Fast Facts: Moose vs. Grand Rapids – March 19

The Manitoba Moose return home after a 5-1-0-0 road trip to face the Grand Rapids Griffins this morning (10:30 a.m.) at Canada Life Centre. This morning's contest is Manitoba's second Project 11 School Day Game of the season. The Moose enter this home stand with a six-point lead in the race for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. The team has wins in eight of its past nine games. The Griffins come in with points in three straight games, including a pair of wins over Iowa this past weekend. Limited tickets for this morning's 10:30 a.m. game are available at MooseHockey.com/TICKETS.

Puck Stopper

Moose goaltender Thomas Milic was named the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 17. Milic started all three games for the Moose during the week, posting a 3-0-0 record alongside a 1.30 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage. Over the three-game set, the rookie netminder allowed just four goals on 85 total shots and picked up his first AHL shutout on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Milic, the third-youngest goaltender in the AHL this season, holds an 11-5-1 record in 19 appearances, supported by a 2.63 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. This month, Milic has a 6-0-0 record with a 1.98 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Finding His Groove

Parker Ford scored twice in the Moose win over the Wolves on Saturday. It’s the second time this season the forward has notched two goals in a single contest and the seventh time this campaign with a multi-point effort. Ford has registered five points (3G, 2A) over his past three contests and is now up to 31 points (13G, 18A) in 57 games. Ford’s marker on the power play, his third such tally of the season, also stood as the game-winning goal. That gives the Wakefield, RI. product five winners on the season.  Ford leads the Moose and is in a tie for 13th in the league and fourth among all AHL rookies.

Special Teams Strike

In Saturday’s win over Chicago, Moose special teams connected for three goals including a shorthanded goal. The Moose have scored shorthanded tallies in consecutive contests for the first time this season. Their nine total shorthanded goals is second in the Central Division. Meanwhile, when the Manitoba power play finds the back of the net twice in a single contest, the team sports a 6-1-0-0 record. Over the past 11 contests, Manitoba has 10 goals on the man-advantage while operating at a 26.3 percent success rate. Overall, the Moose rank 14th in the league at 19.5 percent on the power play.

Toni Time

Dominic Toninato posted a third period assist on Saturday in Chicago. The assist represents the pivot’s 100th career AHL point. Toninato has scored just over half of his 100 points in a Moose uniform with 51 points (25G, 26A) in 78 contests. The centre, who re-signed a two-year contract with Winnipeg in 2023, is chasing a second breakthrough, just one assist shy of 50 total in his AHL career. This season, Toninato has 12 points (3G, 9A) in 23 AHL games alongside five points (1G, 4A) in 15 NHL games with Winnipeg.

Who's Trending?

Nicholas Jones posted a pair of assists in Manitoba’s Saturday win. The forward’s second assist was his 100th career AHL point. The Edmonton, Alta. product is on a two-game point streak and has tallied four points (1G, 3A) in that span. Jones has 16 points (6G, 10A) through 41 games and reached 10 assists for the fourth time. in his AHL career.