Moose face Griffins in morning matchup
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: February 15th 2017
In a rare 10 a.m. CT puck drop, the Manitoba Moose (19-23-3-3) pay a visit to Van Andel Area this morning where they’ll face off against the Grand Rapids Griffins (31-14-1-2).
Last Game
The Moose are coming off a nail-biting performance that saw Manitoba come away with a narrow 2-1 shootout victory in Cleveland on Sunday. Scott Kosmachuk had Manitoba’s lone goal with his fourth powerplay marker of the season. Kyle Connor scored for Manitoba in the shootout for the third time this season, but it was Dan DeSalvo netting the shootout winner– capturing three of a possible four points for the Moose in the Buckeye State.
Flash Back
This is the second time the Moose and Griffins have crossed paths this season. The two teams squared off exactly one week ago with the Griffins snagging a 4-1 win. Looking back to last season, Manitoba finished 1-3-0-0 against Grand Rapids. Manitoba’s lone win was a 2-1 victory on Jan. 5. Chase De Leo and Patrice Cormier had the Moose markers while Eric Comrie stood tall making 37 saves.
Back on Track
Scott Kosmachuk has goals in two of his last three games after going pointless in four contests since returning from injury. That could be good news for the Moose. Following a previous return, Kosmachuk picked up one assist in his first five games back before posting points in seven of nine games. Kosmachuk has points in 16 of his 33 games this season.
It Starts in Net
Eric Comrie picked up his 11th win of the season on Sunday. It was the seventh time the second year pro allowed one or less goals in a victory. Over his 11 wins, Comrie has only allowed 18 goals for a pristine 1.61 GAA and 0.946 SV%. Over those wins, Comrie has received 34 goals of support for 3.09 goals per game. Overall, the Moose netminder sports an 11-15-4 record supported by a 2.68 GAA and 0.914 SV%.
Grand Rapids’ Story
The Griffins come into today’s game after a weekend split with the Iowa Wild. The Detroit Red Wings affiliate sits first in the Central Division and are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games. Grand Rapids has no problem scoring goals, sitting fifth in the league with 160. Ben Street and Matt Lorito are the top producers with 38 points (15G, 23A and 12G, 26A), respectively. Goaltending and defense have been a theme for the Griffins, only allowing 2.39 goals per game. The Griffins are a disciplined bunch too, taking the second least amount of PIMs in the league (483).
What’s Next?
The Moose move into the final leg of their six-game road trip as they travel to Toronto, ON for a weekend set (Feb. 17,18) with the Marlies. Game one is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday night. You can listen to all Manitoba Moose road games at mooshockey.com/listenlive. Make sure to tune in 15 minutes before puck drop to hear the pre-game show with Mitch Peacock for all the latest Moose news.
