It’s been a turbulent season for the Manitoba Moose, with players constantly being called up and sent down due to COVID-19 protocols.
Despite the extreme amount of roster fluctuation, the Moose find themselves in the thick of a playoff race, with just over two months left in the regular season.
“Every day and every game I’m getting more comfortable,” said Matt Alfaro, playing in his first season with the Moose.
Alfaro played three games in the American Hockey League before joining the Moose.
Along with plenty of his new teammates, the 25-year-old seems to have found a consistent spot in Manitoba’s lineup.
“This year I’ve been all over the place and I don’t know where I’m going to be week to week,” he said.
“It’s just about seizing that opportunity when I get the chance.”
It didn’t take the team’s head coach long to get used to the rapid pace of roster turnover throughout the first half of the season.
“Even though the team has drastically changed, 10, 11 or 12 different bodies, we stay on the same path. We want to make the playoffs,” said Mark Morrison, in his first season as Manitoba’s bench boss.
Cracking the playoffs appears to be much more achievable thanks to new players stepping into big roles.
“There’s just not time to take 20 games to adjust to a level because there’s just so many good players that are around here ready to be called up,” says defenceman Dean Stewart.
The 23-year-old began his 2021-22 campaign with Wichita in the East Coast Hockey League.
Now, the Portage la Prairie native is making the most of an opportunity to play on home soil — he mentions little things, like if he needs to go home.
“I went home the other day to get my car or just do something like that. I get to see my parents a little bit more often than I would,” he said.
Players like Stewart and Alfaro have provided a much-needed helping hand when it comes to holding down the fort for a team currently in second place.
“We’ve had guys playing on the fourth line here that are now a first-line centreman,” Morrison said.
“We’ve had guys in the East Coast Hockey League like Alfaro and Stewart, who’ve come into the lineup and now they’re playing big minutes — compared to what they ever would have thought they would.”
No matter how long their tenure with Manitoba lasts, they’ve put some valuable pro hockey experience under their belts.