Fast Facts: Moose at Abbotsford – Dec. 9
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: December 9th 2022
The Manitoba Moose hit the road for a Western Canadian road swing over the next week. The four-game trip starts tonight in B.C. against the Abbotsford Canucks at 9 p.m. CT. The Moose are coming off picking up three of four points against Milwaukee, including a 3-2 win on Saturday. The Canucks are red-hot, winning four straight games and recording points in five consecutive outings. Coverage of tonight's game begins at 8:45 p.m. CT on cjob.com/sports, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV.
Multi-Point Effort
Nicholas Jones recorded two points (1G, 1A) in Manitoba’s win over Milwaukee on Saturday. The forward’s two points on the day represent his first multi-point outing of the 2022-23 season. Jones, who was re-signed to a two-year contract with Manitoba this summer, is currently only one of two skaters on the Moose this season to record a shorthanded tally. In his three seasons with Manitoba, Jones has recorded at least one marker while the Moose have been shorthanded each campaign.
Push Ahead to Victory
Greg Meireles scored the game-winning tally with 2:38 left on the clock in Manitoba’s win over Central Division leading Milwaukee. The marker was the forward’s first game-winner of the season and now gives Meireles two goals over his past three contests. In addition, each of the three games the forward has scored in have turned into Moose victories. The first career game-winning goal from Meireles came in the second game of the 2021-22 season in a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Oct. 17/21. The 2019 sixth round pick of the Florida Panthers, Meireles has tallied 30 points (8G, 22A) in 62 AHL contests between Manitoba and Syracuse.
Points from the Blue Line
Ville Heinola racked up a pair of assists in Saturday’s clash with the Admirals. The defenceman is now riding a four-game point streak that dates back to Nov. 11/22 against Calgary. That stretch has seen the Honkajoki, Finland product piece together six assists, with two of those four contests representing multi-point outings. The defenceman is up to 10 points (10A) in 13 Moose contests, which ties him with Declan Chisholm for the Moose lead in points from the blue line. The 2019 first round pick of Winnipeg, Heinola co-leads the club in assists and paces the Moose with a career-high plus-15 rating.
Roster Moves
The Moose released defenceman Jacob Friend from his professional tryout. The defenceman, who participated in Moose training camp this season, put together five penalty minutes through two contests with Manitoba. Friend rejoins the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen where he has suited up in 12 games and has recorded two points (1G, 1A). The second transaction saw the Winnipeg Jets assign Dominic Toninato to the Moose. The forward has one game with Manitoba this season. He has also played four games with the Jets and recorded one assist. Toninato has 53 points (29G, 24A) in 109 career AHL games between Manitoba, Springfield, Colorado and San Antonio.
Who's Trending?
Wyatt Bongiovanni scored in the second period of Manitoba’s win over Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon. The forward, who signed a two-year entry-level contract with Winnipeg in 2022, has now scored in consecutive games for the first time in his professional career. Bongiovanni is up to five goals this season which ties the forward for first in Moose rookie scoring.
