Moose visit Bojangles’ to battle Checkers
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: January 27th 2017
The Manitoba Moose (17-19-3-2) are back at Bojangles’ Coliseum as they open a two-game weekend set with the Charlotte Checkers (18-21-3-0) tonight at 6:15 p.m. CT.
Last Game
The Moose polished off four-game trip through Texas on Tuesday night with a battle against the Stars. Manitoba’s good fortunes on the powerplay proved to be the difference maker. Dan DeSalvo had two goals on the man advantage with Scott Glennie grabbing helper on both goals en route to a hard-fought win for the Manitoba Moose.
Flash Back
The last time these two clubs clashed was earlier this month when the Checkers visited MTS Centre on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. Charlotte took game one 3-2 in OT, but the Moose started 2017 off on the right foot, beating Charlotte 4-1. Captain Patrice Cormier opened the scoring for the Moose while Brendan Lemieux and Scott Kosmachuk both scored powerplay goals. Recently recalled forward, Brandon Tanev, had Manitoba’s other goal.
Roslovic Rolling
Jack Roslovic heads to the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic in a few days and comes into the weekend with points in three straight. The rookie has three points (1G, 2A) in those games, including the game-winner in San Antonio on Friday. Roslovic leads the Moose with 24 points (9G, 15A) in 31 games. His 15 assists also lead Manitoba.
Potent Powerplay
The Moose powerplay cashed in on five of its 15 opportunities in Texas, but Manitoba's success with the man advantage goes back further. The Moose have powerplay goals in six straight and 11 of their last 13. Over those 13 games, Manitoba is 13 for 53 up a man, good for 24.5 per cent. Overall, the Moose have an 18.3 per cent success rate with the powerplay.
Charlotte’s Story
The Checkers enter tonight’s game looking for their third straight win after sweeping a tough Tucson Roadrunners squad last weekend. Over their last 10 games, Charlotte is 6-3-1-0 – grabbing wins over division rivals Milwaukee and Cleveland. While they have had success in the win column as of late, the Checkers have struggled with the man-advantage boasting a league worst 10.8 scoring percentage. Leading the offensive charge is Andrew Poturalski with 27 points (8G, 19A) in 42 games. Checkers’ blueliner Jake Chelios has had Manitoba’s number this season with four points (1G, 3A) in four games against the Moose.
What’s Next?
Following tonight’s game the Moose will close out their six-game road trip on Saturday night with their final game of the season at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Puck drop between the Moose and Checkers is set for 5 p.m. CT. You can listen to all Manitoba Moose home games live on moosehockey.com/listenlive and TSN 1290. Make sure to tune in 15 minutes 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.
