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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Antler Banter: Volume 19

Antler Banter returns to its usual Wednesday spot this week, and there are some personnel changes to highlight thanks to the NHL trade deadline occurring just one week before the AHL roster deadline was set. Three games highlighted the schedule from last week as Worcester Sharks and Grand Rapids Griffins were the Moose's opponents. We'll also look forward to this week's games as the Moose start the stretch run to the Calder Cup Playoffs. Don't forget to get all of your Manitoba Moose news and information on the Moose website. 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 edition of Hardcore Hockey!

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

After handing the Sharks a 3-1 loss on Tuesday night at MTS Centre, the Moose and Sharks hooked up again for Game Two of the two-game set in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Honestly, the Tuesday night game was one of the best games that I've seen this season by the Moose, so there was hope for another solid 60 minutes on Wednesday. Alex Stalock was back in the water for the Sharks, while Daren Machesney was sent out to the nets for the Moose.

Before the ice was dry, the Moose were on the board. Just 29 seconds into the first period, Matt Pettinger fired a low shot from the left half-boards that Stalock kicked out into the slot area. The problem with Stalock's rebound is that it found the stick of Marty Murray. Murray snapped the puck into the open side of the net, and the Moose were out to the 1-0 lead on Murray's tenth goal of the season.

The rest of the first period was a collection of penalties on both teams, highlighted by a scrap between Worcester's Brett Westgarth and Manitoba's Dusty Collins. The Moose finished the period trailing in shots by an 11-9 margin, but they held the lead on the scoreboard with a 1-0 advantage.

Mario Bliznak took a goaltender interference penalty at the 4:25 mark of the second period, and that sent the Sharks to the man-advantage. 29 seconds after Bliznak sat down in the box, he was released. Steven Zalewski carried the puck down the left wing, and found the trailer, Dwight Helminen, in the slot. Helminen made no mistake as he buried his 11th goal of the season high over Machesney's glove, and the powerplay marker even the game at 1-1 just 5:14 into the middle frame.

Just 2:20 later, the Sharks struck again. Winnipegger Frazer McLaren's initial shot was stopped by Machesney, but defenceman Nathan McIver fell over top of Machesney as the rebound went out to Machesney's left side. With the interference, Machesney didn't have time to recover as McLaren jumped on the rebound. McLaren slid the puck along the ice into the crease, and Matt Jones banged home the loose puck. Jones' fifth goal of the season at 7:34 put the Sharks ahead by a 2-1 score.

To say the Moose didn't play well in the second period would be a huge understatement. The Sharks outshot Manitoba 22-6 in the period to lead 31-17 after two periods! Had it not been for Daren Machesney, the game could have been out-of-hand with the amount of shots that Manitoba saw in that period.

The Sharks added to their lead just 1:30 into the third period. With Logan Couture standing squarely in front of Machesney, TJ Trevelyan fired a puck under Machesney's glove that found the back of the net. Machesney had little chance of making the save with Couture being a perfect screen, and the Sharks had the 3-1 lead on Trevelyan's 18th goal of the season.

4:16 later, a two-on-one developed as Worcester's Ryan Vesce and Trevelyan broke in against Nathan McIver. With McIver giving Vesce the shot, Vesce broke on in the left side and fired a low wrist shot towards the right post and into the back of the net. Machesney should have had that shot from Vesce, but it dented the twine. Vesce's 11th goal of the season put the Sharks up 4-1 at 5:46.

2:12 after that goal, the Sharks had another. Evan Oberg turned the puck over in the right corner after falling, and Dan DaSilva picked up the loose puck. Manitoba's Jeff Waugh and Worcester's John McCarthy were all over the blue paint around Machesney as DaSilva pulled the puck out front to his backhand, and DaSilva buried the backhander past both Waugh and Machesney. Again, another goal that Machesney had little to no chance of saving, and Manitoba's bad game continued. DaSilva's 14th of the season gave the Sharks a 5-1 lead at the 7:58 mark.

It took almost seven minutes for the Moose to respond, but they did add to their total. Travis Ramsey's slapshot from the right point found a seam through Alex Stalock, and Ramsey's second goal of the season made it a 5-2 Sharks lead.

However, time was the enemy, and there wasn't enough time for the Moose to get any closer. The final total in shots was a ridiculous 43-29 for Worcester - a perfect example of why this game went poorly for the Moose. I can't fault Machesney as he did all he could in stopping 38 shots, but the Moose still take the loss. Their record falls to 31-27-5-1.

Griffins Are Mythical Creatures, After All

It has taken a long time for the Moose to meet up with their former IHL rivals, but the Moose and Griffins battled for the first time this season on Friday night. It's hard to believe that divisional teams haven't faced each other by this point in the season, but such is the case in the AHL. Daniel Larsson got the start for the Griffins against Manitoba's Cory Schneider at Van Andel Arena.

