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!

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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!

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The Trip Of A Lifetime

I was contacted a few weeks back by a lady who had been on the trip of a lifetime with a hockey team that worked their butts off to make it happen. I'm talking about the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers from New Brunswick who were featured on Hockey Day In Canada on CBC! Miss Michelle Nott wrote me with her story of the trip to Whitehorse that the Flyers experienced, and she also detailed all the cool stuff they did while in Whitehorse! Let me just say that I am jealous of the fun they had! Here is Michelle with the recap of everything that happened on Hockey Day In Canada!

4:30am. Thursday February 10th 2011. It’s finally here. The day I’ve been waiting for since December 7th when I was told I had won the Scotiabank "Big Save Contest". As I walk into the airport, I am greeted by 49 people who are also making the big trip to Whitehorse, Yukon. There are 19 players, 4 coaches, and 27 parents. The energy in the airport is amazing! Everyone is so excited.

It had been 2 months since we first found out that we had won the Scotiabank "Big Save Contest". None other than Ron MacLean had sent us a DVD that was played in our arena, announcing to the boys (and 1 girl) that they would be taking a trip all the way up to northern Canada to celebrate Hockey's birthday in Whitehorse, Yukon. We had been preparing for this day ever since.

Our flight left Moncton at 6am, and we traveled to Toronto, then on to Edmonton. Finally, we landed in Vancouver for the night. It was a ten-hour day, and we still had to travel another four hours on Friday to get to Whitehorse, Yukon.

Friday February 11th, 2011. We left the hotel in Vancouver at 7am to go to the airport. There was a lounge set up for us by Scotiabank for breakfast. Shortly after we finished breakfast, the Vancouver Giants (a WHL team) arrived in the lounge to join us. It was so amazing for the kids to be in the same room as pro hockey players who were not too much older then they were. While we were having that awe-inspiring moment, in walked Pat Quinn (former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach). When the kids noticed him, their jaws dropped. They were so excited and overjoyed and couldn't wait get near him. Mr. Quinn was very generous and gracious, posing so the parents could take pictures of him with each one of our kids. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a smile that has just lit up the room. It is OUR head coach Randy, who is beaming from ear to ear.

The whole time leading up to this trip, all I could think about was what an unparalleled experience this was going to be for our kids. It never dawned on me how incredible this was going to be for our coaches as well. Most of the hockey legends that we were going to be meeting over the weekend, were stars in the days that our coaches were teenagers. This just made me even more excited, realizing that this trip was going to mean at least as much to the coaches as the kids, if not more.

We boarded our Air North charter flight with the Vancouver Giants and Pat Quinn. We made a stop in Kamloops to pick up the Kamloops Blazers (another WHL team) who would be playing on Saturday evening against the Giants. So there we were, onboard a flight with 2 WHL teams and Pat Quinn! How cool is that??

We landed in Whitehorse around 12:30pm and were immediately whisked off to a private reception with both WHL teams, the mayor of Whitehorse, other dignitaries, media, and the Whitehorse Bantam B Mustangs(the team we would be playing on Hockey Day in Canada). From there, we were bused over to the Canada Games Center for a practice. The Flyers and the Whitehorse Mustangs would be practicing together that day.

When the kids got on the ice, they were so excited to see that they were going to be coached by none other than Wendel Clark. I’m sure that all they really wanted to do was just enjoy the absolute glory of the moment.

Just when you think that the practice can’t possibly get any better, Wendel Clark calls all the boys in (from both teams) to gather at center ice. A man with white gloves takes out the Stanley Cup, and proceeds to carry it onto the ice, placing it right in front of the boys. The look on their faces and amazement in their eyes at that moment was indescribable. Here is a piece of hockey history, sitting just a few feet in front of them! The cameras were flashing all around and before long, the man with the white gloves was ready to return Stanley to his safe and cushy box, but not before my two sons & I were asked to go over and have a picture taken with it. I kept nudging my oldest (who is a goalie) to touch it. He kept looking at me with this puzzled look. Not being sure if it was a good idea or not, he reluctantly touched the cup, and then a look of pride came over him. He whispers to me "that was so cool". If only he could understand how cool all of this was for me. I had won the contest, so for me, this was even more amazing. I was getting to see 19 kids’ faces, 4 coaches, 27 parents, and their reactions to how unbelievable this really all was.

