity on their blueline with these men, they could be a very dangerous combination of offensive talent and pure physicality. The six defencemen finished the night with one goal, four assists, 12 shots, and a +4 rating - pretty darn good night for the men defending the goal!

Overall, the Moose hammered everything and everyone they could on this night, bringing the same work ethic to the ice that Mike Keane brought each time he laced up the skates. Efforts like this are entirely why hard work beats talent almost every time out, and the Moose put their hard hats on and brought their lunchpails to work on this night. Eddie Lack picks up the 5-0 shutout over the Rampage, and the Moose improve their record to 29-17-6 on the season with the victory!

More Marlies, Different Result

The Toronto Marlies came back to town less than a month after dropping the first three games to the Moose by a combined score of 12-4. The Marlies desperately need to beat some of the teams ahead of them in the North Division standings if they want to have a shot hosting a playoff series. The Moose went back to Eddie Lack on this night while the Marlies turned to Ben Scrivens to tend their nets.

The Moose penalty killing unit is really starting to become the best part of their special teams. The Moose PK unit scored a big first period goal with Kevin Connauton sitting in the sin bin. Again, the hard work put in by the PK teams is paying dividends, and may be the reason that the Moose win a round or two in the playoffs. Keep it up, Moose penalty killers!

The Herd as a team really need to see if they can break out of this funk that they have found themselves in. 35 shots against the Marlies resulted in only one goal on the evening - not the kind of firepower that an elite team should show. If the Moose can't fill the net with any sort of regularity, it will be a difficult battle down the stretch. Losing to teams that are behind you in the standings certainly won't help in the long run either.

The Moose found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger again on this night as the Marlies held on for a 2-1 victory over the Herd. The feast or famine continues as the Moose juggle their lineup once again, but the Moose can't find the chemistry to pick up a win over a division rival. With the loss, the Moose fall to 29-18-6 on the season.

Up Next - More Beatable Teams

The Moose have to respond against the Marlies tonight. Losing a second game to the Marlies is a four-point swing as the Marlies gain on the Moose. After firing blanks at the Marlies last night, a wake-up call is needed. The only way that the Moose are going to break out of this is to work hard, dig deep, and pump a few goals past the Marlies' goalkeepers.

The weekend sees the Moose welcome the Lake Erie Monsters to town for a pair of games. Saturday should be a big game as the Moose don the jerseys of the Gateway Flyers as the Flyers won the Community Jersey Program this past season! This should be a great night where the Moose will take on the look of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second game of the set with the Monsters.

Lake Erie comes into the game riding a hot streak as they have shot up through the North Division standings to sit tied with the Moose. They enter the weekend on a 7-2-1 tear, knocking off Hamilton twice and Texas twice through the last ten games. Goaltender Jason Bacashihua has turned his season around, playing very well through the last ten games, and the Monsters are getting balanced scoring as they have five players with 30+ points on the season. Manitoba will have to play extremely well if they hope to grab four points off these divisional foes.

We'll be back with more next week, but here's hoping the Moose can sort out their scoring woes before the weekend or they may find themselves in third-place in the North Division by Monday!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 18

The Banter is back this week as the Moose travel through Pennsylvania in the heart of the AHL. Two games against the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and two games against the Hershey Bears is nothing short of a major test midway through this season, so it will be interesting to see how the Moose fare through the second half of the road trip. Six out of eight points would be great, especially if the Moose can knock off the Bears twice, so hard work and hustle will have to be part of the mix in every game! Make sure you visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Let's trek through Pennsylvania in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Knocking Off The Penguins

The Moose and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins met for the first time at Mohegan Sun Arena since January 31, 2010, and there was definitely some electricity in the air. It may have been the Pittsburgh Steelers logo at center ice due to the Steelers being in the Super Bowl, but the Moose weren't looking past the Penguins in this one. Eddie Lack got the call for Manitoba while AHL All-Star John Curry stood in the blue paint for the Penguins.

