The Manitoba Moose have been a .500 team across their stretch of games in February so far.
Beginning with a series split against the Iowa Wild, then onto the Texas Stars, then the Milwaukee Admirals, the Moose have split another series against the Laval Rocket.
Carson Golder, recently recalled by the Moose, has found himself playing on the Moose’s top line since his recall but has just one assist in three games.
After the Moose’s home stand wrapped up against the Milwaukee Admirals in a 5-1 loss, Golder emphasized being more connected as a team when asked about what needs to be improved on heading into a tough road trip.
Domenic DiVincentiis has started four consecutive games, and head coach Mark Morrison had nothing but praise when DiVincentiis started the second game against Milwaukee.
“I thought he (DiVincentiis) deserved to play again and I thought he played well today too, I don’t think the five goals are a true indication of how he played, I think it’s more the team game in front of him,” Morrison said about DiVincentiis getting back-to-back starts against Milwaukee.
The Moose have begun finding a set of lineups that work for them, but in a stretch of games with not many days off to recharge or practice, it becomes a test of depth for the team’s lineup.
Some players entered the series against Laval on point streaks, some entered the series playing in consecutive games, it’s ultimately
Dylan Coghlan entered the second game against Laval on a six-game point streak where he posted 10 points (5G, 5A) during that span.
The first game against Laval, a 5-4 win over the Rocket, was a hard-hitting contest captured by both teams pushing hard at certain points. Moose forward CJ Suess talked about the importance of rebounding and playing up to the team’s standards in the post-game interview.
Just like the Milwaukee series, Manitoba won the first game by one goal in a 2-1 victory over the Admirals only to be beaten 5-1 in the following game. Manitoba beat Laval 5-4 and then lost 5-1.
“They locked us down (in the third). We maybe got away from managing pucks a little bit, but it was a tight game until the end,” forward Ryan Chyzowski said about the team’s play against Laval in the 5-1 loss.
Heading into the third period, the Moose were only down 2-1 after a scoreless second period, but Laval took complete control in the third period which allowed them to pull away with the victory and the series split.
“Obviously, that third goal gave them a little boost, but it was tough,” Chyzowski followed up with.
Morrison’s comments at the end of the Admirals series split rings true, the Moose are not gonna roll over teams, “so we need to grind and get the points we can.” The Laval series was a grind from start to finish, and the road trip the Moose continues on is a gruelling all-Canadian road trip.
“We want to keep moving forward and get better. Our goal is to get better all the time and I think our team believes that,” Morrison said after the second Milwaukee game about the precedent/tone heading into the team’s ongoing road trip.
The Manitoba Moose continue their all-Canadian trip with a one-game stop in Toronto on Sunday, February 23rd for a 3:00 pm CST matchup. The Moose will then travel to face the Belleville Senators for a two-game set before finishing their road trip against the Toronto Marlies.
ITR 31: Let Them Fight – Inside The Rink
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