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Oct. 6 Practice Report - Manitoba Moose

Moose Tracks Blog

Oct. 6 Practice Report

By: CK Nakhwal | Published: October 6th 2018

Des Moines, IA –  Just over a dozen hours after a season-opening 4-1 loss to the Wild, the Manitoba Moose were back at work.  The team looks to improve and is scheming to find ways to earn a split of their weekend set with Iowa.

For the players the work started with a morning power play film session at the team hotel following breakfast.

If you missed it, the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate didn’t convert on seven turns on the man-advantage at Wells Fargo Arena last night – including two in the third period.

The first of those two third period PP’s came with the score tied 1-1, and the Wild struck shorthanded for the eventual game-winner.  So it comes as no surprise Pascal Vincent and Marty Johnston would want to gather the boys to make some adjustments going into Sunday’s 3 p.m. CT rematch (2:45 p.m. moosehockey.com/listenlive / Manitoba Moose App / AHL TV).

Being early in the season, and with the group still getting to know each other, there’s plenty of learning to do. As a result, there was also a full-team meeting at the hotel following the special teams session.

Pascal Vincent said prior to last night’s game he wants this to be a “speed-first” team, and understanding roles and systems will go a long way to adding quickness – and they hope – creating scoring chances.

The Moose were held to just 22 shots in dropping to oh-and-one.

Back the head coach, he addressed the task at hand before last night’s puck drop.

“Winning hockey games, it’s a matter of taking all those pieces we already have and putting all those pieces together and creating a new team chemistry and a new team environment and setting new goals and evaluating the players.”

A big job with no short-cuts and one that’s tough to come with a time line for.

Clearly the work is underway, and Vincent is not basking in the after-glow of last season’s trip to the division final.

“Last year was a great season, but it’s in the past. We enjoyed it, but now we’re back to square one.”

After the conference room work at the hotel the team bused to a suburban practice rink to work on turning the talk into action.

The skate was at a rink bustling with minor hockey, and the arrival of the pros drew a lot of eyeballs from the families filling the lobby and stands.

The Moose hope they can turn some heads in game two at the big rink downtown here tomorrow afternoon.

NOTES…

Forward Jansen Harkins, who took a Matt Bartkowski clearing attempt to the side of the head late in the second period Friday did not take part in practice Saturday.

Rookie goalie Mikhail Berdin has been assigned to Jacksonville of the ECHL leaving fourth-year pros Eric Comrie and Ken Appleby to handle the netminding duties.