Moose Succumb To Bulldogs

Published on October 14, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose concluded their season opening weekend on Saturday night posting two losses against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite scoring four goals in the two-game contest, the Moose gave up six, dropping their first of twenty home series this season.

Friday, October 10, 2008: Manitoba 1, Hamilton 3

The Manitoba Moose lost their first game of the 2008-09 season to the Hamilton Bulldogs, 3-1. Goaltender Cory Schneider saved 16 of 18 shots and AHL veterans Michel Ouellet and Jason Krog were the duo responsible for Manitoba's only point. Yanick Lehoux, Mike Glumac and Greg Stewart earned their first points of the season for Hamilton (see game recap).

Saturday, October 11, 2008: Manitoba 3, Hamilton 5

The Manitoba Moose were seeking vengeance for Friday night's 3-1 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs, but unfortunately couldn't get the payback they wanted dropping Saturday's rematch 5-3. Defenseman Nolan Baumgartner and winger Pierre-Cedric Labrie earned their first goals of the season, while Michel Ouellet and Jason Krog extended their point streak to two games. Karl Goehring was Manitoba's last line of defense, stopping 20 of 25 attempts

Moose Notes

Older and Wiser: Thanks to an influx of new experienced players as well as the return of many veteran players, the average age on Manitoba's current roster is 24.8 years old, a full year older than the club's average age at the start of the 07-08 regular season. Tonight's season-opening roster will feature six players aged 21 and under as well as six players over the age of 26. The youngest player on the current Moose squad is Vancouver's 2006 first round draft pick Michael Grabner, who turned 21 two weeks ago. Manitoba's oldest player is Captain Mike Keane, who at 41 is nine years older than the second oldest player, Jason Krog. Last year, the Moose started the season with ten rookies on their roster, while this year they are starting with six.

Two Down, 78 to Go: Manitoba's all-time record in the first game of the season fell to 4-6-1-2 Friday night, marking the fourth season in a row the club failed to take away two points in Game 1. Manitoba was hoping to improve their Game 2 standings on Saturday, but couldn't beat the Bulldogs resulting in a 5-8-0-0 record in their second game. A win on Saturday night would have marked only the second time in franchise history the Moose would have recovered from an opening loss and posted two points. In 2003-04, the Moose lost 5-4 to the St. John's Maple Leafs in Game 1 but earned a 6-2 victory two nights later.

Upcoming Opponent

This week, Manitoba hosts the Rochester Americans for the first time this season. The Amerks will face the Moose on Friday, October 17th and Saturday, October 18th at the MTS Centre. Rochester opened their season on Friday with a double header against the Syracuse Crunch and lost both games putting them in 7th place in the North Division.

Player of the Week Nominee

Michel Ouellet

Michel Ouellet made his debut with the Manitoba Moose this past weekend and made a significant impact. He scored his first goal as a Moose in his first game. The next night, he collected a pair of assists to total three points for the week. He also finished +3 and fired a total of 10 shots on net in two games. In fact, his eight shots on Saturday night tied the highest total by the player all of last year.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2008


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