The rematch afternoon game between the Texas Stars and Manitoba Moose took place at the Canada Life Centre. Puck drop was set for 2:00 pm CST, and the theme for the game was ‘Once Upon a Time.’ The Moose look to secure two more points against the Stars and build off their 7-3 win the previous day.
Pre-Game Notes
Dean Stewart comes out on defense for Simon Kubicek. Kubicek finds himself paired with Ashton Sautner on the third defensive pairing. Nicholas Jones comes out on forward for Carson Golder. Golder finds himself on the second line with Dominic Toninato and Nikita Chibrikov.
Delia Stays Sharp, Moose Control First Period
The first period was quite exciting, to say the least. Manitoba got a power play opportunity just 57 seconds into the game, and they would find the back of the net with ease. Jeff Malott decided to kick off his party by getting on the scoresheet multiple times with a power-play goal.
Malott, who scored the opening goal, would take a roughing penalty just minutes after his goal. The Moose would kill this penalty and control the defensive zone with ease. This laid-back effort that they showcased allowed them to pressure the Stars in the offensive zone, and the Moose nearly scored several times shorthanded.
C.J. Suess would add the insurance marker just 15 seconds after the penalty kill. A nice one-timer from Malott would put the Moose up by two. Henri Nikkanen, who scored his first goal and point against Texas on Saturday, March 2nd’s game, notched his first assist of the season on this play.
There wasn’t any more scoring to end the first period, but there were several scrums. Neither team wanted to give an inch to the other team.
Stars Score Twice in 15 Seconds, Moose Build Lead in Final Minute
To open the second period, Nikita Chibrikov got called for roughing 61 seconds into the period. The Moose would pull through with a big penalty kill, but the Stars continued to pounce on loose pucks and cave Manitoba’s defence in.
Keaton Mastrodonato would bring the Stars within one goal on a great read off of Oskar Back’s saucer pass. The Moose didn’t get much time to collect themselves as Texas struck 15 seconds later. Jack Becker parked the bus in Delia’s crease and managed to sneak in a goal. The referees reviewed the play for potential goaltender interference, but nothing came of it, and the Stars tied the game with back-to-back goals in 15 seconds.
This second period was not the same momentum that Manitoba had in the prior four periods against Texas. However, the Moose looked like they were shot out of a cannon in the final minute of play. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby scored with one minute left in play off of a beautiful feed from Jeff Malott. 19 seconds after Manitoba’s goal, they were given a power play opportunity which they would capitalize on. Jeffrey Viel wanted to join in on the scoring fun. Forty-one seconds after AJF’s goal and 22 seconds into the power play, Viel shot a bomb from the point from AJF’s pass to put the Moose back up by two.
If there was a clear message the Moose needed heading into the third period, it was they needed to wake up, and they certainly did just that.
Moose Step on Gas Pedal, Secure Third Straight Win
It wasn’t long until the Moose gave the Canada Life Centre crowd a reason to cheer. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby rang a beautiful wrister just above Poirier’s glove to give the Moose a 5-2 lead. AJF’s second goal of the game was his 50th career AHL goal, and the assist by Simon Kubicek was his first assist and point of the season.
The Moose weren’t backing away from the Stars. Upping the physical game was Stars forward Jack Becker, who was in the middle of multiple scrums. Jeffrey Viel took notice of this, and after a few whacks at Collin Delia and some other mid-scrum shenanigans, Viel and Becker dropped the gloves. The Canada Life Centre made their voices heard as the scrap was quite spirited. Both Viel and Becker went to the lockerroom as there was only 4:12 left in the third period.
The Moose had all the momentum they needed after the fight, and just less than two minutes later, Henri Nikkanen joined the scoring party with an empty-net goal.
This goal sealed the third straight victory for the Moose and gained four crucial points in the Central Division standings. The Moose wrapped up their back-to-back series against Texas outscoring them 13-5 and gaining momentum heading into a lengthy road trip.
Moose Post-Game Statistics
Simon Kubicek recorded his first career AHL assist and point in his Manitoba Moose season debut.
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby recorded two goals and an assist for a three point outing. AJF also recorded his 50th career goal against Texas.
Henri Nikkanen and Jeff Malott both recorded one goal and two assists for three point outings. Malott ties his career high of 21 assists during his 71 game stint in the 2022-23 season with the Moose. Malott recorded his 21st assist of the 2023-24 season in 21 less games.
Moose goaltender Collin Delia faced 32 shots and saved 30. Delia improved his win-loss record to 11-16-1 in 28 games played during his 2023-24 season.
Three Stars
The Manitoba Moose secured two wins and four crucial points over their back-to-back weekend series against the Texas Stars. Manitoba improved their win-loss record to 21-28-1-1 and won their third straight game. Manitoba is currently fifth place in the Central Division standings with 21 games remaining in the 2023-24 season.
Manitoba begins a six-game road trip in Milwaukee on Wednesday, March 6th. They are back at the Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, March 19th, for a 10:30 am CST game against Grand Rapids.
