Moose to entertain familiar foe
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: January 13th 2017
The Manitoba Moose (14-16-3-2) welcome one of their oldest rivals in the Chicago Wolves (22-12-3-2) to MTS Centre this evening (7:00 p.m. CT) for the first half of a two-game set.
Last Game
The Moose paid the Tucson Roadrunners a visit on Tuesday (Jan. 10) after their game on Nov. 19 was postponed. Things got off to a great start for Manitoba when Quinton Howden and Scott Glennie struck with early first period goals. However, the Roadrunners knotted it at two before Brendan Perlini scored three straight to complete the hat-trick – giving Tucson a 5-2 victory.
Flash Back
Manitoba enters tonight’s contest with a 1-0-0-0 record against the Wolves. The two teams squared off in the Windy City on Nov. 27 where Manitoba skated a to a tight 2-1 victory. Top scorers Dan DeSalvo and Jack Roslovic had both Manitoba goals while Ondrej Pavelec made 26 saves in the winning effort.
Happy to be Back
Scott Kosmachuk hopes to continue a unique streak this evening against Chicago. The Toronto, ON product has at least one point in the first game back at MTS Centre following a road trip. It started with a goal on Oct. 18 vs. Bakersfield and continued with two points (1G, 1A) vs. San Diego on Oct. 28. After missing some time due to injury, he continued the trend with an assist on Dec. 30 vs. Charlotte.
De Leo and Cormier vs. Chicago
Two Manitoba Moose forwards look to build off strong performances last season against the Chicago Wolves inside MTS Centre. Chase De Leo picked up three points (2G, 1A) in four games against the division rival in Winnipeg. Captain Patrice Cormier was solid against the Wolves too, snagging three points (1G, 2A) in four contests.
Chicago’s Story
Things are a lot different for Chicago since they last played the Manitoba Moose. After a slow start to the season, the Wolves sit third in the Central Division and are 9-1-0-0 in their last ten contests. A big reason for Chicago’s success is goal scoring. The St. Louis Blues’ affiliate leads the AHL in goals for with 136. Their powerplay has been effective too, ranking eighth in the league at 21.9 per cent. So where is all their goal scoring coming from? Go take a peek at the AHL points standings and you’ll find three of the top five scorers in the league play for Chicago. Kenny Agostino leads the league with 50 points (15G, 35A). The Morristown, New Jersey product recently had an 11-game point streak where he grabbed 22 points (6G, 16A). Right behind him are Wade Megan (18G, 16A) and Ivan Barbashev (17G, 17A) with 34 points, respectively.
What’s Next?
The Moose and Wolves close out their series on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. CT at MTS Centre. Sunday’s game will be special as the Manitoba Moose host Firefighter Appreciation Day. The team will wear specialty firefighter appreciation jerseys, which will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Manitoba Fallen Firefighter Foundation. Plus, there will be firefighter equipment displays on the concourse. For tickets to all Manitoba Moose home games, visit moosehockey.com/tickets.
