Moose to face Marlies here

FORT FRANCES—The Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League will play an exhibition game against division rival the Toronto Marlies here on Friday, Sept. 28.
The two teams will face off again in Dryden the following night.
The game follows a similar exhibition swing by the Moose against the Hamilton Bulldogs that took place back in 2004, which Scott Brown, director of communications and hockey operations with the Moose, said were “very successful” and “for sure” set the stage for a return to Northwestern Ontario.
“We got to play an AHL-calibre opponent and we got to play it in a good atmosphere, an electric atmosphere,” Brown said.
“We got a fair bit of attention” from the fans and the media, he added, which he said also helps players new to the AHL adjust to the pressures of playing for an NHL farm team.
The exhibition game here was spearheaded by the Muskie Blueline Club, and will serve as a fundraiser for the Muskie boys’ hockey team.
Muskie head coach Shane Bliss recalled the enthusiastic response to the game in 2004, when the Vancouver Canucks-affliliated Moose faced off against the Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate.
He figured the Toronto Maple Leafs’ farm team coming to town should excite the local contingent of Leafs fans. “That, hopefully, will make them happy,” he remarked.
Brown said one of the biggest reasons the Moose haven’t been back in three seasons is simply logistics.
Dates for games can be hard to sync with local organizers, not to mention “the difficulty in finding an AHL opponent” in an area relatively removed from the league.
“You kind of find a market in the middle that appeases both teams, and that you know is going to be very successful,” he explained.
He added over-exposure in a given market might weaken local response.
Many details still have to be worked out, but Brown said that with some players not dressing for both games in the two-game series, they may meet with the public in some capacity.
He recalled an out-of-town exhibition game the Moose had last year, in which an autograph signing session was held.
“We are very grateful for the support that those communities out there give us,” Brown stressed. “We’re very cognizant of giving back to those communities, that’s for sure.”
The game here will start at 7 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door, and can be purchased at Taggs’ Source for Sports, Skates & Blades, and the Super 8 Motel here, as well as at Tompkins Hardware in Emo.
Alternatively, tickets are available through sponsoring the Muskie boys’ hockey team. A standard sponsorship costs $50, and for each additional $50, a ticket to the game will be awarded.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the team can contact Bliss at Fort High (274-7747).
(Fort Frances Times)