Fast Facts: Moose vs. Rockford – Oct. 26

The Manitoba Moose (2-2-0-0) finally get the chance to play in front of their home fans this afternoon (2 p.m.) when they host the Rockford IceHogs (1-2-0-0). The Moose opened the campaign with four consecutive road games before today's Home Opener, presented by Canada Life. Manitoba dropped two in a row in Grand Rapids this past weekend, while the IceHogs are also winless in their past two games.

The first 2,000 fans in attendance at today's game will receive a free blanket. Check out the new Kids Zone on the concourse, featuring a new accuracy shooting contest. Don't miss out on the photobooth and face-painting as well. Tickets for today's 2 p.m. game are available at MooseHockey.com/TICKETS.

Good to Be Home

The Moose are set to take home ice for the first time this season today. Manitoba started the season off with back-to-back road trips, marking the first Moose season to open with four consecutive away games since 2006. That opening saw the club came home with a 1-2-1-0 record. This time around, the Moose return to Canada Life Centre sitting at 2-2-0-0, and looking to bounce back against the Rockford IceHogs. The club has a record of 2-6-1-0 in home openers since returning to Winnipeg in 2015, with it’s most recent home opener victory occurring in 2021 against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

On the Board

Tyson Empey scored the lone goal for Manitoba in Saturday night’s action against the Griffins, recording his first tally in a Moose jersey. Prior to signing with Manitoba this past summer, Empey had played 84 games in the AHL split between the Hershey Bears and the Tuscon Roadrunners, totalling two goals and 15 career points. During the 2023-24 season, Empey registered 19 goals and 42 points with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL). Empey is one of six players of Manitoba’s current roster who suited up in the ECHL in 2023-24.

The Kids Are More Than Alright

Thomas Milic (b. April 14/03) and Domenic DiVincentiis (b. March 4/04) currently make up the youngest active goalie tandem in the AHL, and the youngest goalie tandem in Manitoba Moose history. Milic played 33 games in net for the Moose during the 2023-24 season, posting a 0.900% save percentage and registering 19 wins. DiVincentiis made his professional debut against the Iowa Wild on Oct. 13/24 as the third-youngest active goalie in the AHL. The Moose also carry the third-youngest AHL roster this season, with an average age of 23.65 years.

On the Verge of 200

Dominic Toninato comes into today’s action with 199 games under his belt. The winger has registered 54 goals and 111 points through 199 games thus far. The American-born forward entered the league during the 2017-18 season, dressing in 31 games for the San Antonio Rampage. During his AHL career, Toninato played in contests for the Colorado Eagles and the Springfield Thunderbirds before joining the Moose during the 2020-21 season. Toninato recorded a career-high 19 goals and 35 points in 50 games with the club in 2022-23.

Who's Trending?

Parker Ford peppered the Grand Rapids net with a career-high seven shots on goal on Saturday. Ford leads the Moose with 15 shots on goal in four games, and has multiple shots in all four outings this season. It’s no surprise to see the Wakefield, RI product high on the shot count after Ford tied for the Moose lead with 172 shots in 72 games in 2023-24.

Broadcast coverage of tonight's game gets going at 6:45 p.m. CT on cjob.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey.