Moose Update For The Week Of 04/11/10 – 04/17/10

After a grinding 80-game schedule that saw them finish fourth in the North Division, the Manitoba Moose started off their playoff run against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Find out how they did in this Moose update for the week of April 4, 2010 to April 10, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

After failing to overtake the Abbotsford Heat for third place in the North Division, the Manitoba Moose travelled to Hamilton, Ontario to take on the Montréal Canadiens AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs finished the 2009-10 season with the best record in the Western Conference, and second-best record in the entire AHL (52-17-3-8, 115 points). The Moose, meanwhile, finished 20 points and three places below where they did last season in the North Division, picking up a 40-33-5-2 record for 87 points. On paper, the series looked like a huge mismatch, though the Moose and Bulldogs did finish with similar 4-3-1-0 records against each other during the regular season.

Moose Update For The Week Of 04/04/10 – 04/10/10

The Manitoba Moose finished off their regular season schedule this past week. Find out how they did in this Moose update for the week of April 4, 2010 to April 10, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

The Moose finished up their final road trip of the regular season with a pair of games against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Sunday’s game, which was the third game in as many days for the Moose, didn’t start off on the right note, with Andrew Conboy and Brock Trotter scoring to make it 2-0 Bulldogs partway through the second. Tommy Maxwell made it 2-1 almost a minute after Trotter’s goal, but the Bulldogs capped off the middle frame with a trio of goals to put Hamilton ahead 5-1. Guillaume Desbiens made it 5-2 midway through the third, but Yannick Weber sealed the deal for Hamilton with a goal just 22 seconds later, giving the Bulldogs a 6-2 win.

Moose Update For The Week Of 03/28/10 – 04/03/10

The Manitoba Moose started off the past week fighting for the final playoff spot in the North Division. Find out if they were able to clinch it in this Moose update for the week of March 28, 2010 to April 3, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

The Moose opened up their week on Sunday with the first of two games against the Abbotsford Heat. Heat defenceman Stefan Kronwall opened up the scoring 4:35 into the initial frame, scoring on a five-on-three power play to give Abbotsford a 1-0 lead. Manitoba answered back just over a minute into the second period, as Taylor Ellington scored his first goal of the season to knot the game up at one. That goal sparked a run of five unanswered goal by Manitoba, with Mario Bliznak, Jordan Schroeder, Guillaume Desbiens, and Aaron Volpatti (scoring his first AHL goal) adding their names to the goals column. Andy Delmore added a goal late for the Heat, but Manitoba was able to hang on for a 5-2 win.

Moose Update For The Week Of 03/21/10 – 03/27/10

As the 2009-10 regular season heads into the homestretch, the rush is on to nab one of the four North Division playoff spots available. Find out how close the Manitoba Moose are to clinching a playoff spot in this Moose update for the week of March 21, 2010 to March 27, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

Manitoba started the week with a rematch against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday afternoon. The Moose started off their only afternoon regular season home game with a goal scored by a player making his debut. Forward Jordan Schroeder, the 1st round draft pick of the Canucks in 2009, deflected a Lawrence Nycholat shot past Daniel Larsson to give Manitoba a 1-0 lead just 1:52 into the first. Almost five minutes later, forward Kevin Clark–also making his debut with the Moose–put home a rebound to put the Moose ahead 2-0. The score stayed that way until just past the midway mark of the third period, when Nycholat fired home a slapshot to make the score 3-0 Manitoba. Schroeder added his second of the afternoon in the final minute of regulation, one-timing a Matt Pettinger pass to give Manitoba the win. Cory Schneider stopped all 38 shots he faced to pick up his four shutout of the season. The win, Schneider’s 29th, also set the record for most wins by a Moose goaltender, beating his own record of 28 set last season.

Moose Update For The Week Of 03/14/10 – 03/20/10

The Manitoba Moose had a very light schedule this week, playing only one game. Find out how they did in that solitary game in this Moose update for the week of March 14, 2010 to March 20, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

The Manitoba Moose didn’t get to play this week until Friday night, when they took on the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Griffins–who went into the game sitting in last place in the North Division, ten points behind the fourth place Manitoba Moose–hoped to gain some ground in their playoff hunt, albeit one that they’ll likely lose. The Moose, meanwhile, had a five-point advantage on the fifth place Lake Erie Monsters for the final playoff spot.

Moose Update For The Week Of 03/07/10 – 03/13/10

The Manitoba Moose came home to start their six-game homestand at the MTS Centre this past week. Find out how they did in this Moose update for the week of March 7, 2010 to March 13, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

The Moose started off their week putting the finishing touches on their 22-man Clear Day roster, that had to be sent in to the AHL office by Wednesday afternoon. In the process of making their roster, Manitoba made some moves. First, they signed defenceman Tom Galvin–who had been playing on a pro-tryout (PTO) contract–to a standard player’s contract (SPC), meaning he’ll remain property of the Moose for the rest of the 2009-10 season. Next, they sent forward Marty Murray to the Milwaukee Admirals for forward Peter Olvecky. The move gave the Moose a veteran, but one that was exempt due to playing between 260 and 320 games in the NHL and AHL, meaning that Manitoba will go into the playoffs (if they make them) with five veterans and one exempt player. The veteran situation was also helped by defenceman Brad Lukowich, who instead of reporting to Manitoba, had season-ending shoulder surgery.

Moose Make Moves, Set Clear Day Roster

The Manitoba Moose, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, released their 2010 Clear Day roster. The Clear Day roster has 22 players on it, and only those players (with exceptions) can play in any games starting today and through to the end of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. The only times a team may play someone not on their Clear Day Roster include:

• Emergency conditions (three players from the Clear Day roster are injured, on recall, or suspended).
• Any junior players or those on amateur-tryout contracts after their team’s season is complete.

Moose Update For The Week Of 02/28/10 – 03/06/10

(My apologies for the lateness of this update. I had some prior commitments to attend to on Sunday, so I was not able to get this completed on time.)

The Manitoba Moose have spent the past month riding a rollercoaster of wins and losses, and hoped to make their trip up said rollercoaster an extended one. Find out if they were able to do so in this Moose update for the week of February 28, 2010 to March 6, 2010. For those looking for a more statistical look at how the Moose did during the past week, please visit that version of this report at Hockey’s Future Vancouver Canucks message board.
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The Week That Was

Manitoba opened up their four-game week with a Tuesday night game against the Worcester Sharks. The Sharks came into the game as one of the top team in the entire AHL, while the Moose were mired in fourth place in the North Division. Worcester opened up the scoring just over five minutes in, as T.J. Trevelyan scored a power play goal off of Logan Couture’s rebound to make it 1-0 Sharks. The score stayed that way until the early stages of the second period, when Sergei Shirokov deflected a Tom Galvin shot past Alex Stalock to even up the game at one. Just past the midway mark of the middle frame, Pierre-Cedric Labrie finished off a passing play between him, Marty Murray, and Marco Rosa to make the score 2-1 Moose. The final goal of the game came with less than five minutes to go in regulation, as Matt Pope–after waiting 29 AHL games and a short stint in the ECHL–finally picked up his first goal in the AHL this season, converting on a Michael Grabner rebound to put Manitoba ahead for good 3-1. Moose goaltender Cory Schneider brushed aside 34 of 35 shots for the win.