Moose Manage One Point In Week 17

February 4, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose suffered a shootout and a shutout at the hands of the Hamilton Bulldogs this past week, scoring only one total goal in the combined contests.

Friday, February 1, 2008: Hamilton 2 - Manitoba 1 SOL

For the second time this season, the Moose and Bulldogs needed extra time to decide a winner Friday night. Although the Moose carried a 1-0 lead late into the third period, the Bulldogs would eventually take the game 2-1 in a shootout. With 30 saves on 31 shots, Manitoba goaltender Cory Schneider earned first star honours in the loss.

Saturday, February 2, 2008: Hamilton 2 - Manitoba 0 L

Backed by unbeatable goaltending courtesy of Carey Price, the Bulldogs defeated the Moose 2-0 Saturday night, sweeping the two-game series between both clubs. Duncan Milroy and Corey Locke scored for Hamilton, while Moose netminder Drew MacIntyre made 25 saves in his 12th loss of the season.

This week, the Moose embark on a four-game road trip through the West Division. By battling Peoria Tuesday, Rockford Thursday, Milwaukee Friday, and Chicago Sunday, Manitoba will look to improve their 6-11-0-1 record vs. the West.

MOOSE NOTES

MOOSE MIGRATE WEST: The Moose play four games against the West Division this week, and the club will be looking to improve its 6-11-0-1 record vs. their conference's other division. In mid-January, Manitoba dropped six straight games to the West (Houston, San Antonio, & Peoria), triggering the club's longest losing streak since joining the AHL in 2001-02. The last time the Moose won vs. the West was at Iowa on Dec. 4/07 (4-3W). Last season, the Moose were 16-8-3-1 (.643) against the West. So far this season, the Moose are 17-8-2-1 vs. the North and will step beyond their Conference for the first time on Feb. 27 & 28/08, when they host the East Division's Hershey Bears.

NECK-AND-NECK IN THE NORTH: The mid-section of the North Division standings remains tight. With 50 points, second-place Manitoba is two points ahead of Hamilton and Syracuse, and five points ahead of Grand Rapids. With four games vs. West division opponents scheduled, the Moose can earn a maximum of eight points this week, while the Bulldogs, Crunch, and Griffins play only two games each and can thus gain a maximum of four points. At the top of the heap, the Toronto Marlies continue to dominate with 67 points in 46 games.

ROAD RECORD: On the heels of a six-game homestand in which the Moose went 2-3-0-1, the club heads out on a four-game road trip this week. Manitoba's most-recent road trip was Jan. 10-15/08, in which the team started what would become a six-game losing streak with two losses in both Houston and San Antonio. Manitoba's road record sits at 9-10-1-0, and the last time the club won a game away from the MTS Centre was Dec. 28/07 at Lake Erie (3-1).

Upcoming Opponents

The Moose continue their four-game season series vs. the Peoria Rivermen Tuesday night in Peoria. In two games between both clubs in mid-January, the Rivermen extended Manitoba's losing streak to six games, the club's longest since joining the AHL in 2001-02. Last season, the Moose swept their four-game season series against the Rivermen, including registering three of their eight total shutouts. Manitoba's all-time record sits at 5-5-0-0 (2-2-0-0 away) vs. Peoria. Charles Linglet leads all Rivermen skaters with 17 goals and 48 points, while Marek Schwarz is the club's top netminder (2.47GAA & .896 SV%).

Following three games in nine days earlier this season, Manitoba and Rockford wrap their four-game series Thursday night in Rockford. The Moose and IceHogs split the first two games at the MTS Centre, with the IceHogs earning a 4-2 win on Oct. 25/07 and the Moose countering with a 3-2 victory the following night. Thanks to 41-saves from former Moose Wade Flaherty, the IceHogs bounced back with a 2-1 victory on Nov. 3 in Rockford. Corey Crawford, however, is the club's top goaltender with a 24-11-5 record, 2.61 GAA, and .915 SV%, while Martin St. Pierre tops the IceHogs leaderboard with 16 goals and 62 points in 43 games so far this season.

After scoring six consecutive goals in a come-from-behind 6-3 victory at Milwaukee on Nov. 2, the Moose split a two-game homestand vs. the Admirals a week later, falling 2-1 on Nov. 9 and winning 4-3 the following night. Manitoba now holds an all-time record of 15-12-1-3 vs. Milwaukee, including a 7-5-0-3 record in Wisconsin heading into Friday night's game. With nine goals and 45 points, Cal O'Reilly is the Admirals' leading scorer, while AHL All-Star Pekka Rinne is the club's go-to goaltender with a 23-16-2 record, 2.56 GAA, and .906 SV%.

Sunday afternoon's at Chicago is the first of four between the Moose and Wolves this season. Last season, the Moose earned a 2-1-1-0 record vs. the Wolves, including registering a 7-4 win (Oct. 24/06) and 5-2 loss (Mar. 28/07) at Chicago. Over 11 IHL and AHL seasons the Moose are 28-35-3-7 vs. the Wolves. Robert Gherson is the Wolves' top netminder with a 4-4-0 record, 2.49 GAA, and .920 SV%, while Jason Krog leads all scorers with 22 goals and 67 points. Former Moose Jesse Schultz is second on Chicago's leaderboard with 15 goals and 43 points.



American Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2008


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