Hard-working teams can't take penalties when they struggle to score, and the Moose displayed perfect examples of this in the first period. Manitoba opened the game with five minor penalties, and the Griffins capitalized.

Newcomer Yan Stastny was sent off for hooking at 3:12, and the Griffins opened the scoring 49 seconds later. Doug Janik fed Jeremy Williams with a pass, and Williams roofed a wrist shot over Schneider on the left side. Just 4:01 in, and Williams had his 22nd goal of the season with the powerplay marker, and the Griffins had a 1-0 lead.

Geoff Waugh earned two minor penalties at 7:18, and the extra unsportmanlike conduct penalty he earned after the hugging match against Justin Abdelkader put the Griffins back on the powerplay. At 8:26, Jeremy Williams struck again after Patrick Rissmiller made a gorgeous cross-ice pass to the sniper. Williams had no trouble finding the back of the net as Schneider couldn't get across, and Grand Rapids had a 2-0 lead on Williams' 23rd goal and second powerplay marker on the night.

The second period looked much like how the first ended: tighter checking and more disciplined play. However, the stalemate in the second would be broken at the 18:18 mark. Manitoba's Lawrence Nycholat fired a shot from the point that found its way through a maze of players in front of Larsson, and the puck found the twine past Larsson's glove. Nycholat's third goal of the season cut the Griffins' lead to 2-1.

However, just 45 seconds later, the Griffins restored the two-goal lead. Logan Pyatt was in the right place at the right time as Schneider made the stop on Justin Abdelkader, but couldn't hold on to the rebound. Pyatt poked the puck across the line for his ninth goal of the season, and the Griffins led 3-1 with just 56.1 seconds left in the second period.

In what seems like a recurring theme this season, the Moose trailed 25-15 in shots by the second intermission. Honestly, Schneider and Machesney have seen more vulcanized rubber this year than Goodyear and Bridgestone combined. If there's any wonder why this team continues to struggle to put together strings of wins, it might have something to do with being outshot in every game. And, in most cases, by large margins.

The third period seemed to be fairly uneventful outside of a Guillaume Desbiens-Jamie Tardif scrap. Desbiens picked up the victory in the bout of fisticuffs, but the Moose couldn't manage any other offence against the Griffins. With Schneider on the bench for the extra attacker, Patrick Rissmiller scored his 17th goal into the empty net, and the Griffins secured the 4-1 win.

Full credit to the Griffins for playing a very balanced and thorough game in earning the win. With the loss, the Moose drop to 31-28-5-1, and really need to pick up two points against the Griffins in Saturday's game.

Slaying The Beast

Saturday night saw the Moose and Griffins battle again at Van Andel Arena. The Moose need to get back on-track against a lower-ranked team, and start winning games they are supposed to win. A sellout of 10,834 fans were on-hand for the game as Daniel Larsson and Cory Schneider took to the nets for the second night in a row.

Both teams limited chances early on as each team seemed a little more defensive than the night before. However, the Moose got on the board just past the halfway point of the first period. Sergei Shirokov ripped a shot past Larsson from the right circle at the 10:55 mark for his 20th goal of the season, and the Moose were out in front by a 1-0 score.

Neither team dented the twine before the horn sounded, giving Manitoba the 1-0 lead as the intermission began. Grand Rapids had a modest 9-8 lead on the shot clock, but the Moose seemed to be matching their opponents shot for shot for the first time in a long time.

But then the second period started. Cory Schneider, proving that he is Manitoba's MVP this season, stopped all 15 shots that he faced in the second period. Grand Rapids' Daniel Larsson, on the other hand, stopped all five shots he faced. After two periods, Grand Rapids had the 24-13 lead on the shot clock, but still trailed 1-0 due to Schneider's incredible goaltending.

However, the 25th shot of the game for Grand Rapids found its way past Schneider. Justin Abdelkader streaked down the left wing and found a hole with his wrist shot between Schneider's pad and the left post. Abdelkader's seventh goal of the season came just 20 seconds into the third frame.

The Moose didn't fold after Abdelkader's goal. The stingy defensive play by both teams continued despite Grand Rapids' growing shot total. Larsson and Schneider stood tall, and neither team could solve the tie in 60 minutes. Off to overtime!

Both teams had chances, but it was Manitoba's third shot of the extra period that ended the game. Logan Pyatt had the puck take a bad bounce in front of him in the high slot, and the puck found its way behind the Griffins' defender. Mario Bliznak picked up the loose puck, and he stuffed it through Larsson's five-hole for the game-winning goal. Bliznak's seventh goal of the season gave Manitoba the 2-1 overtime victory, and a great celebration for Bliznak as he scored on his birthday!

