Fast Facts: Moose at Texas – Feb. 8
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: February 8th 2022
The Moose and Stars shift their home-and-home series to H-E-B Center this evening for the second of three consecutive meetings between the clubs. The Moose grabbed a 2-1 shootout win on Sunday in the opener of the set. Catch the action tonight on CJOB.com/sports, AHLTV or the Manitoba Moose App with coverage starting at 6:45 p.m. CT.
Roster Moves
The Moose roster has been in a constant state of change all season long. The latest round of moves saw the Moose recall defenceman Tristan Pomerleau from the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers on Feb. 7. More transactions followed later that same afternoon as the Winnipeg Jets recalled forward Kristian Reichel and defenceman Ville Heinola, Johnathan Kovacevic and Declan Chisholm from the Moose.
Big Save Berdin
Moose netminder Mikhail Berdin has been on a two-game heater in the most recent pair of contests he played in. What makes the upcoming numbers more impressive is the gap between the starts. The Ufa, Russia product posted a 24-save shutout on Jan. 12 in Milwaukee. It was the third shutout of the season for Berdin and seventh of his AHL career. He was then reassigned to the Taxi Squad and didn’t see game action until Feb. 6 at home against Texas. Berdin was spectacular once again and made 31 saves for the victory after a lengthy shootout that saw 12 Stars try their hand at scoring. Berdin stopped eight of those 12 shooters including the last four in a row to seal the win for the boys in antlers. In his past two Moose starts, Berdin has registered 55 saves on 56 total shots. Berdin has been in goal for the Moose in three of the five wins against the Stars.
Impactful Return
Leon Gawanke made an impact on his return to the Moose lineup from the Winnipeg Jets Taxi Squad. The Berlin, Germany product recorded an assist on Mikey Eyssimont’s tying goal in the third period of Sunday’s contest before he netted the shootout winning tally in the 12th round of the skills competition later that game. Gawanke has now recorded 20 points (5G, 15A) in 33 games and is tied for second overall in Moose scoring this season. The defenceman, who already has a new career-high of five goals, is closing in on his career-high of 26 points (4G, 22A) that he set over 48 games in 2019-20 with the Moose.
Success Against Texas
The Moose clinched their season series against the Stars on Sunday, having won all five games thus far. In those five contests the Moose have outscored their Central Division rivals by a count of 20 to 10. The most recent outing was the first time this season the Moose and Stars required extra time. The last time the Moose traveled to the Lone Star State, Manitoba came away with a pair of wins to the tune of 4-1 and 5-4 respectively.
Who's Trending?
Mikey Eyssimont recorded the tying goal and a shootout marker against the Stars in Sunday’s 2-1 shootout victory. The goal was Eyssimont’s first since Dec. 10 where he recorded two points against Grand Rapids. Eyssimont is now up to 15 points (7G, 8A) in 26 games in his first season with Manitoba. His career-high is 28 points (12G, 16A) set with Ontario in 2019-20.
