Fast Facts: Moose at Rockford – March 23
By: Manitoba Moose Staff | Published: March 23rd 2022
After a couple days off game action the Moose seek to continue their strong play on a seven-game road swing. Manitoba stretched its point streak to nine games (7-0-1-1) with a 3-2 shootout win in Iowa on Sunday. The Moose roster also saw some changes with the reassignment of forwards Jeff Malott and Kristian Reichel, along with the additions of forward Morgan Barron and defenceman Markus Phillips. Tune in to tonight's 7 p.m. matchup on CJOB.com/sports, AHLTV and the Manitoba Moose App.
Deadline Deals
The NHL Trade Deadline brought a flurry of changes to the Moose roster. Kristian Reichel, Jeff Malott and Ville Heinola were reassigned to the Moose by the Winnipeg Jets, though Heinola was recalled the following day. A pair of trades also occurred that brought new faces to the Moose. As part of the Andrew Copp deal between Winnipeg and the New York Rangers, forward Morgan Barron was traded and reassigned from Hartford to Manitoba. The forward has 15 points (9G, 6A) in 25 games this season. A second deal saw the Jets and Los Angeles Kings swap defenceman Markus Phillips was acquired in exchange for defenceman Nelson Nogier. The Markham, Ont. product will report to Manitoba and has five points (1G, 4A) in 38 games with the Ontario Reign this season.
Eyss-imont Up our Sleeves
Mikey Eyssimont has had a productive month of March. The forward has scored goals in consecutive games and registered six points (3G, 3A) his past five games. In the most recent Moose win, Eyssimont tied the contest in the third before eventually sealing the deal with the subsequent shootout winner. Eyssimont co-leads the Moose with four goals in the month of March and sits tied for second with eight points in the eight games. The Littleton, Col. product has tallied 28 points (12G, 16A) over 43 games in his first season in antlers. All three of those numbers tie career highs set with Ontario in 2019-20.
Point Streakin’
The Moose have yet to lose in regulation during the month of March. A product of Manitoba’s strong play is a season-high nine-game point streak with a record of 7-0-1-1. The streak began against the Chicago Wolves with a 4-3 shootout win on Feb. 27. Over the streak the Moose have rediscovered their scoring touch, scoring 39 times in for an average of 4.3 goals per game.
Offence from Defence
Johnathan Kovacevic is rolling through March. The defenceman netted the primary assist on the C.J. Suess’ goal in Sunday’s win. That gives the defender 25 points (9G, 16A) in 46 games this season. Kovacevic also has 10 points (2G, 8A) over his past eight games. In addition to setting new career high marks in goals, assists and points, Kovacevic is currently sitting at a plus-16 rating on the season which is tops on the team. He leads the Moose blueline with nine goals and sits in a seven-way tie for fourth across the entire league’s defencemen.
Who’s Trending
C.J. Suess recorded a goal in the second period of the Moose 3-2 shootout win over Iowa on Sunday. The tally was the forward’s seventh of the season and gives him 17 points (7G, 10A) in 31 games. Suess has three points (2G, 1A) over his last five games. The Forest Lake, Min. product appeared in his 150th AHL game on Friday in Iowa.
