Looking ahead at the Moose schedule
By: CK Nakhwal | Published: February 25th 2016The Manitoba Moose are enjoying a hard-earned day off today after arriving in the wee hours of the morning thanks to a post-game flight from Des Moines, IA.
Don’t get me wrong, no one is complaining about getting home as soon as possible at the end of a five-game road trip but it’s safe to say sleep and rest are very-much priorities for the players because the schedule isn’t going to slow down.
Despite a pair of one-goal losses to the Iowa Wild, Moose finished the trip 3-and-2 thanks to an impressive sweep in Rockford and a strong performance in beating the Admirals in Milwaukee.
The next shot at success comes quickly with the Charlotte Checkers at MTS Centre for games Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
Suddenly 54 games along thanks to a cluttered calendar after the holidays, it seems worthwhile looking at what’s left.
The 22 remaining games see the club set for a dozen on home ice and ten in enemy territory.
Even though the regular season is nearing the home-stretch there are still teams on the menu the Moose haven’t hosted yet and buildings they haven’t gone to work at this season.
First on the list of new arrivals are the Charlotte Checkers who are slated to visit Winnipeg for a pair of two-game sets (February 27/28 and March 26 and 28).
Meanwhile, the Stockton Heat make their first-ever appearances at MTS Centre March 21 and 23.
As for road tests in spots the team hasn’t been to yet this campaign, Manitoba still has two games each in San Antonio, Austin (Texas), and Grand Rapids.
When it comes to frequency of opponent, the Moose are set for four more against both Charlotte and Iowa; two more games than any other team they’ll come up against the rest of the way.
With 16 against teams that call the Central home the bulk of the team’s activity is within the Division it belongs to, but there are a half-dozen contests against clubs from the newly-created Pacific Division.
“Fresh” from a five-game road trip, the remaining trips are all two-gamers and the team (and its fans) can look forward to a couple of four-match stays downtown.
You know now that I think about it, there may be only 22 games left in the regular season but there’s no shortage of interesting matchups and quality opponents to run into as the rest of the schedule unfolds!
The Moose are back in uniform Saturday, February 27th at 7pm and Sunday, February 28th at 2pm when they meet the Charlotte Checkers.
Tickets are available at moosehockey.com/tickets or at any Ticketmaster location.
You can also listen LIVE on moosehockey.com and TSN 1290 starting with the pregame show 15 minutes before each game.
