Moose and Monsters ready to duel again
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: October 15th 2017
The Manitoba Moose take on the Cleveland Monsters in the second home game of the season, and the back half of a two-game series at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday. After a back-and-forth first match resulting in a 4-3 loss, the Moose try to get their second straight series split.
BOUNCE BACK
Last season the Moose made a habit of picking up points in the second game of a two-game set at home. Manitoba posted a 9-7-1-2 record in the back-half of its home sets. In the early stages of the 2016-17 campaign, the Moose were nearly unbeatable in the second game on home ice, posting a 5-1-0-1 record in those games through Jan. 1.
HELPING THEM FINISH
Sami Niku isn't taking long to acclimate to the North American pro style of game. The Finnish defenceman has three points, all assists, in his last two games and is tied for the AHL lead in points among rookie defencemen. Niku was a seventh-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2015.
OPTIONS IN NET
Michael Hutchinson made 29 saves on 33 shots against the Monsters on Friday night, his second straight game in the net. Meanwhile, Eric Comrie shutout Cleveland in the last game of the 2016-17 regular season with 30 stops. Comrie is looking for his first win after starting the first game of the season, the 5-2 loss in Grand Rapids.
DYNAMIC DUO
Jack Roslovic and Kyle Connor joined Mike Sgarbossa atop the Moose scoring list after combining for a goal on Friday night. All of Roslovic and Connor's four points have come on plays in which the two have combined on a goal with Roslovic as the primary assist on both of Connor's goals and Connor as the primary assist on both of Roslovic's. The two players aren't strangers to being high on the scoring list. Roslovic and Connor finished one-two for the Moose last season.
HALF A DOZEN
The Moose roster features six picks from the Winnipeg Jets’ 2015 draft class. Connor and Roslovic were taken in the first round, Jansen Harkins in the second, Michael Spacek in the fourth, Mason Appleton the sixth and Niku in the seventh round.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Next weekend the Moose head to Iowa for two games in two nights against the Wild starting Friday night (7 p.m. CST). The next Moose home game is October 27th against Belleville, and don’t forget that the following night, they play those Senators again in the Halloween game (Oct. 28th), featuring a pillowcase giveaway. Stop by moosehockey.com/tickets/ to get your tickets.
