Fast Facts: Moose vs. Texas – Dec. 31

The Manitoba Moose close out 2023 against the Texas Stars in a rematch of Friday's tilt. Texas claimed a 6-2 win at Canada Life Centre in the front-half of the two-game set. Jeff Malott and Ashton Sautner scored the Moose goals in defeat. Stars forward Fredrik Karlstrom tallied a hat-trick for the visitors while goaltender Remi Poirier made 40 saves.

It's the New Year's Eve game at Canada Life Centre and limited tickets are still available for the biggest New Year's Eve party in Winnipeg. Don't miss the post-game fireworks show and plenty of other activities on the concourse including a 360-degree camera setup and face painting. Tickets for the 4 p.m. game are available at MooseHockey.com/TICKETS.

Rare Company

Jeff Malott scored his eighth goal of the season in Friday’s game, pushing the winger to 20 points on the season. It was his sixth even-strength marker of the campaign, tying him for second on the Moose. The goal was Malott’s 68th career tally in a Moose sweater, moving him into a tie with John Albert and Michael Grabner for 10th on the franchise leaderboard (IHL/AHL/St. John’s). The Waterdown, Ont. product joined the top-10 in his 192nd career AHL game, all with the Moose. Malott has back-to-back 20-goal seasons to his name and is on pace to reach the mark for a third consecutive campaign. Should he cross the 20-goal plateau this season, Malott would see himself rise into the top-five in franchise history.

Milestone Night

Defenceman Ashton Sautner played his 400th career professional game on Friday against Texas. Sautner has appeared in 377 AHL contests split between Manitoba, Abbotsford and Utica. He also recorded three assists in 23 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks. Sautner scored his fourth goal of the season during the game, matching his career high set back in the 2015-16 campaign as a member of the Utica Comets. The veteran defender has plenty of success this season against the Stars, scoring three of his four goals versus Texas.

Roster Moves

The Moose recalled forward Carson Golder from the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals yesterday. Golder posted 22 points (12G, 10A) and a plus-12 rating through 27 games with Norfolk over the 2023-24 campaign. The forward has a point in nine of his past 10 contests and is currently tied for 14th in the ECHL’s rookie scoring race. The Smithers, B.C. product recorded an assist in his AHL debut with the Moose in Rockford on April 15/23. Golder’s junior career saw him accumulate 69 points (34G, 35A) in 164 career WHL games with stops in Victoria, Edmonton and Kelowna.

Ringing in the New Year

The Moose playing on New Year’s Eve has been a Winnipeg tradition since the team arrived from Minnesota in 1996. Even when the franchise relocated to St. John’s, the club played New Year’s Eve contests, though mostly on the road. Including their IHL and St. John’s days, the Moose hold a 14-8-0-0 record on Dec. 31. When playing their traditional game in Winnipeg, the Moose hold a 13-5-0-0 record, and have won nine of the past 10  New Year’s Eve games on home ice. The only year the Moose didn’t play on New Year’s Eve since returning to Winnipeg was 2016 when the club played Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.

Who's Trending?

Parker Ford notched an assist against Texas on Friday. The winger now has three points (2G, 1A) over his past two contests and is up to 13 points (7G, 13A)  through 26 games. Ford, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Winnipeg in 2023, ranks sixth in Moose scoring this season and is tied for first on the squad with three game-winning tallies.