Fresh players taking to ice tonight for Moose, Aeros matchup

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This article was published 22/05/2009 (5997 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HOUSTON — Both teams will introduce some fresh energy into the Western Conference final tonight at Toyota Center.

The Houston Aeros, trailing the Manitoba Moose three games to one in the best-of-seven affair, appear to be turning to goalie Matt Climie for tonight’s contest. He will be the third starting goalie of the series for the Aeros, who have already used Anton Khudobin and Nolan Schaefer.

Khudobin appeared to injure himself in Game 4 and didn’t appear in overtime. Schaefer was injured late in the regular season but has returned for three playoff appearances, including starting Game 3 of this series.

Climie, the 26-year-old from Leduc, Alta., is a Dallas prospect and rookie pro who spent most of the season in the ECHL.

And also based on this morning skate at Toyota Center, the Moose will be without forward Alexandre Bolduc, who was scratched from Game 4 with an unspecified injury.

With Bolduc, Pierre-Cedric Labrie and apparently Tommy Maxwell in sick bay, Manitoba will bring forward Matt Pope from the reserved list into a third straight playoff series in progress this spring.

Pope, who will go straight to the top line with Jason Krog and Jason Jaffray, has two goals and four points in five playoff games.

Moose coach Scott Arniel said this morning that Bolduc won’t be ready for tonight, that it’ll be a wait-and-see process for a possible Game 6 Monday in Winnipeg.

Manitoba, which lost 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday, is bidding for its first-ever appearance in the Calder Cup final and needs just one more win in this series to become the first Winnipeg-based pro team in 30 years to reach a championship series.

Tonight marks the sixth game in nine days for the Aeros. The Moose have played five in the last 16 days.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

The only full front-to-back print coverage of the Moose is available in the Free Press and you can also follow tonight’s Game 5 on the Free Press’s Cover It Live game blog at www.winnipegfreepress.com.