Despite Manitoba's win, they were badly outshot again. Grand Rapids ended the game with a 43-26 lead in shots. However, I'm not looking in the mouths of any horses. A win is a win is a win. With the victory, Manitoba improves to 32-28-5-1.

Controlling Your Own Destiny

It's safe to say that Manitoba would like to avoid a first-round series with division-leading Hamilton, so it's time for Manitoba to buckle down and start grinding out some wins. As it stands, Manitoba is fourth-place in the North Division. They trail third-place Abbotsford by four points and second-place Rochester by six points. The good news is that the Moose have a game in-hand on the Heat, but the Americans have a game in-hand on Manitoba.

With two more games against last-place Grand Rapids, two against the Heat, two against the Marlies, and four against the Hamilton Bulldogs before the end of the season, the divisional games become paramount in terms of their importance. Each one of those games essentially can be a four-point swing, so winning the divisional games is the only option for the Moose at this point.

If they want to avoid Hamilton in the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Moose need to beat teams within their own division. It's that simple.

Taking Attendance Is Mandatory

After the NHL trade deadline and the AHL roster freeze deadlines passed, the roster of the Manitoba Moose looks significantly different. I'll run down these moves on a per-player basis.

• Mathieu Schneider - traded by Vancouver to Phoenix. It was a well-known fact that Schneider's stay with the Moose would be temporary. And it was.
  
• Nick Boynton - traded by Anaheim to Chicago. Boynton adds depth for Chicago's playoff run in the NHL, but he'll be back in Manitoba this week. Boynton was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs by the Blackhawks.
• Pierre-Cedric Labrie - traded by Vancouver to St. Louis. Labrie was a rugged competitor who performed fairly well before the trade in a checking role. However, his choppy skating style may have limited his development, and it appears that Vancouver wanted a change.
  
• Marty Murray - loaned by Manitoba to Milwaukee. Murray was disappointed about leaving his home province, but he'll be a good veteran presence on a young Milwaukee team.
• Brad Lukowich - re-assigned by Vancouver. Lukowich, who had been playing with the Texas Stars for most of the season in order to be closer to his family, was scheduled to be in Manitoba for this weekend's games against the IceHogs. However, the veteran defenceman opted for shoulder surgery to cure a wonky shoulder, and will not play again this season.
• Nolan Baumgartner - recalled by Vancouver. Baumgartner is back up with the big club, but the impending return of Kevin Bieksa should mean that Baumgartner will return soon.
• Peter Olvecky - loaned by Milwaukee to Manitoba. Olvecky, a Slovakian, is a big body who isn't afraid to get dirty in the corners. He has a great shot, and will most likely play on a line with former teammate Marco Rosa and Matt Pettinger this weekend against the IceHogs.
• Yan Stastny - traded by St. Louis to Vancouver. Stastny is a decent scoring forward who should help the Moose with his speed and hands. He was a scoring threat in Peoria, and has NHL experience. Stastny will be relied on to generate offence in Manitoba.
• Andy Brandt - signed to PTO. Brandt, a 22 year-old forward, had been playing with the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings before the Moose came calling. Brandt had a few good shifts in his debut against the Griffins, and is looking to continue his strong play as he works to earn a spot with the Moose.
  

Coming Up Next

The Moose have a weekend set against the Rockford IceHogs on Friday and Saturday. Rockford currently sits in second-place in the West Division with a 38-24-3-3 record for 82 points, so the Moose will need to play well in both games to have a chance at earning some points.

Bracken Kearns leads the team with 47 points, two better than Mark Cullen. Kyle Greentree leads the team in goal-scoring with 22 goals on the season. Jack Skille is the next highest goal-scorer with 20 markers. The IceHogs upgraded their goaltending at the NHL trade deadline when they acquired Hannu Toivonen. Along with Corey Crawford, the IceHogs boast a fairly good tandem in the nets. With both goaltenders have fairly unimpressive records, Crawford's 2.79 GAA and Toivonen's 2.72 GAA indicate that Rockford's goaltending has been steady all season long. The Moose will need to score more often than they have in their recent games if they hope to down the IceHogs.

Antler Branches

There have been a few interesting notes from the Herd that need to be brought to light.