After our practice, we were taken upstairs for a pizza party. The Mustangs and their parents joined us. It was a nice way for everyone to get to know the other players and parents, before the game the next day. Pat Quinn even came up to chat with everyone. He signed more autographs and had more pictures taken. What a great guy he is! Once the pizza party was done, the kids were able to go swimming in the Aquatic Center downstairs. They all had a great time just being kids and having fun. At around 8pm, we left on the bus to go to our hotel to finally check in. Since we had traveled all the way across the country in the last 2 days and were anticipating Saturday would be a very busy and full day, we all turned in rather early that evening.

Hockey Day in Canada - Saturday morning. 7am came rather quickly. We all met down in the lobby and walked over to the Catholic church for a pancake breakfast. We were greeted at the door by the mayor of Whitehorse, Honorable Douglas Phillips, and many locals who were very excited to meet us and welcome us to their beautiful city. We were just starting to eat when it was announced that His Excellency, Governor General David Johnston, was arriving to join us for breakfast. He took the time to meet all of us and talk with us before sneaking off with an apron to help flip pancakes in the kitchen.

It was about 9am when we headed back to the hotel to go sightseeing. Because of our large group, we had 2 buses to transport us to wherever we needed to go. Our bus driver was extremely knowledgeable and took us to see all the great sights in Whitehorse. We stopped at Shipyards Park, roasted some marshmallows, and chatted with the locals. Then we went to see Whitehorse’s pride and joy, the SS Klondike. It is a huge sternwheeler that was used to run freight between Whitehorse and Dawson City along the Yukon river between 1921-1950. The ship is not normally open to the public, but we were given an exclusive tour inside the ship by a man who works for Parks and Recreation. Our bus driver told us some great old stories about the area, and took us to a lookout point, where we could see the gorgeous city in all its glory. We only had a little bit of free time for sightseeing, but what we saw, we loved. It was, of course, Hockey Day in Canada. It was going to be a big day for all of us.

At noon, we all headed over to the Canada Games Center to get ready for the big game: the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Flyers vs. the Whitehorse Mustangs. While they were in the dressing room, they received a few special visitors: Lanny MacDonald and Mark Napier, 2 NHL alumni. I was later told by Mark Napier himself that he was very impressed by our boys (and girl). He said they were very polite, friendly, and intelligent kids. He stayed to watch the whole game.

Puck drop was at 1pm. As the kids took to the ice, the carpet was rolled out for a very special someone to come on the ice to drop the puck. It was none other than Governor General David Johnston. Once the ceremonial puck drop was complete, he took a seat up in the stands and watched the entire 2hr game, cheering the kids on, and getting to know the parents of those kids. Our team had our coaches on the bench, and they were told that Wendel Clark would be helping coach the game. The Mustangs were going to be coached by Trevor Linden. Later on, it dawned on me that for the coaches, it would have been a true honor to have such accomplished professional hockey players helping them coach the kids. It must have been a very surreal experience for them, a dream come true. Not just anyone can say they’ve coached a hockey game WITH Wendel Clark or Trevor Linden!

Although Ron MacLean reported on TV that day that we were losing the game at one point by 3-1, we were in fact winning the game and won it 5-1. The class, the composure, the dignity and the sportsmanship that our Flyers displayed during that game filled us all up with such pride! They played a true good hockey game, and would have made every New Brunswicker extremely proud. When I saw our coach, Randy, I was busting at the seams. I asked him, "Are you as proud of the kids as I am? Weren’t they amazing?" Answering me with a huge lump in his throat (from pride), he said: "They were great. They were all so great." The kids had classroom sessions for about 7 weeks, where our coach (Norm) taught and stressed to them that they were all ambassadors for New Brunswick, Petitcodiac and Salisbury, and they needed to represent themselves with class, dignity, and distinction. This was a friendship game. Thank you Norm, you taught them well. They were excellent ambassadors, and each and every one of us could not have been more proud.

Ron MacLean was just outside the Canada Games Center broadcasting live all afternoon. Although the boys had hoped he might pop in and catch some of their game, he did not. This was a huge disappointment for our kids, seeing as they all thought they would get to meet him. Especially since it was Ron MacLean himself who had announced to them in the first place that they were going to be coming to Whitehorse.

Once the kids were finished the game, they made a mad dash to get dressed and we all went over to the Tikhini arena to watch the WHL matchup between the Vancouver Giants and the Kamloops Blazers. When we arrived, we noticed our seats were already cornered off for us to sit and enjoy. A huge carpet was rolled out on the ice and both the Blazers and the Giants were all lined up. It was obvious someone pretty special was going to be coming in on that ice. Moments later, Don Cherry himself entered the rink, and went on the ice for the puck drop. Don Cherry and Ron MacLean then walked off the ice to head to their booth where they would be broadcasting Coaches Corner that evening.

A few minutes into the game, the first fight of the night happened. I watched an entire section of kids (our kids) all stand up with their cell phones, each one trying to take pictures of the big fight. The mom in me was thinking, "Oh yeah, this is just great for them to see after the outstanding game they had played half an hour earlier." Just then, an overwhelming feeling came over me of "We’re Here! We’re in Whitehorse, Yukon!!!" How cool is that?!?

During the first intermission, 4 of our boys, our girl, plus 5 Mustang hockey players took to the ice for a shootout competition. That was very exciting for them. During the second intermission, the mascots took to the ice. There was Carlton the Bear, Harvey the Hound, Peter Puck, and the Scotiabank Bear and they put on the funniest show ever. They were, by far, the best entertainment you could have asked for, especially Harvey the Hound.

The game was a great game to watch. We heard that the Giants were 1st in the division, and the Blazers were last. The Blazers came out strong and hard, and it was a very close game, going from 1-1 to 2-2 with the Giants getting the very important final goal to win the game 3-2.

When the game was over, we all piled onto the buses, and headed out for a quick bite to eat. The boys (and girl) were going to head back over to the Canada Games Center for a family skate with NHL alumni for a couple of hours. They were a bit disappointed that no NHL alumni actually showed up for the skate, but they soon found their own fun by playing hockey on the outdoor pond at the arena. It was the perfect setting. It was dark. The spotlights were on the rink and the snow was lightly falling. It was chilly, and with the absolutely breathtaking scenery that is Whitehorse, it looked like the perfect way to end a perfect, amazing and unbelievable Hockey Day in Canada: playing hockey.

We left Whitehorse the next day. We flew all the way back across the country to get home.

Looking back on the experience, there are no better words to describe our trip other than to say it truly was The Trip Of A Lifetime. Whitehorse is a beautiful city, filled with wonderful, warm, hospitable and generous people. You could not ask for a more beautiful city to host Hockey Day in Canada. In fact, it is so incredible there, that I personally believe Hockey Day in Canada should be held there every year. To me, Whitehorse represents the perfect setting for Hockey Day In Canada. It’s snowy and cold, yet so cozy and warm. Our trip was too short, and I most definitely hope to get back there as soon as possible so I can have the time to explore it more. We were so busy when we were there that I didn’t get to see even close to everything I had wanted to see. For me, the Yukon is one of the most beautiful, yet under-acknowledged, parts of Canada. It is a breathtaking city with a marvelous vista of lakes and mountains. It is majestic. A true hidden gem with so much to discover. Such an extraordinary place just waiting for you to have extraordinary experiences. I would suggest to anyone reading this to make a point to visit the Yukon. Especially Whitehorse. I promise it will be even more then you can imagine.

Thank you, Scotiabank, for everything. It was truly was amazing. The warmth, hospitality, and attention that was given to us by every employee that represents you was outstanding. Thank you for The Trip of a Lifetime. It was all that, and so much more.

WOW! Thank you, Michelle, for this incredible recap on all the stuff that you and the kids and the coaches and the parents did while in Whitehorse! This is simply amazing! And thank you for the pictures as well!

I admit it: I am very jealous, and I really want to visit Whitehorse now that I've read all that you did and how great the city and people sound. While the weather might be cold, I believe you accurately captured the true warmth of the people of Whitehorse and northern Canada perfectly, and this is one of the major reasons I'm planning on visiting there in the future!

Thank you to Scotiabank for running this contest as well! There wouldn't be a great story like Michelle's story had it not been for Scotiabank running their contest! Thank you, Scotiabank, for allowing this story to be written through your generous contest!

This is a fabulous story, and I, Teebz, am very jealous that these kids got to do something as cool as this. I'm quite certain that each and every member of the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers will never forget this experience. So allow me to say it: HOW COOL IS THAT?!?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

***All images, unless otherwise noted, as property of Michelle Nott and used with permission by HBIC. Please do not copy or use these photos without the consent of Michelle Nott. Thank you!***

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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!

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Going Further East

Yesterday, we took a look at the opening games for the Western Conference in the 2011 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs. One team, SKA Saint Petersburg, had already moved on to the second round after sweeping Spartak Moscow, but the other three series were still on-going. I didn't look at the four series in the Eastern Conference that began on Thursday, so tonight would be an appropriate time to update those skirmishes. One of these teams will represent the Eastern Conference in the Gagarin Cup final, so let's take a look at who is marching towards glory!

(1) Avangard Omsk Oblast vs. (8) Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk

Avangard was the top team in the KHL this season after having amassed 118 points in 54 games, so there wasn't much hope for Neftekhimik when this series started on Thursday night as 43 points separated these teams in the standings. However, an early goal by Igor Polygalov put the underdogs up just nine minutes into the game! Neftekhimik battled hard and refused to give up any chances through most of the game, but Avangard finally broke through just 54 seconds into the third period. Alexei Kaluzhny scored for Avangard, and the game was tied at 1-1. The two teams continued to play stingy defence, and we were off to overtime after sixty minutes. Just 4:19 into the extra frame, Igor Polygalov notched his second of the night past former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo, and Neftekhimik recorded the 2-1 overtime victory in Game One!

Game Two went on Friday night, and we saw more of the same defensive play in the second act of this series. In fact, both teams held each other at bay through all three periods, sending the game to overtime tied 0-0 as both Karri Ramo and Neftekhimik's Ivan Kasutin were perfect through sixty minutes! It didn't takevery long to decide a winner once overtime started, though. Avangard's Dmitry Semin put the puck behind Kasutin, and Avangard recorded the 1-0 overtime victory in Game Two to even the series at 1-1.

With the series heading back to Omsk on Sunday, there was some concern on the Avangard side about their play. More goals would be needed if the team was to succeed, and we got to see a few more in Game Three. Niklas Persson opened the scoring for Neftekhimik with a shorthanded marker just 2:52 in, but that deficit would be erased by Igor Volkov six minutes later. Renat Mamashev put Neftekhimik up by one goal 2:15 into the second period, but Avangard responded five minutes later when Yegor Averin wired home his first of the playoffs. With less than three minutes left in the second period, Neftekhimik's Libor Pivko deposited another puck behind Karri Ramo as Neftekhimik closed out the period up 3-2. Solid defence was played the rest of the way, and Neftekhimik closed out Game Three with the 3-2 victory to go up 2-1 in the series.

Game Four saw one of the poster children for the KHL come alive. Avangard's Jaromir Jagr, who had been held pointless in the first three games, set up two goals on this night. Avangard's Roman Cervenka also added a pair of helpers as three different scorers found the back of the net for Avangard on Monday. Pavel Brendl was the only player to beat Ramo on this night, and Avangard skated to the 3-1 victory. Once again, the series was tied, and the 2-2 deadlock meant that this series was now a best-of-three!

Game Five of this series is set for Wednesday, March 3, and Game Six appears to be scheduled for Friday. If a Game Seven is necessary, we're looking at a Saturday or Sunday date for that game.

You have to think that Avangard will break pout of their funk and start scoring some goals on Neftekhimik. However, I really like the job that Neftekhimik is doing in neutralizing Avangard's scorers, especially Jaromir Jagr. If Neftekhimik can keep this up, we might see another upset! I'm pulling for Neftekhimik in this one just to see if I can predict both first-seeded teams eliminated in the first round!

(2) Ak Bars Kazan vs. (7) Barys Astana

Kazan are the defending Gagarin Cup Champions, and are looking to make it three KHL Championships in a row! Standing between them and glory are Barys Astana from Astana, Kazakhstan. Game One, like the series above, was a defence-first game as the two teams combined for one goal. Yep, just one. Barys' Vitaly Yeremeyev played an outstanding game, but he was the goaltender who allowed the one goal. Kazan's Jarkko Immonen scored at 13:34 of the first period, and it was all the offence that Petri Vehanen needed as he shut the door on Barys. Ak Bars Kazan win the game by a 1-0 score, and go up in the series 1-0.

Game Two on Friday saw Kazan treat Barys in the same fashion as they did in Game One. Goals by Alexei Morozov, Marcel Hossa, and Alexei Tereshchenko powered Kazan to a second straight victory. How was this game the same, you ask? Petri Vehanen pitched his second straight shutout in backstopping Kazan to the 3-0 victory. It doesn't look promising for Barys when they have yet to record a goal in two playoff games. Kazan jumps ahead 2-0 in the series with the victory.

Sunday's Game Three saw Kazan rolling again as they took Barys to the woodshed. Kazan hung half a dozen goals on Barys as Janne Pesonen, Danis Zaripov, Jarkko Immonen, and Grigory Panin all scored singles while Alexei Morozov recorded a pair of goals. Morozov finished the night with four points, and Evgeny Medvedev had a pair of helpers. Petri Vehanen was looking for his third straight shutout, but his bid to open a playoff series with three straight blankings ended when Lukas Kaspar scored a powerplay goal at 3:04 of the third period for Barys. If you're keeping track at home, that 163:04 of shutout hockey that Vehanen had going. Kazan rolls to the 6-1 victory in Game Three, and Barys found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Four has already been completed, and I can tell you that the champs are marching onward. Kazan jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Danis Zaripov and Alexei Tarashchenkov, but Barys made this one interesting. A powerplay goal at the end of the second period by Maxim Khudyakov made it a 2-1 game, and then a shorthanded marker 4:33 into the third period from Roman Starchenko squared the game at 2-2. Less than two minutes later, Zaripov scored again, and Kazan was back up 3-2. With 32 seconds remaining and Barys' Jeff Glass sitting on the bench for an extra attacker, Kazan iced the game and series when Niko Kapanen scored into the vacant net. Kazan wins Game Four by a 4-2 score, and sweeps the series against Barys Astana.

No additional games or predictions are needed as Kazan now gets some precious time to rest up and get ready for the second round as they look to three-peat as KHL Champions!

(3) Salavat Yulaev Ufa vs. (6) Sibir Novosibirsk

Salavat and Sibir may have finished third and sixth in the conference, but the 26-point difference between the two teams became obvious as this series progressed. Game One on Thursday night saw Salavat build a 5-0 before Sibir woke up. Two goals each by Petr Schastlivy and Igor Grigorenko along with a single by Vladimir Anitpov had Salavat up 5-0 with 18 minutes to play. A couple of late goals by Sibir only took some shine off the win as Salavat cruised to the 5-2 victory, and moved to a 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Friday night saw Sibir jump out in front as Stepan Sannikov scored 4:20 into the second period to open the scoring. That would be the last lead in the game that Sibir would have as Petr Schastlivy, Igor Grigorenko, and Kirill Koltsov scored for Salavat to lead them to a second straight win. Former LA King netminder Erik Ersberg stopped 25 of 26 shots for his second win as Salavat moved to a 2-0 series advantage. Former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov had a pair of assists for Salavat on the evening.

Game Three had Salavat at home, and they continued to roll. Alexander Radulov had a goal and three assists, Robert Nilsson scored twice and added a helper, Patrick Thoresen record his fourth and fifth assists of the series as Salavat thumped Sibir by a 6-2 score. Alexander Kutuzov had a goal and an assist for Sibir, but it clearly wasn't enough as Sibir's Liv Stefan allowed five goals on 32 shots before being relieved by Yuri Klyuchnikov. With the win, Salavat pushed Sibir to the brink as they led the series 3-0.

With Sibir facing elimination on the road, they would need a substantial effort to get out Ufa and back on home ice. It didn't start well on Monday as Alexander Svitov opened the scoring for Salavat just 2:37 in. Viktor Kozlov made it 2-0 before the opening period was done with his second goal of the playoffs. The hole got deeper for Sibir in the second period as Alexander Radulov scored his second goal of the series with five minutes left in the second. Just to make it a little worse, Svitov scored his second goal of the game and playoffs two minutes later. It was all but over when former NHL star Vyacheslav Kozlov added his first goal of the playoffs midway through the third period. Erik Ersberg shut the door on Sibir as Salavat recorded the 5-0 win, ending the series in a sweep.

Much like the Kazan-Barys series, no additional games nor is a prediction needed as Salavat wrapped up the series this evening. Salavat now awaits to find out who their opponents are in the next series.

(4) Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. (5) Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk

While these two finished right next to each other in the standings, there was a clear divide in terms of talent when looking at the standings. Metallurg finished 13 points ahead of Yugra in the standings, so there seems to be a clear favorite in this series. Game One seemed like Metallurg had an advantage as they got goals from Juhamatti Aaltonen and Oleg Kvasha over a six-minute span in the second period. However, a powerplay goal by Ivan Khlyntsev pulled Yugra within one goal again. Another powerplay goal by Evgeny Blokhin just 19 seconds into the third pulled Yugra even. However, goals by Metallurg's Petri Kontiola and Enver Lisin less than a minute apart put Metallurg up for good. Georgy Gelashvili closed the door the rest of the way, giving Metallurg the 4-2 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two in Yugra's hometown of Khanty-Mansiysk saw the home team score first midway through the second period. Ivan Khlyntsev's second goal in as many games put the home squad up 1-0. Former NHL star Sergei Fedorov evened the score less than six minutes later as his shot found its way past Yugra goaltender Edgar Masalskis. 7:50 into the third period, Yugra would jump ahead again as Alexei Pepelyaev notched his first marker of the series. Masalskis would stop everything else thrown his way as he recorded saves on 37 of 38 shots while preserving the 2-1 win for Yugra. With the win, Yugra pulled the series even at 1-1.

Game Three would see another game decided by that one-goal margin. Yugra wasted no time in the opening frame as they got goals from Alexei Pepelyaev, Andrei Sidyakin, and Kirill Petrov to put Metallurg in a 3-0 hole. Juhamatti Aaltonen began chipping away at the deficit with his goal two minutes into the second period. Mikhail Tyulyapkin then restored the three-goal margin 40 seconds later for Yugra. Four minutes later, Enver Lisin drew Metallurg within two again with his second of the series. Sergei Fedorov tacked on another goal for Metallurg five-and-a-half minutes later, making it 4-3 for Yugra through two periods. Both goaltenders held their ground in the third period, giving Yugra the 4-3 victory to put them up 2-1 in the series.

The Monday game was another low-scoring affair. Stanislav Chistov opened the scoring for Metallurg at 18:21 of the first period. Yurga drew even 4:17 into the second period as Dmitry Altaryev beat Georgy Gelashvili to even the game at 1-1. The game-winner was scored at 7:29 of the third period on a penalty shot! Yurga's Dmitry Altaryev hauled down Metallurg's Denis Platonov on a breakaway, so Platonov got a chance to do it all over again. On the penalty shot, he made no mistake as he buried the puck behind Edgar Masalskis. That goal on the uncontested breakaway was the winner, and the 2-1 victory pulled Metallurg even in the series at 2-2.

Game Five goes Wednesday night, Game Six is scheduled for Friday night, and it appears Game Seven will go sometime on Saturday.

As for predictions, I really like Metallurg simply because of their legacy of producing strong teams and great players. While Yurga is an intriguing pick simply due to their underdog status, I have to go with Metallurg.

There are the Eastern Conference series up to this point. I'll try to update these on the weekend to round out who is moving on and who is going home. Of course, we'll check my fearless, albeit uneducated, prognostications and see how I fared with my limited KHL knowledge.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Over In That Other League...

While we approach and anticipate the NHL Trade Deadline in North America tomorrow, there's a big event going on in the NHL's rival league as the KHL began the Gagarin Cup Playoffs on Wednesday. Sixteen teams qualified for the playoffs, and there are some definite favorites that could go all the way to Gagarin Cup final, so we'll break down this look at the KHL's "second season". There have definitely been a couple of surprises so far in the playoffs, so let's break down each series and see who the favorites are based upon the already-decided games.

We'll start with the Western Conference series today, and tomorrow will have the Eastern Conference series showcased.

(1) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl vs. (8) Dinamo Minsk

Lokomotiv saw three former NHL stars pace them to a victory as Josef Stumpel had three asissts, Pavol Demitra had a pair of assists, and Josef Vasicek had a goal and two assists. Jeff Platt pulled Dinamo Minsk to within a goal late in the second period as Lokomotiv led by a 5-4 score, but two third-period goals by Lokomotiv sealed the deal as they won Game One on Wednesday by a 7-4 score.

Game Two was played on February 24, and there was definitely a different feeling about this one. Jeff Platt had himself a great game for Dinamo Minsk as he chipped in a goal and two assists. Had it not been for a Pavol Demitra goal on a penalty shot with less than three minutes to play in the game, Robert Esche would have recorded the shutout. However, Dinamo Minsk tied the series at 1-1 with a 4-1 victory.

Game Three was played last night, and Dinamo Minsk continued to roll. Four different scorers put pucks past Dimitrij Kotschnew, including Jeff Platt's third goal of the series. Robert Esche stopped 37 of 38 shots sent his way, and Dinamo Minsk took the 2-1 series lead on the strength of a second 4-1 victory.

Game Four was already completed today, and the series is now even at two games apiece. Alexander Kalyanin had two goals to give him four in the series, and Andrei Kiryuhin's first of the series was the game-winner as Lokomotiv drew even with a 4-2 victory.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday night, and Game Six is set for Thursday, March 3. If a seventh game is necessary in this series, that will most likely be played on Friday, March 4.

I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that I like Lokomotiv's offence, but Dinamo Minsk does have solid goaltending with Robert Esche between the pipes. Defence, as you know, wins in the playoffs, so I'm calling an upset here as choosing Dinamo Minsk to advance!

(2) Dynamo Moscow vs. (7) Dinamo Riga

Wednesday night saw this series open in thrilling fashion. Both teams battled hard defensively, not allowing for many opportunities to be had. Mark Hartigan opened the scoring midway through the second period for Riga. With less than five minutes to play, Leo Komarov even the game with his unassisted goal. With the way that this game had been played over the previous 56 minutes, you had to know that overtime was coming. However, just 2:43 into overtime, Oskars Cibulskis wired a shot past Michael Garnett to give Riga the 2-1 overtime victory and the early 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Thursday was the polar opposite of the opening game in this series. Scoring came fast and furious as the two teams combined for twelve goals! Former NHL bruiser Chris Simon had a pair of goals for Dynamo Moscow as Moscow hung eight goals on the Riga goaltending tandem of Mikael Tellqvist and Chris Holt. Dynamo Moscow ties the series at 1-1 with an 8-4 victory.

Saturday saw Game Three played in Moscow. Riga's Leo Komarov scored his third goal of the series in as many game, and forward Brock Trotter put three helpers on the board for Riga. Mikael Tellqvist looked like himself again as he only allowed one goal in this one as Riga took Game Three by a 5-1 score to go up 2-1 in the series.

Much like the series above this one, the results for Sunday's game have already been posted. Game Four was another nail-biter as this game needed extra time as well. Dmitry Pestunov scored 7:51 into the first period for Moscow. Riga responded 12:18 into the second period as Girt Ankipans notched his first goal of the playoffs. The third period was played scoreless, so we were off to the second overtime game of this series. It took nearly a full period, but Riga's Krisjanis Redlihs scored a powerplay goal in overtime after Moscow's Alexei Kudashov was sent off for roughing. Sandis Ozolinsh picked up his fourth assist of the series on the game-winner, and Riga found themselves up 3-1 in the series after the win on Sunday.

Game Five will be played on Tuesday, March 1. If necessary, Game Six appears to be scheduled for Thursday while I would assume Game Seven, if necessary, would happen on Friday to wrap up this series.

I have to go with Riga in this one. Mikael Tellqvist, aside from the Game Two blowout, has only given up three goals in the other three games, and the Riga defence has really been stingy in terms of scoring chances. Overall, Riga has been the better team thus far, and they deserve to move on.

(3) SKA Saint Petersburg vs. (6) Spartak Moscow

Wednesday night saw this game go down to the wire as well. This game had a number of former NHL players hit the scoresheet, and the game went back-and-forth before a winner was crowned. Evgeny Artyukhin scored for SKA, and it was matched by Spartak's Branko Radivojevic. Anton But and Alexei Yashin put SKA up by two goals, but they were erased by Kirill Knyazev and Radivojevic once again. With no winner after sixty minutes, overtime was needed. 7:31 into the extra frame saw SKA's Mattias Weinhandl score the game-winner to give SKA the 4-3 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two went Thursday night, and it seemed almost like a replay from the night before. Denis Denisov opened the scoring for SKA on the powerplay, and Maxim Sushinsky made it 2-0 for SKA. Before the end of the first, Oleg Piganovich cut the deficit in half for Spartak as his goal made it 2-1. Petr Cajanek made it 3-1 eight minutes into the second, but Stefan Ruzicka scored shorthanded at 13:46 to close the gap to one goal again as the period closed with SKA up 3-2. 12:53 into the third period saw Spartak complete the comeback as Alexander Yunkov scored his first goal on the powerplay to make it 3-3. There was no winner after sixty minutes, so we were off to overtime for the second straight game. And for the second time in two nights, Mattias Weinhandl ended the game, this time at 6:43 of the overtime period. With their second 4-3 overtime victory, SKA led the series 2-0.

Game Three was much different as SKA's former NHL stars came to play. Mattias Weinhandl scored in the first period for a change, Petr Prucha added his first goal, and Maxim Afinoganov had a pair of goals. Alexei Yashin and Denis Grebeshkov each recorded one assist while Petr Cajanek had two assists. There was no comeback on this night as SKA recorded the 5-2 victory over Spartak to go up 3-0 in the series. Spartak, backstopped by Dominik Hasek, now face elimination if they can't pull off four straight victories over SKA.

Game Four was played today, and there was certainly some energy in the air as SKA could close out the series as home. While Spartak got the first goal from Stefan Ruzicka, Maxim Sushinsky and Petr Prucha put SKA up 2-1 before the end of the first period. Two goals by Kirill Knyazev canceled out Matias Weinhandl's second period marker, and the teams would go into the last twenty minutes tied 3-3. 8:28 into the third period, Petr Prucha would convert a Sergei Brylin pass to put SKA up 4-3, and Prucha's third goal of the series would stand as the winner as SKA would close out this game and series with a 4-3 victory.

No other games are necessary, and there's no needed predictions here, so I'll leave you with this quote from 93 year-old Dominik Hasek after his team was eliminated in four straight games: "I need two or three weeks to decide about my career. I will think about my family. I hope that if I will continue my career, it will be in the KHL. It is the best league in Europe."

Maybe the 45 year-old stopper isn't done just yet.

(4) Atlant Moscow Oblast vs. (5) Severstal Cherepovets

The fourth series to start Wednesday featured Atlant and Severstal. Atlant has three former Vancouver Canucks on their roster, and all of them figured into the scoring in their first game. Kirill Lyamin and Vadim Shipachev scored for Severstal while Igor Musatov and Jan Bulis had goals for Atlant. However, nothing was settled through sixty minutes, so extra time was tacked on for a winner to emerge. It took 13:22, but defenceman Jaroslav Obsut finally gave Atlant the 3-2 overtime win. Obsut also added an assist on Bulis' second-period goal, and former Canuck Fedor Fedorov recorded an assist on Obsut's game-winner. Atlant was out to the early 1-0 series lead.

Severstal and Atlant clashed again on Thursday evening, and there was fire behind the Severstal lads. Severstal jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old as Yury Trubachev and Andrei Shefer scored their first goals of the playoffs. Fedor Fedorov closed the gap to 2-1 before the period ended, but the second period was all Severstal. Another goal early in the second period by Josef Straka chased Atlant goaltender Konstantin Barulin as he was replaced by Vitaly Koval in the blue paint, but that change didn't help. Goals by Vadim Shipachev and Sergei Soin made it 5-1 as the second period closed. Atlant got a third period goal from Edward Lewandowski, but Severstal cruised to the 5-2 victory to knot up the series at 1-1 again.

Game Three on Saturday was all about three: three goals in three periods. Ivan Nepryayev scored for Atlant in the first while Severstal got goals in the second and third periods from Evgeny Ketov. Vasily Koshechkin stopped 37 of 38 shots for Severstal in the victory as Severstal skated to the 2-1 victory for the 2-1 series lead.

Game Four on Sunday saw Atlant break out of their scoring funk in a big way. Oleg Petrov recorded a natural hat trick in the first period in three minutes, and Atlant had staked themselves to a 5-0 victory after the first frame! Had it not been for a second period goal by Alexei Tsvetkov on the powerplay, this would have been a whitewashing with a shutout! Instead, Petrov had three, Fedor Fedorov had two, and Atlant skated to a dominant 8-1 victory over Severstal to even the series at 2-2.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday evening, and Game Six has been set for Thursday night. If Game Seven is necessary, I'm guessing Friday would see this series wrap up.

As for predictions, this is a tougher series, but it seems as though Atlant has too much firepower to be held down for four games out of seven. While Severstal has done an excellent job in their two wins, Vasily Koshechkin has seen a lot of rubber already in this series, and we've only played four game. I have to think that Atlant will eventually dispose of Severstal, but it doesn't look to be an easy task.

Those are all the games thus far from the Western Conference of the KHL. The Western Conference is made up of eleven teams in two divisions: the Tarasov Division and the Bobrov Division. If you're counting, that's eight of eleven teams making the playoffs, meaning only CSKA, Vityaz Chekhov, and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod missed the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Tomorrow, we'll look at how the Eastern Conference has been faring on their side of the bracket in the KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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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!

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