Moose and Rampage go toe-to-toe

The Manitoba Moose (15-18-3-2) continue their tour of the Lone Star State this evening (7:30 p.m. CT) when they head into the AT&T Center for a matchup with the San Antonio Rampage (16-19-4-0).

Last Game
Manitoba kicked off a six-game road trip on Wednesday night with a battle against the Texas Stars. Manitoba was on the board first as Quinton Howden potted his league leading third shorthanded goal of the season at 9:27 in the opening frame. After the Stars tied things heading into the second, Brendan Lemieux scored on the powerplay at 12:02 in the second, giving the Moose a 2-1 lead. Texas went on to score three goals in the final two periods, eventually hanging on for a 4-3 win. Kyle Connor was responsible for Manitoba’s final goal.

Flash Back
While the Moose struggled to consistently find the win column during the 2015-16 season, Manitoba had no trouble against the Rampage. The Moose went 4-0 last season against San Antonio including 3-0 shutout triumph in Texas on Mar. 4. Moose defender Brendan Kichton found the scoresheet numerous times against the Colorado Avalanche affiliate, picking up five assists in four games.

Halfway Point
The Moose reached the halfway point of their season on Wednesday. Through 38 games, Manitoba sits sixth in the Central Division with a 0.461 winning percentage (15-18-3-2). The Moose improved upon their first-half record of 11-22-2-3 from 2015-16. At the mid-point of the season, Jack Roslovic leads the team with 21 points (8G, 13A) while Kevin Czuczman leads all blue-liners on the club with 17 (5G, 12A). The team has also had seven players from its opening night roster called-up to the Winnipeg Jets throughout the first half.

Pacific Preference
Patrice Cormier was productive in his three games versus San Antonio last season, totaling four points (3G, 1A) including his first multi-point game of that campaign. Looking to the current season, the 26-year-old has three of his five goals against Pacific Division competition this season.

San Antonio’s Story
The Rampage come into tonight’s game losers of five straight and sitting in last spot in the Pacific Division. San Antonio has had problems finding the back of the net this season, only average 2.41 goals per game and have only scored nine goals in their last five games. Despite their low offensive numbers, San Antonio has been good on the penalty kill this season – ranking fifth in the league at 84.7 per cent. Two players the Moose will need to keep an eye on are A.J. Greer and Rocco Grimaldi. Greer leads the team with 29 points (11G, 18A) while Grimaldi is right behind him with 28 (12G, 16A). Manitoba will hope to take advantage of goaltending tandem who have one win combined this season. Jeremy Smith has one win in 10 games and sports a 2.88 GAA while Kent Simpson is winless in five appearances and has a 0.864 save percentage.

What’s Next?
Manitoba reaches the halfway point of their road trip tomorrow night with a re-match against San Antonio. Saturday’s puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT. You can listen to all Manitoba Moose home games live on moosehockey.com/listenlive. Make sure to tune in 15 mins before the game to hear the pre-game show with Mitch Peacock where he will break down the matchup and have all the latest in Moose news.