• Sergei Shirokov will miss the Friday game of the Rockford series after he was suspended by the AHL after kneeing Ole-Kristian Tollefsen of Grand Rapids. The AHL announced the suspension today.
• Head coach Scott Arniel confirmed today that he has asked the Anaheim Ducks about Luca Sbisa. Sbisa is currently playing for the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks. When the season ends for Portland, Arniel is hoping that Anaheim will assign the big defenceman to Manitoba for the Moose's playoff run. Getting a player like Sbisa would be huge for the Moose. Sbisa, as you may know, suited up for Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and he would bring a big shot to Manitoba's blueline. Stick tap to Joshua for catching my error on Sbisa's WHL team!
• Both Dan Sexton and Nolan Baumgartner were placed on "paper waivers" today by the Ducks and Canucks, respectively. This allows Manitoba to include the two players on their 22-man roster for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Both men will be vital in Manitoba's quest for the Calder Cup this season.
• Cody Hodgson, who played for the Moose in last season's Calder Cup Playoffs, suffered a hairline fracture when he blocked a shot last week for the Brampton Battalion. It is expected that Hodgson will be out until the OHL Playoffs start, but the Moose have expressed an interest in bringing Hodgson back when Brampton's season comes to an end. Honestly, his offensive abilities will be more than welcomed in the Moose dressing room.
• Saturday night's game against the Rockford IceHogs will be a special night. The Manitoba Moose are honouring the three divisions of the Canadian military on Military Salute night. The Moose will wear these beautiful uniforms in honour of the men and women who bravely put their lives on the line for all Canadians. This should be a great evening of hockey for the bravest men and women in the world!
  

There's your Moose update for this week. With all the changes that happened last week, there's hope that everything will settle for the Moose, especially with their roster. As it stands, 50 players have worn the Moose uniform this season, and the opening night roster hasn't been together since opening night.

Rockford invades MTS Centre this weekend, so get your tickets and get downtown to cheer on the Moose as they begin the stretch run to the Calder Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Swap Shop Time!

Every year, the NHL trading deadline looms before general managers as teams tinker with chemistry and line combinations in order to strengthen their chances in the NHL Playoffs. Teams trade players and draft picks with crazy regularity on this day, but this year was a little different. With a large number of teams sitting on playoff bubbles, there was definitely less action in terms of general managers burning up phone lines. There were some bigger names that moved, but I don't know if any of the moves made will significantly make any of the teams better. Time will tell, of course, so let's check out who's in and who's out for each NHL team since March 1.

In: Petteri Nokelainen, Lubomir Visnovsky, Aaron Ward, Curtis McElhinney, Joey MacDonald, Nathan Oystrick, 2010 4th-round (BOS) and 2011 conditional picks (ATL), future considerations (CHI).
Out: Steve Kampfer, Ryan Whitney, Justin Pogge, Vesa Toskala, Nick Boynton, Evgeny Artyukhin, 2010 4th-round and 2011 7th-round pick, conditional pick.

In: Clarke MacArthur, Evgeny Artyukhin, 2010 4th-round pick (BUF).
Out: Nathan Oystrick, 2010 3rd-round pick, 2011 conditional pick.

In: Steve Kampfer, Dennis Seidenberg, Matthew Bartkowski Cody Wild.
Out: Derek Morris, Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, Matt Marquardt, 2010 2nd-round and 4th-round picks.

In: Raffi Torres, 2010 2nd-round (CBJ) and 2010 3rd-round (ATL) picks.
Out: Nathan Paetsch, Clarke MacArthur, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Vesa Toskala, Steve Staios, Andy Delmore, 2010 4th-round pick (NAS).
Out: Curtis McElhinney, Dustin Boyd, Aaron Johnson, Riley Armstrong, 2010 3rd-round pick.

In: Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll, Justin Pogge, 2010 2nd-round and 7th-round (WAS), 2010 3rd-round (VAN), 2010 4th-round (ANA) and 2010 6th-round (COL) picks.
Out: Aaron Ward, Scott Walker, Andrew Alberts, Joe Corvo, Stephane Yelle, Harrison Reed.

In: Nick Boynton, Hannu Toivonen, Danny Richmond.
Out: Joe Fallon, Future considerations.

In: Kevin Porter, Peter Mueller, Stephane Yelle, Harrison Reed.
Out: Wojtek Wolski, Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Greg Moore, Nathan Paetsch, Chad Kolarik, Matt Rust, 2010 6th-round pick (WAS) and 2010 conditional (LAK) picks.
Out: Raffi Torres, Milan Jurcina, Fredrik Modin, Mathieu Roy, Alex Picard, Dylan Reese, 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Jordan Owens, Riley Armstrong.
Out: Kris Newbury, Andy Delmore.

In: Ryan Whitney, Aaron Johnson, Matt Marquardt, 2010 2nd-round (NAS), 2010 3rd-round (CAL) and 2010 6th-round (ANA) picks.
Out: Lubomir Visnovsky, Steve Staios, Cody Wild, Denis Grebeshkov.

In: Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, Mathieu Roy, 2010 2nd-round (BOS) and 2010 2nd-round (PIT) picks.
Out: Dennis Seidenberg, Matthew Bartkowski, Matt Rust, Jordan Leopold.

In: Jeff Halpern, Fredrik Modin.
Out: Teddy Purcell, 2010 3rd-round and 2010 conditional picks.

In: 2010 2nd-round pick.
Out: Eric Belanger.

