Moose aim for sweep of Marlies

The Manitoba Moose (14-12-3-2) continue their six-game home stand tonight as they look to sweep a two-game set with the Toronto Marlies (13-16-1-1) at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Last Game
It was an all-Canadian matchup on Tuesday at the MTS Centre as the Moose and Marlies did battle. Manitoba opened the scoring early in the second with Chase De Leo finishing off a pass from Scott Glennie. Toronto managed to square things at one shortly after, but it was Jimmy Lodge at 9:56 in the second scoring a powerplay goal to reclaim the lead. Ondrej Pavelec was sharp making 34 saves as the Moose picked up a 2-1 win.

Lean on Lodge
Moose forward Jimmy Lodge has been on fire lately, picking up five points in six games. The Downingtown, PA product is on a four-game point streak after scoring a goal on the powerplay versus the Marlies on Tuesday. It’s been a breakout season for the winger who has 13 points in 27 contests. At this point last season Lodge had no points before eventually picking up six (3 G, 3A) in 44 games.

Flash Back
Tonight’s contest marks the fourth meeting of the season between the Moose and Marlies. Manitoba and Toronto squared off for two game set on Oct. 22, 23 - a tough weekend for the Moose. In the opening matchup, Kevin Czuczman potted his first goal of the campaign as the Moose lost 4-2. The second game featured a 30-save performance by Pavelec in a 4-0 loss.

Toronto’s Story
After a hot start to the year, the Marlies find themselves on a four-game slide and losers in six of their last seven games. The skid has them fourth in the North Division – 12 points behind the top ranked Syracuse Crunch. Despite being littered with offensive talent, Toronto only averages 2.70 goals per game. Speaking of their talent, Winnipegger Brendan Leipsic leads the Marlies with 29 points (8G, 21A) in 25 games while Kasperi Kapenen is right behind him with 28 points (14G, 14A).  The Marlies have a plethora of options in goal as they have four goalies on their roster. Garret Sparks was in net on Tuesday while Jhonas Enroth was his backup. Karri Ramo and Jeff Glass round out the group.

What’s Next?
The Moose have the day off tomorrow before practising on Friday. Once the weekend rolls around the Moose welcome the Iowa Wild to the MTS Centre for their final two game set of the season on Jan. 7,8. Saturday’s puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT. For tickets to all Manitoba Moose home games, visit moosehockey.com.