The regular season series between the Monsters and Moose was a dramatic, hard-fought battle, as neither side managed to gain any real momentum over the other. Lake Erie and Manitoba traded wins throughout four contests to split the series at two games apiece.

The quartet started on October 29th, when Manitoba claimed a 6-3 win over the Monsters. In that game, Lake Erie outshot the Moose by a 27-21 count, but Manitoba’s five-goal run that started in the second period led them to victory. Former Monster Tyler Weiman stopped 24 shots in goal for the Moose.

The Monsters responded from that loss with a 2-0 victory just two days later. Thanks to goals from Joel Chouinard and Julian Talbot, along with Jason Bacashihua’s first shutout of the season, the Monsters evened the season series at 1-1.

The Monsters and Moose did not meet again until February 18th, when they began a dramatic two-game set at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. The teams entered the weekend series tied for first place in the North Division with 64 points apiece, creating a playoff-like atmosphere.

In the first of those two games, the Monsters claimed a 5-1 victory. Goals from Ben Walter and Justin Mercier put Lake Erie up 2-0 in the first period, and after Manitoba scored early in the second, the Monsters netted two power play goals and an even-strength tally to claim the division’s top spot.

Lake Erie’s sole possession of first place was short-lived, however, as the Moose retied matters with a 4-2 win in a rematch the next night. In that game, Manitoba built a 4-0 lead by the midpoint of the second period. The Monsters began to mount a comeback in the latter phases of the third, as goals from Ben Walter and Luke Walker cut Lake Erie’s deficit in half, but the Moose held on to again retie the series.

The Monsters have not met Manitoba since that game.