In: Aaron Palushaj.
Out: Matt D'Agostini.

In: Dustin Boyd, Denis Grebeshkov.
Out: 2010 2nd-round and 4th-round picks.

In: Martin Skoula.
Out: 2010 5th-round pick.

In: Dylan Reese, 2010 2nd-round (OTT) pick.
Out: Greg Moore, Andy Sutton.

In: Kris Newbury, Anders Eriksson.
Out: Jordan Owens, Miika Wiikman, 2010 7th-round pick.

In: Andy Sutton.
Out: 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Derek Morris, Wojtek Wolski, Mathieu Schneider, Lee Stempniak, Matt Jones, Alex Picard, Miika Wiikman, 2010 7th-round (NYR) and 2010 conditional (ANA) pick.
Out: Peter Mueller, Kevin Porter, Petteri Nokelainen, Sean Zimmerman, 2010 4th-round, 6th-round, and 7th-round picks, 2011 4th-round pick.

In: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Jordan Leopold, 2010 6th-round (TOR) pick.
Out: Chris Peluso, Luca Caputi, Martin Skoula, 2010 2nd-round pick.

In: No roster moves made.
Out: No roster moves made.

In: Matt D'Agostini, Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Joe Fallon.
Out: Aaron Palushaj, Yan Stastny, Hannu Toivonen, Danny Richmond.

In: Teddy Purcell, 2010 3rd-round (LAK) pick.
Out: Jeff Halpern.

In: Martin Skoula, Luca Caputi, Chris Peluso, 2010 4th-round and 7th-round (PHO), 2010 5th-round (NJD), 2011 7th-round (ANA) picks.
Out: Martin Skoula, Lee Stempniak, Matt Jones, Joey MacDonald, Alexei Ponikarovsky, 2010 6th-round pick.

In: Yan Stastny, Sean Zimmerman, Andrew Alberts, 2010 6th-round (PHO) pick.
Out: Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Mathieu Schneider, 2010 3rd-round pick.

In: Scott Walker, Eric Belanger, Milan Jurcina, Joe Corvo.
Out: Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, 2010 2nd-round, 2nd-round, 6th-round, and 7th-round picks.

Pittsburgh and Washington bulked up for another extended playoff run for both teams, while I'm confused as to the direction that both Phoenix and Anaheim took. Colorado dealt away an underachieving youngster for another underachieving youngster, so it will remain to be seen how this trade shakes out. In fact, we'll see how all these trades shake out.

In other rumblings, there are two major announcements coming tomorrow. The first apparently has Albany making noise about a potential move of a franchise to that city. As you may be aware, the River Rats are moving to Charlotte, North Carolina as the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes would like their AHL affiliate closer to home. The prevailing rumour is that the Portland Pirates may be on their way out of Portland, Maine and heading to upstate New York. Portland, of course, is the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, and the Sabres would like their players closer to Buffalo as well.

The second? That Thrashers-to-Winnipeg rumour just will not go away. It's been killed by every hockey prognosticator across North America, but there were reports of Gary Bettman being in Winnipeg today. The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow at MTS Centre, and there seems to be a very strange ambiance at MTS Centre tonight amongst a few key Moose people. Something is definitely up, kids. And it sounds like this might be the best-kept secret in the industry right now.

I'll dig some more before the evening is up, but I'm getting nowhere fast right now. All I know is that it appears there is a lot of whispering going on. If deals are being struck, they are being done discreetly.

Until I find out more, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Antler Banter: Volume 18

Antler Banter makes a rare Tuesday appearance thanks to the NHL trade deadline tomorrow. The Herd traveled through Texas with stops in Houston and San Antonio before returning home for a Tuesday night game with the Worcester Sharks. With the NHL trade deadline less than 14 hours from completion, some players are already on their way out, so we'll look at the player moves that affected the Moose. Check all of your Manitoba Moose news and information regarding Moose player moves on the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Let's look back at this past week's Hardcore Hockey!

Kick It Off In Houston

The Moose rolled into Toyota Center in Houston, Texas for one game against the Houston Aeros. The Moose were 1-2-0 against the Aeros this season, so they were looking to even up that mark. Cory Schneider got the start for Manitoba while Barry Brust got the call for the Aeros.

The first period saw the two teams trade minor penalties, but nothing more. It really looked like both teams were playing a little on their heels rather than being aggressive, but the good news is that the score at the intermission was still zeroes.

Manitoba opened the scoring on the powerplay while Aeros' defenceman Justin Falk served time for holding. Barry Brust got caught behind his net as the puck was fired in, and Guillaume Desbiens came up with the puck as the goaltender had his pocket picked. Desbiens attempted to wrap the puck around the left post, but J.P. Testwuide got back in time to breka up that play. However, the puck rolled to the top of the crease where Sergei Shirokov had all the time in the world to bury it. Give Shirokov 18 goals on the season with the powerplay marker, and give the Moose the 1-0 lead at 10:16 of the second period.

