The Manitoba Moose have struggled mightily to put games away this season, and their two-game set against the Grand Rapids Griffins didn’t do a lot to put those concerns to bed. Now, with just a few games until the All-Star break, they have to regroup after a disappointing result.
Facing off against the top team in the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Central Division, the Moose were in tough and ultimately were unable to pull off the wins in either game despite leading in both, falling to 11-23-2.
Game Recaps
Game 1, Jan. 23, 2025: GR 5 – 4 MB
The first of two games between the Moose and Griffins was in the home side’s favor until it wasn’t, with the Griffins storming back within a span of about 10 minutes to completely turn the game on its head.
The game wasn’t even two minutes old before Grand Rapids opened the scoring, with Tim Gettinger kicking things off. The rest of the period, however, proved lopsided as the Moose threw 18 shots at Griffins’ netminder Ville Husso before finally beating him on a CJ Suess deflection late in the period.
The second period was a near mirror image of the first, with the Moose pummeling the Griffins’ net with shots, but this time converting twice. Ben King scored just 1:28 into the middle frame to put the Moose up 2-1. They added to that on Parker Ford’s ninth of the season to make it 3-1 heading into the third.
After two dominant periods, it appeared as if the Moose let off the gas to start the third. Less than two minutes into the frame, Joe Snively brought the Griffins within one.
What followed was a complete unraveling, leading to goals from Ondrej Becher, Brogan Rafferty, and Sheldon Dries within a ten-minute span. It went from a three-goal lead to a two-goal deficit that wasn’t overcome as the Moose eventually fell 5-4.
Game 2, Jan. 25, 2025: GR 2 – 1 MB
The Moose looked to rebound in the second game of their series against the Griffins and appeared set to get a point before heartbreak in the dying minutes.
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It took until the third period before the first goal of the game was scored, but it came in a huge spot for the Moose. Ford, who lives around the crease, was there to bang home a Jaret Anderson-Dolan shot to make it 1-0 Moose on the power play. It…
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