Moose in Iowa to face Wild

The Manitoba Moose (11-11-2-2) open up their final series before the holiday break this afternoon as they pay a visit to Des Moines, IA for a battle with the Iowa Wild (12-13-2-1) at 3:00 p.m. CT.

Last Game

Manitoba was in Rockford last night for the middle contest of their five-game road trip to take on the IceHogs. The Moose started things off on the right foot as Jimmy Lodge scored the game’s first marker. The IceHogs were able score two quick goals in the first and third periods, giving the IceHogs the eventual 4-2 win. Brendan Lemieux scored Manitoba’s second goal with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

Flash Back

The last series between this two teams was nothing but a nail-biter. On Nov. 22, Iowa escaped a close back and fourth game with a 1-0 overtime victory. The second game (Nov. 23) was another low scoring affair with Jimmy Lodge scoring Manitoba’s only goal. The lone tally wasn’t enough to tame the Wild as the Moose fell to their division rivals from the Hawkeye State, 3-1. Manitoba’s record this season against Iowa is 1-1-1-1.

First on the Board

Getting the game’s first goal is one of the many keys to victory and Manitoba will hope to do that today in hopes of ending their five-game skid. The team has scored the first goal in its past four games. In today’s game, Manitoba will not only strive to score the first marker, but also continue to keep their foot on the gas. Prior to the run of leading off the scoring, the Moose had only notched the first goal in seven of 26 games. Manitoba is 5-3-1-2 when scoring first this season.

Iowa’s Story

Coming into this afternoon’s matchup, the Wild sit one spot behind the Moose in the standings. The Wild have been on the upswing in their last few games as they’ve picked up points in three straight games – winning twice and losing an overtime tilt versus Cleveland (Dec. 14). It’s safe to say these two teams a very evenly matched - Iowa and Manitoba have 70 and 71 goals, respectively. On the defensive side, Iowa has let in 84 goals this season to Manitoba’s 86. One player the Moose will need to keep an eye on is Pat Cannone. The Bayport, NY product is on a three-game assist streak and sits second on the team with 16 points (4G, 12A). No matter which goaltender Manitoba faces today, they’ll have their hands full. Alex Stalock has played well this season, sporting a .904 save percentage through 17 games while Steve Michalek is slightly ahead with a .915 save percentage.

What’s Next?

The Moose will play their last game before the holiday break tomorrow night in a rematch against the Iowa Wild. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. CT. To listen to all Manitoba Moose road games, visit moosehockey.com/listenlive. Make sure to tune into the pre-game show 15 minutes before game time as Moose play-by-play announcer Mitch Peacock will have all the latest updates and analysis.