The Manitoba Moose, who got back into the win column on Feb. 9, were looking to build off of the success against a very strong Texas Stars team who sit atop the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Central Division. The Moose had not won against the Stars in the 2024-25 season entering this series, so they were looking to change their luck against the familiar foe.
The weekend provided fans with a lot of excitement, but more importantly, showed the team that playing the right way keeps you in games against even the best teams.
Game Recaps
Game 1, Feb. 12, 2025: TEX 2 – 4 MB
After beating up on the Iowa Wild in the game before, the Moose were in tough against the Stars, who had won two straight entering the series.
The Moose opened the scoring, much like they did on Feb. 9, with a goal from Dylan Coghlan. He floated a shot through from the point that somehow found the top corner over Stars goaltender Remi Poirier to make it 1-0.
Coghlan added his second of the game and fourth in his last two contests to make it 2-0. This time, it was a blast from the point on the power play that beat Poirier.
The Stars got on the board and cut into the Moose lead late in the period. Cameron Hughes cut the deficit to 2-1 on a power-play goal, beating Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis with a wicked wrister from the slot.
Just prior to the halfway point in the second period, the Stars tied things up on a Kyle McDonald shot from the right circle. He jumped on a loose puck and beat DiVincentiis to make it 2-2.
The Moose jumped back in front late in the second with their second power-play goal of the game. This one came off the stick of Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, burying a rebound to make it 3-2.
Early in the third, Ben King put the Moose back up by two goals, placing a beautiful wrist shot over Poirier. The goal came off an impressive passing play from Simon Lundmark and C.J. Suess, who worked a give-and-go through the neutral zone before finding King. That score held, extending the win streak for the Moose to two games.
Game 2, Feb. 14, 2025: TEX 4 – 2 MB
Looking to extend their win streak to three games, the Moose entered the Feb. 14 game with their confidence high. Unfortunately for them, it was one of those games where nothing seemed to go their way.
The Moose, again, got things started in the first period thanks to a goal from King. He deflected home a Dylan Coghlan point shot past goaltender Ben Kraws to make it 1-0.
Mason Shaw put the Moose up by two goals halfway through the second period, tapping home a great cross-ice feed from Parker Ford to make it 2-0. That goal put Shaw at double digits, joining Ford as just the second member of the team to reach the 10-goal mark in 2024-25.
This is where things flipped, as a strange bounce off a cross-ice feed wound up squeaking through Moose netminder Kaapo Kahkonen to get the Stars on the board and make it 2-1. The goal was credited to Anthony Romano, who sent the puck into the crease.
The Stars tied the game shorthanded halfway through the third on Arttu Hyry’s 17th of the season. The goal came shorthanded and made it 2-2, a score that didn’t last long. Less than two minutes later Matej Blumel’s 23rd broke the tie on the power play and made it 3-2 Stars.
Kole Lind added an empty-net goal to make it 4-2, snapping the brief win streak. Despite the loss, there was a lot of good in the two-game set.
String of Strong Performances Creates Confidence in Moose Room
Over the past several weeks, we heard a lot about effort, the lack of execution, and identity. After that, the Moose seemed rejuvenated in the next three games, resulting in a clearly more competitive effort that is largely sourced from the confidence they’ve built over the last week.
After their loss on Feb. 14, Morrison was asked about how his team has approached the last few games and how confidence has played a role in their recent successes.
“We’re just trying to get better every day, and I think we are,” Morrison said. “I really liked a lot of things about our game, and they feel good. You can tell the energy level is up and they feel good about themselves.”
This was apparent in their win on Feb. 10, defeating the Stars despite giving up a two-goal lead in the second period. Instead of getting down and letting the game get away from them, they regrouped and found a way to surge ahead early in the third.
I asked Moose captain Dominic Toninato about what the message was in that game, and he explained it was best to keep it simple.
“Just stick with the game plan and try to play on our toes, not sit back and let them take it to us,” Toninato said. “Just take it back to them and gain some momentum for us.”
Lucius Being Evaluated
After the Feb. 14 game, Morrison was asked about the status of forward Chaz Lucius, who has played in just one game after returning from the All-Star break, and it wasn’t exactly promising.
“Chaz has a medical condition that needs a little bit further evaluation,” Morrison said. “So we’ll just wait and see.”
If this was a one-time occurrence, the concern wouldn’t necessarily be warranted. That said, it’s just another instance of Lucius missing time. In the last two seasons, he has had his season cut short due to both shoulder and ankle injuries. This season, he has also missed several weeks with an undisclosed injury.
Related: Winnipeg Jets 2024-25 Midseason Prospect Check-In
Despite that, he has played in 25 games this season which is a career-high for the 21-year-old. Including his pre-draft play, he has played more than 25 games just once, and that came in 2019-20 with the U.S. National Under-17 Team. With no full seasons under his belt, it’s hard to project what type of player he can really be. If this current ailment has him out for any extended period of time, those questions only get louder.
Admirals Come to Town
The Moose don’t get any break from the harder competition, as the Milwaukee Admirals visit them for a two-game series on Feb. 16 and 17. The Admirals, who have been among the top teams in the league all season, are tied for the division lead.
After their Feb. 14 game against the Stars, veteran defenceman Ashton Sautner was asked about the tough challenge ahead.
“There’s a belief that when we play the right way, we can beat teams and it doesn’t matter where they are in the standings,” Sautner explained. “We have a heavy schedule with a lot of games coming up, so if we want to get back in the [playoff] picture, these next two and the road trip coming up are going to be huge for us to pick up points where we can.”
