Manitoba Moose

• First 5000 fans in the door will receive Manitoba Moose Hockey Card Pack #6 (of 10).
• Player cards included: Guillaume Desbiens, Mario Bliznak and Eric Walsky.
• Game sponsored by Cambrian Credit Union.

Moose vs. Marlies:

Friday's match-up between the Manitoba Moose and Toronto Marlies is their third of eight meetings this season. The Moose have picked up all four points against the Marlies so far this season with back-to-back victories in November. Historically, the Moose are 22-8-2-2 against the Maple Leafs' affiliate (13-4-0-1 at MTS Centre). Currently the Moose sit third in the North Division with 56 points while the Marlies are sixth in the same division with 48 points. in their last 10 games Manitoba is 2-7-1-0 while Toronto is 3-4-0-3. Marco Rosa leads all current Moose skaters with three points !1g, 2a) against the Toronto club.

Notes on the North:

Manitoba starts a two-game series against North Division rivals the Toronto Marlies on Friday night. The last time Manitoba faced-off against a division opponent was back on January 12 and 13 in Abbotsford when they swept the Heat (4-3OTW; 3-0W). So far this season, the Moose are 12-5-1-0 within the North Division. They currently sit in third with 56 points -- seven points back from the first place Bulldogs. The bottom half of the division is a bit tighter with the third, fourth, and fifth teams all just two points apart (Manitoba -- 56; Abbotsford -- 54; Lake Erie -- 52).

Special Team Summary:

The Manitoba Moose have slipped in both the powerplay and penalty kill departments -- sitting in the lower half of the league in both. Manitoba is currently 28th in the league on the powerplay, capitalizing 12.7 percent of the time. In their last seven games they have only scored two man-advantage markers on 30 opportunities. On the penalty kill, Manitoba sits 22nd in the AHL, blocking 80.6 percent of opposing chances. However, the Moose have been on a slide as of late, allowing 17 of 28 opposing powerplay goals in their last seven games.

Shootout Stars:

The Moose improved their shootout record to an impressive 7-1 after earning a 4-3 shootout victory over the San Antonio Rampage last Saturday. All three Moose shooters capitalized in the shooting contest -- Marco Rosa, Dan Sexton and Michael Grabner -- while Cory Schneider stopped three of four attempts. Manitoba is first in the entire AHL in shootout winning percentage (0.875). Marco Rosa leads all Moose skaters with five shootout points (on seven opportunities).

Dezy Nets Duo:

Moose right-winger Guillaume Desbiens enters Friday's game on a two-game points streak -- having scored three points (2g, 1a) in his last pair of games. In Manitoba's last contest, Desbiens netted two goals for his second multi-goal night this season. His third period goal forced overtime which eventualy lead to a 4-3 shootout victory for the Moose. The Alma, Quebec native now sits fourth on the team leaderboard with 22 points 912g, 10a).

Nikita Notches Second:

New addition Nikita Kashirsky notched his second Moose goal when he opened the scoring in Manitoba's match against San Antonio on February 6, 2010. The Russian sniper has appeared in five games with the Moose so far this season where he has collected two goals and two penalty minutes.

Streaks & Milestones:

• Travis Ramsey and Marco Rosa are the only two Moose skaters who have perfect attendance this season -- playing in all 53 games so far.
• Guillaume Desbiens is on a two-game point streak -- collecting three (2g, 1a) in his last pair of games.
• Travis Ramsey is three games away from his 100th as a Moose.
• Evan Oberg is four games away from his 50th in antlers.
• Lawrence Nycholat has collected five assists in his last four games.