Sami Salo, sent to Manitoba on a conditioning assignment after his Achilles' tendon injury, suited up for the first time this season in a professional hockey game. It could be expected that Salo may have been a little rusty, but Salo was an offensive dynamo in this game. Salo scored twice - once on a cannon blast from the point on the powerplay, and once on a gorgeous backhand deke that left Curry looking for his underpants. Salo ended the game as a -1, so he's still a little rusty, but he's not far off from playing in the NHL again. With his shot being as good as it ever has been, he won't be in a Moose jersey for long. Kudos go out to Salo for his effort on this night as he was the difference in this game.

Eddie Lack was sharp in this game as the Penguins peppered the Moose netminder with 42 shots. Lack only gave up a pair of goals on the night, stopping 40 shots on the evening including 18 in the first period! Lack literally was a wall in the Moose zone that kept the Herd alive. If there was a casual observer on this night watching the two goaltenders, Lack would definitely look the part of an all-star goalie more than Curry.

Two goals from Salo and an early first-period marker from Mark Flood gave Manitoba just enough goals to close out a 3-2 win over the AHL-leading Penguins. Again, Lack was a huge factor in this game, and the young Swedish goaltender is looking like the second coming of Cory Schneider with his poise and skill between the pipes. With the win, the Moose improve their record to 27-14-6 on the season!

Rolling Over A Sleeping Bear

The Moose renewed their heated battle with their biggest rivals from the Eastern Conference in the Hershey Bears. The city of Hershey was still buzzing from the AHL All-Star Game, so the 10,000+ fans that came out had the Giant Center rocking. Eddie Lack, fresh off his win over the Penguins, tended the twine for Manitoba as he stared down Todd Ford in the Bears' net.

Nolan Baumgartner had one of his best games of the season despite only recording one assist. Baumgartner was a leader in the defensive zone against one of the league's most potent offences, and ended the night with a +3 rating. The Moose captain showed why he is leading the charge on this team with his poise and steady play in his own zone, and the Moose reaped the benefits on this night.

Jordan Schroeder and Bill Sweatt had decent games as each of the two Moose forwards had a goal and a pair of helpers on the night. The scoring came in extremely handy considering they were a combined -1 on the evening. While the team needs to be a little more efficient in their own zone, Schroeder and Sweatt were responsible for the three of the four goals that Manitoba put up on the night, and that's a pretty solid evening.

The two teams battled to a 4-4 tie through three periods and overtime, so a shootout was needed to determine this one. Lack and Ford were perfect through the first six rounds with neither giving up a goal. However, Kevin Connauton found the back of the net on the seventh shot by the Moose in the breakaway contest. Eddie Lack stoned Dmitri Kugryshev on the Bears' seventh chance, and the Moose skated away with the 5-4 shootout victory! With the win, the Moose improve to 28-14-6 on the campaign.

Sunday Fatigue

The Moose took to the ice on Super Bowl Sunday for their third game in three days as they looked to take a second game off the Hershey Bears. The Bears, stinging from the 5-4 shootout loss the night before, were looking to split the series at the Giant Center while Manitoba shot for their third straight win over Pennsylvania AHL teams. Todd Ford was back between the pipes for Hershey, but Manitoba went with Tyler Weiman as their starter on Sunday.

I'm not sure anyone really deserves kudos in this game as the Moose got hammered in all situations. They allowed two powerplay goals, looked completely lacklustre and uninterested at times, and decided to fold their tents after 40 minutes as they abandoned Tyler Weiman in the third period. Thanks to Weiman, the Moose and Bears were deadlocked at 1-1 after two periods, but the Bears exploded for four third-period goals en route to a big victory.

Needless to say, the Bears laid waste to the Moose on Super Bowl Sunday, picking up a 5-1 win. The Moose get a well-deserved day off on Monday, so let's hope that they can rebound in Tuesday's game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With the loss, the Moose see their record fall to 28-15-6 on the season.

Tuesday Malaise

After getting slapped around in Hershey on Sunday, the Manitoba Moose looked to pick up their second win in five days against the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Coming home with six out of eight points against two of the AHL's best teams would be a good showing for the Moose, so there was work to be done on Tuesday evening. Eddie Lack was sent out to tend the twine for Manitoba while Brad Thiessen got the call for the Penguins.

