Manitoba Moose

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Highlight REEL Stars 4 Moose 0

By: Tim Campbell

7/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

CEDAR PARK, Texas -- The Manitoba Moose's unprecedented scoring slump continued Friday night in a 4-0 loss to the Texas Stars.

The Moose, now losers of four in a row, have scored just nine goals in their last 10 games as eight regulars continue to be out of the lineup.

"As you see, we come out strong," Moose head coach Scott Arniel said. "We're trying to make sure we don't make mistakes and beat ourselves but in three games in a row now we've had mental collapses in the second.

"We've talked about clogging up the middle, trying to be boring and make them make mistakes but you run out of answers sometimes."

Matt Climie had 22 saves for a shutout. The drought and losing streak have dropped Manitoba to 8-8-2.

FIRST PERIOD

Here's how it's going lately for the Moose. Mark McCutcheon appears to have scored on a rebound at 9:13, but referee Mark Lemelin, 80 feet behind the play and out of position, blows a quick whistle to deny the goal. Less than three minutes later, Texas defenceman Ivan Vishnevsky rushes up the right wing, goes right around Moose defenceman Mike Funk and beats goalie Rejean Beauchemin.

Stars 1 Moose 0

THIRD PERIOD

Perttu Lindgren shoots one into the open side after Moose defender Nolan Baumgartner loses track of him, and then misses the cross-crease pass from Scott McCulloch. 2-0. About a minute later, Francis Wathier makes a clever back-pass between his legs near Beauchemin's crease and Aaron Gagnon puts a power-play marker into the wide-open net for a three-goal lead.

Stars 3 Moose 0

THIRD PERIOD

An up-the-wall turnover by Moose defender Nathan McIver winds up on the stick of former Moose Greg Rallo, whose 40-foot wrister goes through traffic and off the short-side post in the period's first minute.

Stars 4 Moose 0

ICE CHIPS

Game-breaker

In 79 seconds, Lindgren and Gagnon put the nails in the Moose coffin for a 3-0 lead early in the second. Two is easily enough against the Moose these days.

Beauchemin's back

Winnipegger Rejean Beauchemin, 24, makes just his second AHL start in three seasons and is reasonably solid making 22 saves for the Moose. "On the first one, he might have lost it on a bad angle but he played big and from what he was in training camp last year, he's come a long way getting his technical game back into shape," Arniel said. "He showed some good things tonight and I'm glad I got a chance to see him in a game."

Back on board

A night after scratching both defencemen Evan Oberg and Brian Salcido, Moose coach Scott Arniel puts them back into the lineup. Neither is very effective.

Ray's ready

Former Moose Ray Sawada played his first game of the season and was effective Friday night. He missed the Stars' first 12 games with a dislocated thumb suffered in an exhibition-game fight against notorious knucklehead Hans Benson.

Moose at Texas, tonight, 7 o'clock at Cedar Park Center (CJOB).

-- Tim Campbell

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 7, 2009 D6

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