Houston stormed back. Defenceman Jamie Fraser received a cross-ice pass at the blueline, and had daylight in front of him. He took three steps before Brian Salcido cut off his path, causing Fraser to fire a wrist shot at the net. The shot caught Salcido, however, and bounced into the slot on to Duncan Milroy's stick. Milroy snapped a quick shot past Schneider for his eighth of the season, and the game was tied 1-1 at the 13:35 mark.

It didn't take the Moose long to respond, though. 36 seconds later, Marco Rosa won a puck battle along the left wing half-boards against Colton Gillies, and fired a centering pass to Michael Grabner in the high slot. Grabner wasted no time in one-timing the puck past Brust on the short side, and the Moose were back on top by a 2-1 score.

Manitoba recorded an amazing 17 shots in the second period, and led 23-18 on the shot clock after two periods. Of course, they also had the lead going into the third period, so you had to know that the Aeros weren't just going to roll over.

Matt Pope found himself in the penalty box for high-sticking at the 14:21 mark of the third, and the Aeros went on the powerplay. Houston had a few chances, but they finally broke through. Maxim Noreau loaded up the cannon from the blueline and let a blast go. The puck got by a screened Schneider who, for it was worth, had no chance. Noreau's rocket past Schneider's glove was his 16th goal of the season, and the powerplay marker tied the game 2-2 with 4:33 remaining.

However, 1:10 later, the Herd regained the lead. Mario Bliznak fed a gorgeous pass through to Mike Keane on the right hash marks, and his wrist shot got through the Pierre-Cedric Labrie screen, but not Brust. The rebound wasn't covered, though, and Labrie jammed the puck under Brust's right pad and into the net. Labrie recorded his fourth goal of the season, and the Moose had the 3-2 lead with 3:23 remaining.

Schneider shut down the Aeros the rest of the way, and the Moose picked up two important points in Houston with the 3-2 win. With that victory, the Moose pushed their record to 29-25-5-1.

Losing At The Alamo

Game two of the Texas road swing happened on Friday night as the Moose set up shop at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Rampage are trying to fight their way back into a playoff spot, so the Moose had to be on their toes. Cory Schneider was back in the Moose net while Justin Pogge was sent out to the Rampage net.

You knew things were not going well from the drop of the puck. The Rampage had already fired six pucks at Schneider before Pogge made his first stop. And it didn't get any easier from that point on.

David Spina fed a gorgeous tape-to-tape, cross-ice pass from the right wing to pinching defenceman Shaun Heshka across the faceoff circles on the left wing that had the Moose moving the wrong way. Heshka quickly changed directions again by feeding Kevin Porter in the slot, and Porter had no trouble finding the back of the net, going high blocker on Schneider. With the beautiful tic-tac-toe passing, Porter picked up his 15th goal of the season at the 3:49 mark, and the Rampage were out in front by a 1-0 score.

A turnover at the offensive blueline led to the next Rampage goal. Mikkel Boedker poke-checked Matt Pettinger at the line from behind, and the puck came to David Spina. Spina saw Boedker turn on the jets, and he fed the youngster with a perfect pass. Pettinger hustled to catch Boedker, but Boedker protected the puck with his body extremely well as he went forehand to backhand in roofing the puck behind Schneider on the breakaway. Mikkel Boedker's ninth goal of the season was a beauty, and the Rampage had the 2-0 lead with 5:29 left in the first period.

After the first intermission, the teams seemed to play a little more defensively. However, a holding penalty to Sergei Shirokov at 11:17 gave the Rampage the man-advantage for two minutes or less. And less it was. Justin Pogge, showing his puck-handling skills, caught the Moose making a change and fired the puck down to Kyle Turris at the Moose blueline. As the two-on-one developed, Turris kept and fired a wicked wrist shot from just inside the right circle that went over Schneider's right shoulder and ended up under the bar. Turris' 15th goal of the season popped the water bottle off the net, and gave the Rampage a 3-0 lead with his powerplay goal at 13:15.

The Moose trailed 20-16 in shots, and were down 3-0 on the scoreboard. They would need a big effort in the third period to try to secure a point. Would they be able to stop the bleeding?

Unfortunately, no. I'm not sure what Nick Boynton was thinking, but his weak backhander up the middle of the ice was intercepted at the blueline by Andrew Orpik. Orpik made no mistake in feeding a wide-open Gavin Morgan in front of Schneider. Morgan made no mistake as his shot got under Schneider's pads and found the twine. Morgan picked up his fifth goal of the season, and the Rampage were out to a 4-0 advantage just 2:51 into the third.