For the second time in two games, the Moose showed up to the party, but forgot to bring the attitude. An early goal by Jordan Schroeder just 3:37 into the first period was all the jump that the Moose seemed to have as they closed out this road trip. Again, the league's best penalty-killing unit surrendered two powerplay goals. Again, the Moose played with little fire and even less heart than the level to which we've become accustomed. And again, the Moose found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger after this night.

Eddie Lack faced 32 shots, stopping 28 of them, but found himself at the mercy of the Penguins' snipers far too often. Needless to say, the Moose were downed by the Penguins 4-1 on Tuesday to conclude their road trip with a whimper. With the loss, the Moose drop to 28-16-6 on the season.

Where Do We Go From Here?

There are a few big games coming up at MTS Centre this weekend and into next week. Friday and Saturday see the San Antonio Rampage roll into town. The Rampage find themselves in fourth-place in the West Division, come into the weekend on a 5-5 record in their last ten games. Brett MacLean is leading the way in Alamo City with 19 goals and 44 points, so you know the Moose have to be aware of this player.

Saturday night is also Mike Keane Night at MTS Centre! Mike Keane, the former Moose captain and native Winnipegger, will see his jersey raised to the rafters for his contributions to hockey both on and off the ice. Get there early, kids, as this game looks to have a big crowd on-hand for the ceremony!

Tuesday night will see the Toronto Marlies roll through town for two games. The Moose and Marlies know each other quite well, so this game will be a renewing of acquaintances as these two fierce rivals battle for points and playoff spots. Manitoba brings a 27-11-5 record against the Marlies into this game, including a 16-5-1 record at MTS Centre against the baby Leafs.

Again, get to MTS Centre early on Saturday for some great Mike Keane moments as the team honours one of the hard-working, most-liked hockey players in hockey history! It should be a great night of memories, and hopefully the Moose can play as hard as Mike Keane did all weekend long!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 17

Antler Banter returns to the airwaves after the AHL All-Star break, and we find the Moose out in Pennsylvania this week as they start the second half of the AHL season. They closed out the first half of the season with games against Rochester and Toronto, so we'll take a peek into those games and who stood out for the Moose. And because it's a new week, we have another Manitoba Moose player making a splash in his NHL debut! Don't forget to visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. We shut down the first half of the season in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Beaten By The Bottom

The Manitoba Moose and Rochester Americans met for the third time this season as the Moose traveled to New York for a road game against the Amerks. Manitoba had won the previous two games in the comfy confines of MTS Centre, so they wanted to take their strong play against Rochester into the Amerks' barn against the AHL North Division's cellar-dwellers. It was an all-Swedish match-up in the nets as Eddie Lack and Jakob Markstrom stood two-hundred feet apart in this game.

It's always a bonus when one of your pluggers gets a goal, and it is especially big when your grinders chips a goal in while killing off a penalty. Kudos go out to Garth Murray on Friday as he netted his second goal of the season while shorthanded! Travis Ramsey's clearing attempt was blocked, but Murray grabbed the loose puck and raced down the ice on a breakaway before sliding the puck behind Markstrom.

While it's hard to be critical of the team's best player over the last month, Sergei Shirokov finished the game at a game-worst -2 on the night. He did have four shots on Markstrom during the evening, but ended the night with nothing to show for it except a couple of goals-against. That kind of night can kill a young player's career in the NHL, so Shirokov will have to take charge on his line for them to be better if he wants another shot with the Vancouver Canucks.

A fairly low-scoring, low-excitement game as eight minor penalties and one double-minor penalty was called over the 60 minutes. Jakob Markstrom was well-rested after the All-Star break, though, and he stopped all five Moose powerplays amongst the 33 saves he made in a 2-1 Amerks victory over the Moose. The Moose drop a game that they have to win if they want to keep pace with Hamilton, and fall to 25-14-6 on the season with the loss.

