Winnipeg Sun
Sunday, January 6, 2002
By Ken Wiebe -- Winnipeg Sun
MILWAUKEE -- The Manitoba Moose are halfway home
At the midway point of their inaugural AHL season, if you will.
After overcoming some early season troubles with inconsistency, the Moose find themselves near the top of the Eastern Conference.
On most nights, they are among the upper echelon teams in the 27-team circuit and if they're able to keep most of the current players in their lineup, maintaining their lofty status seems a distinct possibility.
"As a coach at this level, you always look at who you're looking at, who you are going to have. You don't know what's going to happen in Vancouver or what's going to transpire here," said Moose head coach Stan Smyl. "We've improved in a few areas, in goaltending, on our defence and our leadership. We've taken some really big strides in realizing where we are going to be.
"We're right where we want to be, but where we could be is a different story, too. We could be a little higher, but that's part of the learning process we keep going through."
Were it not for a stretch of about five games where the Moose either did not receive solid goaltending, were excessively undisciplined or were unable to put their opponents away after taking early leads, Manitoba might be the team being chased in the tight Canadian Division rather than the one doing the chasing.
For their first-half efforts, they receive a solid overall grade of B-plus.
Without further adieu, here's the categorical mid-season report card and honour roll:
Goaltending (C-minus) -- This facet of the game represented one of the biggest question marks going into the season and several important questions remain at the midway point. The Moose have used six different netminders this season and their overall save percentage has been a major disappointment (below .900). After enduring a suspect start (losing his first three starts) and a couple of sub-par outings, Martin Brochu has established himself as the No. 1 man but he is nursing a minor injury. Rookie Alex Auld and third-year pro Alfie Michaud are battling for minutes in the crease while Brochu recovers. Both Michaud and Auld have shown flashes of the goalies they are expected to be, but need to be more consistent.
Defence (B) -- Captain Brian Chapman and recently recalled veteran Bryan Helmer have been steadying forces on this young blue-line, which played most of the first half without Justin Kurtz. Kurtz was expected to quarterback the power play before spending 27 games with the Canucks, and his return should give this unit a boost in the second half, providing he remains here.
Bryan Allen and Zenith Komarniski have routinely been paired against the opposition's top line and have excelled in that role. However, the Moose are near the bottom when it comes to goals against -- although that is more a reflection of team defence than a knock against the defence corps.
Forwards (B-plus) -- The Moose have so much talent up front they are routinely forced to sit out a group of players who could play a prominent role on most teams around the AHL.
There have been plenty of offensive stars and the Moose boast a balanced attack, with five marksmen -- Steve Kariya, Brad Leeb, Ryan Ready, Jimmy Roy and Andre Savage -- poised to take a run at 20 to 30 goal seasons. Manitoba has made a habit of peppering opposing goalies and is second to the Hamilton Bulldogs in the category of goals for, a testament to their potent attack.
Special teams (D) -- The only thing keeping this assessment from a failing grade is a stretch of critical games where both units were among the main reasons for victory. With a plethora of talent, it is surprising the power play hasn't been able to produce, hovering around 17%. The bad news is that the penalty-killing unit has been worse, consistently at or near the bottom in efficiency and is operating below 80%.
Coaching staff (B-plus) -- Smyl and assistants Scott Arniel and Barry Smith have done an outstanding job with this group, dealing with their fair share of injuries and numerous transactions, thanks in part to the slow start by the Canucks.
The Moose boast one of the top road records in the league, but need to improve their play on home ice. Their latest task has been to juggle a lineup featuring up to five healthy scratches per night while attempting to keep the team successful and players happy at the same time. So far, so good.
HONOUR ROLL