I'm sure Morgan's goal is one that Schneider would like to have back, but what was Boynton thinking? His pass was nowhere near any Moose player, and was far too soft to be a legitimate clearing attempt. That may have been the worst play on a night of many bad plays.

In any case, the Moose couldn't get one past Pogge as he pitched the 4-0 shutout of the Moose. With the loss, the Moose dropped to 29-26-5-1 on the season.

Second Chances Are All About Redemption

With little time to reflect on their effort from a night before, Saturday night featured the Moose and Rampage again at the AT&T Center. The Moose changed it up by sending Daren Machesney to the cage. The Rampage turned to Josh Tordjman to tend to the twine.

The Rampage struck first in this game. Sasha Pokulok's blast from the point was stopped by Machesney, but he couldn't corral the rebound. Kyle Turris did, however, and he swept the puck past the sprawling Moose netminder. Turris' 16th of the season put the Rampage up 1-0 at the 8:22 mark.

Honestly, the Moose needed to play a little more disciplined in that first period. They had five minor penalties assigned to them, and spent a good portion of the period chasing the puck rather than controlling it. As the 15-9 shot totals indicate, the Moose needed to step up if they wanted to escape San Antonio with at least a point.

The second period saw both teams buckle down as neither team had many scoring chances. Both goaltenders were solid on the penalty kill, and the Moose responded by outshooting the Rampage 11-9 in that period.

The third period saw the Moose break out of their mini-scoring slump. Gavin Morgan was sent off at 4:51 for hooking, and the Herd's powerplay took to the ice. The Russian kids, Sergei Shirokov and Nikita Kashirsky, had a couple of chances on Tordjman, but it took Nolan Baumgartner's shot off a rebound to break the Moose's goose egg. Baumgartner's fifth goal of the season came on the powerplay, and the Moose were even at 1-1 just 5:57 into the third.

Nearly six minutes later, the Moose struck again. Off a Shirokov feed, Matt Pettinger streaked down the left wing and fired a laser past Tordjman on the short side that appeared to have handcuffed the Rampage goaltender. Pettinger's 13th goal of the season put the Moose out in front by a 2-1 score with 8:09 remaining.

The Rampage battled hard, pulling their goaltender late for the extra attacker. However, Gullaume Desbiens was sprung by Mike Keane, and he slid the puck into the yawning cage with 17 seconds to play. Desbiens' 13th of the season guaranteed the Manitoba 3-1 victory over the Rampage.

Honestly, this was an excellent rebound game for the Moose. They looked lacklustre and sloppy on Friday night, but it appears that Scott Arniel and his staff got the Moose back on track. With the win, the Moose finish the roadtrip 4-3-0-0, and push their record to 30-26-5-1 with the win.

"Come on Chief, This Isn't No Boy Scout Picnic!"

The Moose returned home on Tuesday night for a midweek battle against the Worcester Sharks. The Sharks won both previous encounters in Worcester with the Moose, so the Moose were looking to return the favour on MTS Centre ice. Cory Schneider led the Moose on to the ice, while Alex Stalock drew the assignment for the Sharks.

These two teams came out throwing big hits. Lawrence Nycholat threw an ill-advised hit that resulted in an interference call, sending the Sharks to the powerplay just 5:09 into the game. And 10 seconds later, the Sharks opened the scoring. Logan Couture's shot from the left side was blocked by the leg of Jeff Waugh, but the puck ricocheted right to T.J. Trevelyan's stick at the top of the crease. Trevelyan wasted no time in putting the puck past a helpless Schneider, and the Sharks had the 1-0 lead off the powerplay goal. Trevelyan's marker came just 5:19 into the first period.

If it weren't for the efforts of both goalies, this game could have been a 6-5 affair after one period. Both Schneider and Stalock were outstanding in the first period, and it appeared that this game may be decided by a defensive mistake somewhere along the line.

Throught the first period, you could tell that the Moose and Sharks were feeling a little feisty. Every time a Shark bumped into Cory Schneider, the Moose were all over the offending player. While cooler heads prevailed in the first 20 minutes, you just had that feeling that something was going to happen.

The Moose opened the scoring in the second period. Matt Pettinger won a puck battle along the right board, and fed the puck back to Tom Galvin at the point. Galvin's low shot was tipped by Sergei Shirokov as he skated through the slot, and the redirection fooled Stalock as the puck found the back of the net. Shirokov's 19th goal of the season came just 4:21 into the second period, and the game was knotted at 1-1.

With Marty Murray already in the penalty box for tripping, the sin bins got a little more crowded. Cory Schneider made a routine save at 10:05 as Matt Moore was running a little interference on the Moose goaltender. Jeff Waugh didn't take kindly to Moore's treatment of Schneider, and pushed Moore behind the net as the two were jawing at one another. This drew a scrum where the chirping really began, and it resulted in punches being thrown between Moore and Guillaume Desbiens, followed by more facewashing and punching done by Matt Pettinger and Brandon Mashinter. After all of the parties were separated, each team received six minutes in roughing penalties, and that was that.

However, the dancing seemed to fire up the Moose. As Murray came out of the penalty box, he jumped up ice as a stretch pass was fed to him. The Sharks recovered as Murray crossed the blueline, and his drop pass found Marco Rosa as Sharks' defenceman Benn Ferriero rubbed out Murray along the boards. Rosa appeared to be one-on-one with Danny Groulx, but everyone forgot about Pierre-Cedric Labrie on the right side. Everyone, that is, except Rosa. As Rosa drew Groulx towards him, he flipped a beautiful pass over to PeeCee, and Labrie buried the one-timer past Stalock from the right face-off dot. Labrie's fifth of the season came at the 11:23 mark, and the Moose took the 2-1 lead into the intermission.

Highlight of the period? Tom Galvin's glove save along the goal line. Galvin pushed a puck outside of the crease that had found its way behind Schneider, but had not crossed the line. A huge effort by Galvin shows just how important the veteran defenceman is to the Moose blueline.

The third period featured some amazing goaltending at both ends of the ice again. However, the Moose struck again late in the period off what appeared to be a goaltending miscue.

Michael Grabner raced down the right wing to catch up to a rolling puck. With the puck still rolling and a defender bearing down on him, Grabner fired a hard wrist shot that caught Stalock square in the mask. I'm not sure if the shot dazed Stalock, but he didn't move after the puck hit him. The rebound fell to his left which, coincidentally, was in the slot. Matt Pope raced in and whacked the loose puck into the unguarded cage, giving the Moose a 3-1 lead. The goal was Pope's first of the season, and it came with just 4:06 to play. Talk about getting your proverbial gorilla off your back!

With the net empty late in the game, there were a few good chances for the Sharks. However, the Moose stood tall and didn't give up the fight in reeling in the Sharks on this night by the 3-1 score. An interesting development occurred at the 20:00 mark of the third period when Guillaume Desbiens and Matt Moore participated in a round of fisticuffs. Guillaume scored the win in the scrap, but it appeared that the Sharks wanted more of the Moose. They'll have to wait until tomorrow night! With the win, the Moose up their record to 31-26-5-1.

For the record, I just want to point out a young man who sat in Section 202 tonight. During a stoppage in play while a pane of glass was being repaired, this young man put on a display of dance moves like never seen before. It was perhaps the finest combination of dance moves I've ever seen at a Moose game. It wasn't long before both he and Dancin' Gabe were having a dance-off in his corner of the rink, and it was some of the best entertainment seen off the ice at a Moose game this season. Thank you to the gentleman who showed off the amazing dance prowess in Section 202. You, sir, are an all-star!

If anyone knows who this man is, please contact me. He deserves a little recognition for his phenomenal arsenal of Moose-related dance moves.

Changing Nameplates On Lockers

The Moose saw a couple of players leave town to join NHL teams, while another was shipped out of town via a trade.

• Nolan Baumgartner - recalled by Vancouver. Baumgartner was up with the Canucks before the Olympic break, and it appears they still need him.
• Dan Sexton - recalled by Anaheim. The scoring sensation is back in California after helping the Moose for a second time this season. Honestly, it's no surprise that he went back. He had a great run in his first audition for the Ducks.
• Nick Boynton - traded by Anaheim. Boynton was on his way to Rockford, Illinois during Tuesday night's game to join the IceHogs as the Anaheim Ducks traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday night sees a rematch with the Worcester Sharks. Worcester will want to try to come away with a win and split the series in Winnipeg, so I expect them to come out fired up, especially after the fight at the final horn on Tuesday night. I would expect the same from the Moose as they're defending home ice, so here's hoping that they can take two from Worcester.

Friday and Saturday sees the Moose in Grand Rapids, Michigan to battle the Griffins. The Griffins are toiling at the bottom of the North Division with 54 points and a 25-33-2-2 record. These are two "must-win" games for the Moose if they hope to keep pace with Abbotsford and Rochester.

Jeremy Williams leads the team with 44 points. Williams is tied for the goal-scoring lead with Jan Mursak. Both players have 20 goals apiece. With Jimmy Howard in Detroit, the Moose no longer have to worry about Howard stealing a game or two from them. However, Daniel Larsson is still a capable goaltender. His 17-20-1-1 record doesn't do him any justice, but his 2.95 GAA and .902 save percentage shows that he can make the necessary stops.

If the Moose can grab all six points this week, that would be a huge help in their battle for second-place in the North Division. If nothing else, the two games against Grand Rapids have to wins. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: divisional games are "must-win" games. Here's hoping Manitoba can bring home all six points, and end the week on a five-game winning streak!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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