More Marlies, More Wins

The Moose didn't have much time to reflect on their loss to Rochester as they saddled up and headed north for a Saturday evening tilt against the Toronto Marlies. Manitoba had dropped the last two games, scoring only one goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs and Rochester Americans in the past two games. The Moose had to get themselves back on track to salvage the first half of this eastern road trip. Jussi Rynnas got the call for the Marlies while Eddie Lack took to the nets for Manitoba.

Ryan Cruthers was all over the scoresheet in this game as Cruthers recorded a "Gordie Howe hat trick"! Cruthers got started early in this game, wrapping up the legendary GHHT just 8:38 into the game. His third goal of the season came at 3:01, he added the assist on Jordan Schroeder's goal at 7:38, and Cruthers finished the GHHT by squaring off with Danny Richmond in a battle of fisticuffs exactly one minute later! That's quite a day at the office for #16!

Josh Aspenlind has been playing some inspired hockey since being recalled from the ECHL. Saturday night saw him pick up a couple of helpers on the first two Moose goals as he continued his solid play! In sixteen games thus far, Aspenlind has yet to record a goal, but his five assists and +1 rating are indicative of his solid play in shutdown and checking roles. With the Moose getting great contributions from the guys not normally relied on to score, they'll go far if this can continue!

Both teams seemed to play this game with a little less tenacity than we usually see from a Manitoba-Toronto game, and that might be expected as it seemed that both teams were looking forward to the AHL All-Star break for a little rest and relaxation. The Moose, however, closed out the first half of the AHL season with a 3-1 win over the Marlies, pushing their record to 26-14-6 on the season!

All-Star Tally

In case you missed the action, the AHL All-Star Game was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Monday, and the AHL Skills Competition went on Sunday afternoon. Sergei Shirokov was chosen as the lone Moose representative in this year's exhibition of talent, and Shirokov came away with his third AHL All-Star Game goal!

In the Skills Competition, Shirokov was first skater of the Western Conference team that won their heat in the Puck Control Relay challenge. He was also part of a scoreless three attempts in the Pass-and-Shoot challenge. And Shirokov put some razzle-dazzle on his
breakaway attempt by flipping the puck in the air before being stopped by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's John Curry in the Breakaway Relay.

Shirokov certainly showed off his talent and skill, and did himself and the Moose proud over this weekend!

Bringing Up Firepower

It wouldn't be an edition of Antler Banter without seeing another talented Moose player called up to the Canucks and making memories for himself. This time, Cody Hodgson was called up on January 31, and the skilled Moose centerman suited up against the Dallas Stars in his first NHL regular season game. However, Hodgson had to wait one game until late tonight to net his first NHL goal against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Way to go, Cody!

Just as a note, the final score in the Vancouver-Phoenix game was 6-0. What makes this 6-0 score so important to Moose fans is that all six goals were scored by players who got their starts in Manitoba. Hodgson, Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Alex Burrows, and two goals by Ryan Kesler paced the Canucks to the win. How many NHL teams have seen all six goals in one game come from players that their AHL affiliate has developed? Not many as far as I can tell. Well done, current Canucks and Moose alumni! This says a lot about the Moose franchise as a whole, and Moose fans should be proud of the work the coaching staff is doing with these young players!

Tough Road Ahead

Manitoba has a tough finish to this seven-game road trip. The road through Pennsylvania isn't going to be fun or easy as the Moose have a couple of games against the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and a couple of games against their Eastern Conference rivals in the Hershey Bears.

The WBS Penguins come into the weekend sitting in first-place overall in the AHL standings. They are a league-best 36-12-0, and sit seven points better than the second-place Manchester Monarchs for AHL supremacy. The Penguins are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, and lost their last game against Binghamton by a 2-1 score. Leading scorer Dustin Jeffrey is currently playing for the NHL Penguins, so Nick Johnson and Brett Sterling will have to carry the load. The Moose need to keep their eyes on these two as they both have 35 points, as well as keeping tabs on AHL All-Star Eric Tangredi.

