Moose sign goaltender Machesney, two others

mtb_200.jpgThe Manitoba Moose announced today they have signed goaltenders John Murray and Daren Machesney, and forward Tommy Maxwell, to American Hockey League contracts.

Machesney, 23, spent the 2008-09 season as a member of the Hershey Bears where he posted a record of 19-12-1 with a 3.24 goals against average and a .876 save percentage. He was recalled by the Washington Capitals twice last season, but failed to see any action in the NHL. He also played with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in 2008 in Davos, Switzerland, and led his country to the championship game.

In 84 career AHL games over three seasons with the Bears, the Hamilton, Ont., native was 44-25-4, with four shutouts, a 2.91 GAA, and .893 save percentage. Machesney was originally drafted by Washington in the fifth round, 143rd overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Murray, 22, appeared in 25 games with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL last season where he accumulated a 13-8-3 record, 2.81 goals against average and .917 save percentage. The native of Lancaster, Penn., also suffered a pair of losses with the Mississippi Sea Wolves where he had a 3.52 GAA and a .925 save percentage.

He also made his AHL debut with the Syracuse Crunch in 2008-09 where he recorded a 3.24 GAA and .846 save percentage. In 35 career ECHL games with Reading, Ontario, and Mississippi, Murray is 16-13-4 with a 3.52 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

Maxwell, 23, appeared in 36 games this season with the Moose after being acquired from Hershey on Jan. 8. In that span, he scored five points (1-4-5) and collected 72 penalty minutes. He began the season with South Carolina of the ECHL where he played in 26 games and earned nine points (4-5-9) along with 83 penalty minutes.

In 2007-08, the Spokane, Wash., native played in nine games with the Hershey Bears where he collected one assist and 44 penalty minutes. In 87 career games in the ECHL with South Carolina and Phoenix, Maxwell has 25 points (10-15-25) and 324 penalty minutes.