Moose doing all the right things Use extended layoff to prepare for first-round playoff clash with Admirals By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 26, 2023

The Manitoba Moose are in a precarious position entering the 2023 American Hockey League playoffs.

The Winnipeg Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate ended the regular season 3-7 in its final 10 games, officially lost key forward Kristian Reichel for the remainder of the season to an upper-body injury Tuesday and is currently without its top-two goaltenders.

Yet, here lies a confident bunch, rested and mostly healthy, with hopes for a successful run at the Calder Cup this spring.

The Moose will begin their quest for an AHL championship when they begin a best-of-five series against the visiting Milwaukee Admirals, Friday at 7 p.m.

The club has enjoyed nearly two weeks of rest since the regular season ended. While the extended break could be seen as a chance for some unwanted rust to build, the Moose have used it as a chance to recuperate and further establish their systems.

“We’ve had a long rest,” said head coach Mark Morrison. “It’s been 12 days and they’ve handled the schedule real well. I think we’ve done all the right things, we’ve had game-like situations in practice and we’ve scrimmaged with referees… so I feel good about them and I think they feel good about themselves, which is probably more important.”

Morrison may be left with a tough decision to make ahead of Friday’s series opener, as it relates to who will mind the crease for the team. Regulars Oskari Salminen and Arvid Holm have both been recalled and are in Las Vegas practising with the Winnipeg Jets ahead of Thursday’s fateful Game 5 that could end the team’s season.

That leaves goaltender Evan Cormier as the likely beneficiary. Cormier, who signed with Winnipeg on March 1, has played two games with the Moose this season, allowing five goals and posting a 1-1 record. He spent most of the season in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings, where he went 10-20-3 with a 3.09 goals-against average.

Morrison did not confirm Cormier would start in the event Salminen and Holm were unavailable, but said, “It would be fair to say that we would lean toward that.”

The bench boss continued that his team’s record in the final 10 games doesn’t reflect the effort they had on the ice.

“That surprises me that we were 3-7. To me, we played good hockey down the stretch. We won some games that we needed to win to get points to get into the playoffs. We were playing against hungry teams,” he said.

“I look at it as down the stretch, I thought we were good. In saying that, we were missing some key players in those times, as well, which we have back now.”

One of those key cogs is defenceman Declan Chisholm, who has perhaps had the most notable season of any Moose player this season. Much like Jets fans have watched Josh Morrissey do throughout the year, Chisholm enjoyed a breakout campaign to the tune of 43 points in 59 games. He was fifth among all AHL defenceman in points when he went down with a high-ankle sprain on March 19.

“I look at it as down the stretch, I thought we were good. In saying that, we were missing some key players in those times, as well, which we have back now.”–Head coach Mark Morrison

The Bowmanville, Ont. product has recently shed the non-contact jersey in practice and appears primed to suit up for Game 1, pending medical clearance.

“I knew right away what I did,” said Chisholm of his injury. “I’ve had this before and it’s kind of a similar feeling and I knew I was gonna be out for some time, so I was pretty frustrated when it happened. But I’ve put in the work and I’m ready to go and I’m excited to get back in.”

Chisholm said the near-two weeks of rest “was huge,” as he doesn’t believe he would’ve been ready to go had the playoffs started right after the regular season. The bye weeks have also offered the club a chance to shake any bad thoughts that may have persisted from their struggles at the end of the regular season.

“I think we’re fine. We just had a really good two weeks of practice, we’re confident in the goaltending we have right now. I think we’re in a good position, we’ve worked on a lot of systems and done a lot of video, so I think we’re prepared,” Chisholm said.

“I think it’s going in with a great mindset and that it’s a fresh start. You don’t worry about the regular season anymore, it’s a totally new season now. I think we go in with a clear mindset and wanting to get them back from last year because this is the same setup and now we start two games at home. So I think if we take advantage of those, it could be huge for us.”

“I think we’re in a good position, we’ve worked on a lot of systems and done a lot of video, so I think we’re prepared.”–Defenceman Declan Chisholm

The task at hand for the Moose is not to be taken lightly. The Admirals enter Friday’s series opener a confident bunch, owning the league’s top power-play (24.6 per cent) and third-best penalty-kill (84.3 per cent) units.

The Nashville Predators’ affiliate also got a boost from the pro club, receiving a handful of eligible players, including 2019 first-round pick Philip Tomasino, in time for the post-season.

The two clubs met in this spot a year ago in a series that went the distance and saw the Admirals win 3-2. In the eyes of many Moose players, their season was cut much too short. They hope to avenge last year’s premature exit beginning Friday.

“It’s definitely a rematch,” said captain Jimmy Oligny. “It’s a little personal almost. We want to get back at them, especially last year I thought we deserved so much better. So I don’t think the pressure is on us.

“It’s more, they won last year so it’s for us to go and grab it.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam

Joshua Frey-Sam
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Joshua Frey-Sam happily welcomes a spirited sports debate any day of the week.

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