The Hershey Bears have recovered since their early season slow start. The Bears trail the Penguins in the East Division by 11 points, sitting in second-place with 61 total points. The Moose and Bears tangled in January, and the Moose won and lost in overtime in that two-game series. The Bears are home turf this time, and they have been playing well, going 7-1-2 since their battles with the Moose. Brian Willsie, Andrew Gordon, Keith Aucoin, and Kyle Greentree have been lighting the lamp regularly for the Bears, so the Moose will need to keep tabs on those four.

Four big games against potential Eastern Conference champions in this year's Calder Cup should show everyone whether the Moose are contenders for the AHL Calder Cup. If they can continue to have all four lines contribute and play well, the Moose should capture six of eight points on this Pennsylvania tour, and that will be good for Moose as they chase down Hamilton for top spot in the AHL North Division. As always, DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 15

We're back with three games this week on Antler Banter! The Milwaukee Admirals visited Winnipeg and MTS Centre for two games over the weekend, and the Moose are in the midst of a two-game series with the Toronto Marlies. There has been a lot of movement between the Moose and the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, so we'll recap a little of that activity this week. And as always, we'll take a look ahead at next week's set of games as the Moose continue their quest for first-place in the North Division. Don't forget to check out the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Here is this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Sinking The Boat

The Moose squared off against the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday night to kick off a play-off-play series with the Admirals. The Moose and Admirals have Friday off before playing again on Saturday in one of those AHL schedule quirks, but both teams were hungry to kick this series off right. The Admirals won the only previous match-up by a 6-3 score this season, so the Moose were looking to even the series on this night. The red-hot Eddie Lack hit the ice for Manitoba while Mark Dekanich donned the pads for the Admirals.

While this seems to be a running theme over the last few weeks, Sergei Shirokov's night was pretty big on Thursday. His one assist and +1 rating don't tell the story. Instead, he tied the Moose franchise record with a point in his eleventh-straight game! Shirokov has really looked good in these last few weeks, and his point totals are showing just how much hard work he's putting into his game. We'll have more on Shirokov below, but he deserves credit for tying a franchise record!

The other man who made a big impact on this night was the man guarding the twine. Eddie Lack flashed the leather all night as he stopped all 27 shots he faced in blanking the Admirals. Milwaukee outshot the Moose in all three periods, so the Swede was definitely busy. If Lack continues to play this well, the Vancouver Canucks - once thought to be a goaltender wasteland - could be the new goaltender goldmine as Cory Schneider continues to fare well in Vancouver.

The Moose delivered a solid game at both ends of the ice on Thursday as they down the Milwaukee Admirals by a 3-0 score behind Lack's shutout. The Moose used the powerplay to down the Admirals as they scored twice with the extra attacker before scoring into an empty net. With the victory, the Moose improve to 22-12-4 on the season.

Admirals Salvage Their Ship

Saturday saw the Moose and Admirals renew their battle as the two teams met once again at MTS Centre. Could Sergei Shirokov put himself into the Manitoba Moose record book? Could the Moose take all four points from the Admirals? Could the Admirals finally break the goose egg that the Moose gave them on Thursday? Eddie Lack and Mark Dekanich were back in the nets for their respective teams.

The defensive combination of Ryan Parent and Nolan Baumgartner struggled while playing together on this night. Parent ended the night with one shot and a -2 rating while Baumgartner ended the night with one assist and a -1 rating. Where the issue lies is that both men were on the ice for the overtime goal. While Marco Rosa and Bill Sweatt were also on the ice, defencemen are paid to keep the puck out of the net. Especially when the game is on the line.

Sergei Shirokov will get one more mention as it took him all of 56 seconds to write his name into the Moose record books. Shirokov scored his 16th goal of the season early in the first period to extend his scoring streak to twelve games, eclipsing the mark set by Brett Hauer and Bill Bowler. You will see Shirokov's name once more on the article, but for a completely different reason than for what he's been doing in Winnipeg. Congratulations on the record, Sergei!

While the Moose jumped out to 2-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes, the Admirals chipped away before finally sinking the Moose in overtime by a 3-2 score. The Moose have to be happy with the three points, but can't be complacent when they have a team in a hole. Burying the Admirals would have been nice, but instead the Moose fall to 22-12-5 on the season with the overtime loss.

