The Manitoba Moose earned a split against the Iowa Wild in a two-game weekend series against their division rival. After dropping the opening game on Feb. 8, they rebounded well and put up their best offensive showing of the season the next day.
It was a tale of two games for the home squad, as the Moose showed what has plagued them all season, while also giving fans a glimpse of what they’re capable of when they’re firing on all cylinders.
Moose Drop Game 1, but Rebound Well in Game 2
Game 1, Feb. 8, 2025: IA 3 – 1 MB
There was no offense to be found for the Moose in Saturday’s game, as it looked like a complete struggle for them to execute any of their chances. On the flip side, it looked as if the Wild were just waiting for one mistake to take advantage, and a couple of bounces went their way and helped them to a 3-1 win over the Moose.
The Wild opened the scoring late in the first period when Moose defender Ashton Sautner gave the puck away just inside their blue line, leading to a grade-A chance for Wild forward Caedan Bankier. He made no mistake, beating Moose netminder Domenic DiVincentiis to make it 1-0.
Early in the second, the Wild added to their lead on the power play, making it 2-0 on a goal from Brendan Gaunce. A Ben Jones shot deflected off of Gaunce near the crease and found its way past DiVincentiis.
The Wild sealed their victory with an empty net goal by Travis Boyd to make it 3-0. It was Boyd’s second point of the afternoon. Bankier and Jones also recorded a pair of points in the game.
The Moose ended the shutout bid by Wild netminder Samuel Hlavaj, thanks to Hlavaj himself. With the game seemingly won for Iowa, Hlavaj attempted a shot on the Moose empty net and managed to shoot it right off Moose captain Dominic Toninato and into the net to make it 3-1, standing as the final score.
Game 2, Feb. 9, 2025: IA 2 – 7 MB
It can’t be overstated how much better the execution was in the Feb. 9 game, as the Moose seemingly righted the wrongs from the day before, winning 7-2 over the Wild. After scoring just one goal on Feb. 8 on a fluke bounce, the Moose made the most of all of their chances a day later to put up the most goals they’ve scored in a game all season.
The Moose got on the board first in the second game, with Dylan Coghlan jumping on a loose puck to…
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