Manitoba Moose Weekly
February 22, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release
MANITOBA ON SEASON LONG WIN STREAK
The Moose have been red-hot as of late and are winners of four straight games. They will wrap up their five game road trip on Wednesday before returning home for a pair of games this weekend.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016: Manitoba 5 vs. Rockford 2
The Moose played a rare morning game in Rockford this past Wednesday with a 10:30 a.m. start time. The early start was fine with veteran forward Patrice Cormier who scored a hat trick on an even strength goal, powerplay goal and a shorthanded goal. John Albert (1G, 1A), JC Lipon (1G, 1A) and Matt Halischuk (0G, 2A) also had multi-point games while Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves in the win.
Friday, Feb. 19, 2016: Manitoba 3 vs. Rockford 2
The rematch between the Moose and Rockford was a more physical battle than the first meeting, but another game where Manitoba stayed strong until the end. The Moose had goals from Scott Kosmachuk, Thomas Raffl and JC Lipon - who scored a goal for the second consecutive game. This time it was Eric Comrie who stared in the Moose net as the rookie made 37 saves.
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016: Manitoba 4 vs. Milwaukee 1
The Moose kept on rolling against the Milwaukee Admirals as they wrapped up the week. After allowing the opening goal early in the first, the Moose battled right back and eventually scored four unanswered goals to pick up their fourth straight victory. Brenden Kichton, Matt Halischuk, John Albert and Scott Kosmachuk were the goal scorers. Connor Hellebuyck was incredible in the Moose net once again as he made 31 saves to pick up his fifth win of the season.
Feb. 22 & 24 Feb. 27 & 28
The Moose will wrap up their five game road trip with a pair of games against the Iowa Wild on Monday and Wednesday. The team will then return home and host the Charlotte Checkers for the first time this season at the MTS Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
CONNOR HELLEBUYCK
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made his return to the Moose on Feb. 12 when he was re-assigned by the Winnipeg Jets. Since his return, Hellebuyck has played in three of Manitoba's five games and has won all of them. In those three games he has an incredible 1.67 goals against average along with a .952 save percentage.
MORE ON CONNOR HELLEBUYCK:
The Commerce, Michigan native has a 2.24 goals against average and .933 save percentage in 13 games in the AHL this season. His current numbers would put him tied for fourth in goals against average and second in save percentage, however he is currently 243 minutes short of being officially recognized among the AHL's goaltending leaders. Hellebuyck had a successful first stint in the NHL posting a 13-11-1 record along with a 2.34 goals against average and .918 save percentage in 26 games. He was named to AHL All-Star Classic but did not play as he was still up with the Jets. Last season Hellebuyck led the AHL in saves with 1666.
COMRIE KEEPS ON ROLLING:
Once Hellebuyck was called up to the Jets the door opened for fellow goaltender Eric Comrie and he took full advantage. Like Hellebuyck before him, Eric Comrie is now the one who currently leads the AHL in saves with 1092 so far this season. In his one start this week he picked up a win over Rockford making 37 saves. He started 30 of Manitoba's 33 games following Hellebuyck's call-up to the Jets.
HALISCHUK PUTTING UP POINTS:
Moose forward Matt Halischuk has been one of Manitoba's top players as of late. He scored his sixth goal of the season to go along with an assist he had against Milwaukee on Saturday. With the two point effort he now has three multi-point games in his last four contests. In his last seven games, Halischuk has two goals and six assists for eight points.
MORRISSEY DEVELOPING QUICKLY:
Defenceman Josh Morrissey continues to impress in his first season of pro hockey. The Calgary, Alberta native added another assist to his totals on Saturday versus Milwaukee. In his last eight games he has one goal and seven assist for eight points.
CAPTAIN'S POINTS:
Moose captain John Albert has been playing his best hockey of the season as of late. He recorded his fifth goal in nine games during the month of February on Saturday in Milwaukee. In total, Albert has eight points in nine games this month.
TULSA REPORT:
A couple of prospects have been settling in nicely with Manitoba's ECHL affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers. Axel Blomqvist has scored four goals and two assists for six points in his last eight games. Forward Jimmy Lodge recently picked up his first goal and has eight points in 11 games with Tulsa. Jiri Fronk had an assist in his debut with the Oilers this past week. Goaltender Jussi Olkinuora has won all three of his starts since his return posting a 1.60 GAA and a .941 save % in those games.
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