Stomping The Baby Leafs

It's always weird to see a divisional rival for the first time while being three months into the season, but this is the AHL. The Toronto Marlies and Manitoba Moose clashed for the first time this season on Tuesday night, and both teams were looking to climb the North Division standings. The Moose were playing without two of their better players as Sergei Shirokov and Chris Tanev are with the Vancouver Canucks, so the Moose needed a big effort from the supporting cast to keep the Marlies at bay. Tyler Weiman took to the nets for Manitoba while James Reimer, hot off his NHL debut, got the start for the Marlies.

Hometown boy Kevin Clark showed that he's willing to step up into a scoring role as the winger had himself a heck of a game! Clark finished the night with one goal, two assists, a +1 rating, and two shots on net. While he was on the ice for three goals total - two by the Moose and one by the Marlies - Clark's three points showed off his hustle and drive, and he certainly was a large part of Manitoba's offence on Tuesday.

The Moose powerplay got a little help from an unlikely source as Mario Bliznak cashed in with the man-advantage. With a lot of Manitoba's offensive stars either out with injury or playing in Vancouver, it's great to see a checking forward step up on the powerplay in letting his offensive skills shine. Bliznak recorded his sixth goal, and the Moose were off and running in this game thanks to Bliznak's tally.

Tyler Weiman had himself another strong game, posting his fifth win in his last five starts, as he stopped 29 of the 30 pucks that came his way. The Moose didn't have to be spectacular tonight as their lunchpail-like effort saw hard work turn into a win. I like this showing of work ethic by the club in their recent weeks, and kudos have to go out to the Moose coaching staff for holding the bar high each and every time the Moose hit the ice. With the 4-1 victory over the Marlies on Tuesday, Manitoba improves to 23-12-5 on the season!

Where Have I Seen You Before?

The Moose saw a lot of changes to their roster in a very short time as the Canucks, dealing with injuries of their own, came calling for a few bodies. Because of this shortage, GM Craig Heisinger began photocopying a number of PTO documents for new players to sign. Here are the roster moves over the last week:

• Chris Tanev: recalled by Vancouver.
• Sergei Shirokov: recalled by Vancouver.
• Dusty Collins: signed PTO with Manitoba.
• Andy Brandt: signed PTO with Manitoba.
• Cody Hodgson, Jordan Schroeder, Victor Oreskovich, Joel Perrault, Stefan Schneider: still injured.

The good news is that both Hodgson and Schroeder are close to returning, and both players could see a return to the lineup this weekend against Abbotsford if things go well. We'll have to see what head coach Claude Noel will do with his lineup as the weekend nears.

From Records To Firsts

I had to post this just because it's good to see that a young player's hard work is certainly paying off. Sergei Shirokov got his first action with the Canucks this season against the Colorado Avalanche. And wouldn't you know it, but Shirokov's point-scoring streak continued!

Congratulations, Sergei, and keep up the good work!

The Week Ahead

The Moose and Marlies renew acquaintances tonight as they finish off their two-game series at MTS Centre. The Moose inched closer to the Hamilton Bulldogs after their win on Tuesday while creating a larger gap between themselves and the Marlies. The Marlies, of course, want to salvage the series and restore the two-point gap between themselves and the Moose. This game should be a good one between two fierce division rivals!

The Moose then welcome the Abbotsford Heat to Winnipeg for two games on Friday and Sunday. The Heat currently sit in fifth-place in the North Division, but are a mere seven points out of first-place in the division. This divisional match-up should be another good match-up as the Moose look to move into first-place while the Heat work to catch the Moose in the standings. Abbotsford is 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, so the Moose will have to continue to show the same strong work ethic that we've seen over the last month to ensure victory.

If you're free on Sunday, make sure you get down to MTS Centre early for the game so you can pick up your free Nolan Baumgartner bobblehead! Baumgartner will follow in the steps of Mike Keane and Cory Schneider, becoming only the third Moose player to be bobbleheaded in franchise history! The first 5000 fans into the building will get themselves a smaller Nolan Baumgartner to take home!

Six points are on the line this week against divisional rivals, so get down to work, Moose, and DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Charity Effort Hits Home

The AHL's Chicago Wolves have been one of the community's most active partners since they played their first game in 1994 as part of the International Hockey League. They were always a model franchise on the ice, and they prided themselves on the work they did in the community. In 2001, they were included in the merger between the IHL and the AHL, and they have yet to look back. In the 17 years they have been playing, they have won two IHL Turner Cups, two AHL Calder Cups, and the hearts of thousands of fans in the greater Chicago area. It is this last item - the winning the hearts of fans - that has made the Wolves a good corporate neighbour and a contributor to many charities. This weekend sees the Wolves contributing to another major charity, and this one should hit home for one player on the Wolves.

The Wolves will use a variety of means to raise money for cancer-related charities as they continue the "Fight Against Cancer". Proceeds from the three-game home-stand this weekend will benefit Little Heroes Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Chicago Wolves Charities and other cancer-related causes.

To celebrate the effort, the Wolves will be wearing these charity-related jerseys over the weekend. While I'm not really a fan of the black jerseys, they are for a good cause as the Wolves will be giving them to fans throughout the weekend via raffles and silent auction. For one player, though, this weekend has a much deeper meaning. Darren Haydar will be wearing three different jerseys: one for the silent auction, one for an auction at chicagowolves.com, and one for a raffle at the games. The reason this matters so much to Haydar is that his finacée, Sara Schuster, has recently recovered from a battle with throat cancer.

Sara was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx at the Mayo Clinic in April 2008, and had to undergo twenty surgeries and twelve rounds of radiation to finally beat the disease. Unfortunately, her voice box and vocal chords had to be removed as part of the battle to defeat the cancer, but the beautiful 27 year-old is now doing well, having been cancer-free since April 2009. While she will have to speak through an electronic voice box implanted at the front base of her throat for the rest of her life and undergo surgery every twelve weeks to have scar tissue removed so she can breathe, the fact is that she beat Stage-4 throat cancer. Not many people have been as lucky.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this Wolves charity event, being a cancer patient myself," Schuster told chicagowolves.com. "Every event that raises money for research towards a cure means so much to the people affected by this terrible disease, and this is a wonderful way to donate to an important cause. When you buy these jerseys, you won’t only be wearing your favorite player's sweater, you’re wearing your support for a cure for cancer."

The jerseys themselves look pretty good despite being black. There's nothing gaudy or tacky on them, and there are no major distractions or flair that ruin the aesthetics. That being said, I would have liked to see something more in relation to the cause the Wolves are supporting in these jerseys, but they're a good charity jersey as they are. Well done, Wolves! I'm not going to be critical of a jersey that's going to help thousands of cancer patients in Illinois, that's for sure.

As for Haydar, he's been an active part of Sara's battle since she was diagnosed.

"I’m going to continue to stick by her side and do whatever I can to help her beat this terrible disease," he told Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times. To be as strong as she is and to fight as hard as she has is something I really admire about her."

After defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins four-games-to-two in the AHL Calder Cup Final in 2008, the Wolves presented Sara with the game puck from the sixth game of the Calder Cup Finals to show their support in her fight. After their hard fight through four rounds of intense playoff hockey, the presentation of the puck to Miss Schuster moved several players and Sara to tears.

"I’m happy to be alive and I refuse to give up," Schuster said to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I am blessed to have the support of Darren, relatives, friends and the support of the Wolves’ organization has been super."

Count me in as a supporter of this excellent weekend in the fight against cancer. I think that what the Wolves are doing is top-notch in terms of being a good corporate citizen, and the impact will be felt by many people and fans in Illinois. As for Sara, I wish her nothing but the best as she continues to get treatment after her battle with this disease, and I'm very happy she was victorious!

If you'd like to support the Wolves in their battle against cancer, the charity auction for Darren Haydar's jersey has been posted and is running! Click here to go to the auction page! The current bid is $275, and all the money is going back to cancer-related charities for research into defeating this disease!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More