PREVIEW: Moose Making History Against the Marlies

There was a lot of hype Saturday, between the Manitoba Moose (20-5-1-2) and Toronto Marlies (21-6-0-0), and they did not disappoint. The teams were fast, the goaltending was impressive, and when the dust settled, the Moose walked away with a 2-1 victory and a little bit of history. Manitoba won the first two games of their Ontario road trip on back-to-back nights, but there’s no time to rest as today they’ll hit the ice with the chance to sweep the first place Marlies. You can listen to the epic rematch at moosehockey.com/listenlive/ with the pre-game show starting at 2:45 p.m. CT.

MATCHING HISTORY 
Saturday's win put the Moose into historic company for the franchise. Recording a point in their 13th consecutive game (12-0-0-1), the 2017- 18 Moose matched the franchise record set by the 1997-98 and 2009-10 editions of the team. The streak is the longest in the AHL this season .

STOYKEWYCH SCORING 
Defenceman Peter Stoykewych matched his career high yesterday with his fifth goal of the season. The Winnipeg, MB product has improved his offensive numbers through his first few seasons of pro hockey starting with seven assists in 47 games in his rookie season, followed by 20 points (5G, 15A) last season. Just 28 games into this season, Stoykewych is three points back of last season's mark with 17 (5G, 12A), all at even strength.

ROAD WARRIORS
Having won five straight games away from Bell MTS Place, the Moose own the second-best road winning percentage in the league behind Toronto. Manitoba holds a road record of 12-4-0-0 on the season. That record puts the Moose just two road victories away from matching their full season total of 14 from last season. Jack Roslovic leads the team with 19 points (8G, 11A) in hostile territory.

APPLETON ASCENDING
With a pair of assists against the Marlies yesterday, Mason Appleton has four points (1G, 3A) in his last two games. That run has Appleton into second among rookie point-getters with 26 points (10G, 16A) on the season. The Green Bay, WI native is third among AHL rookies in assists and tied for seventh in goals.

20 IN THE WIN COLUMN
Manitoba continues to push the pace in the Western Conference as the first team to reach 20 wins and second in the league. The Moose reached the mark in their 28th game of the season. For reference on where this team compares with the previous two seasons, the Moose won their 20th game on Feb. 25 (54 games) in 2016-17 and March 21 (65 games) in 2015-16.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Moose have two more games before a brief holiday break, and the series against San Antonio (Dec. 21/22) is also the start of a four-game home stand. The Dec. 22nd meeting with the Rampage is also a Mickey Moose gnome giveaway to help you finish of your holiday decorating. You can stop by moosehockey.com/tickets/ and get your tickets for all of the upcoming action.