5 Things: Heat at Ontario
November 22, 2021 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
STOCKTON HEAT (10-0-2-0) at ONTARIO REIGN (10-2-0-1)
7:00 p.m. PST | Broadcast: AHLTV, Spreaker
Leading Scorers
Heat:
Goals - Adam Ruzicka (10)
Points - Adam Ruzicka (16)
Reign:
Goals - Martin Frk (9)
Points - Martin Frk (20)
Special Teams
Heat:
PP - 12-for-47, 25.5% (3rd)/PK - 43-for-51, 84.3% (9th)
Reign:
PP - 16-for-60, 26.7% (1st)/PK - 41-for-57, 71.9% (31st)
1. HEAT INDEX
Another road test, another road win for the Stockton Heat on Sunday. In the first of a back-to-back against the Ontario Reign, Stockton conceded the game's first goal but rattled off three straight, two coming on the power play, en route to a 4-2 victory at Toyota Arena in the front end of two meetings between the Pacific Division's top two teams. The Heat saw goals from Jakob Pelletier, Adam Ruzicka, Byron Froese and Luke Philp in the win, while netminder Dustin Wolf turned away 31 of 33 shots faced. The Heat are 5-0-0-0 on the road this season after handing the Reign their first home regulation loss.
2. THIS, THAT, THE OTHER
THIS... The Heat will look to again win the special teams battle on Monday, with the play up and down a man proving to be a big difference in Stockton's first win against Ontario. The Reign entered Sunday's game, and today's game for that matter, with the top-ranked power play in the AHL but were limited to 1-for-5, including an extended 5-on-3 kill for the Heat. Stockton, meanwhile, feasted against the last-place PK with two scores in five chances en route to the win. THAT... Adam Ruzicka and Martin Frk were players to watch entering Sunday's game, each tied for the league lead with nine goals and pacing their respective teams in scoring. The Heat were able to neutralize Frk while Ruzicka netted his 10th goal of the campaign, the first player to hit double digits on the season, to put Stockton ahead 2-1 in the second period. Stockton is 6-0-1-0 on the year when Ruzicka lights the lamp. THE OTHER... Already off the to-do list this year, the Heat have set all-time records for longest win streak (nine games) and longest point streak (12 games, still active), and tonight they have a chance to match yet another record in Heat history as they go for their sixth-straight road win, previously accomplished only once - last season. Stockton's all-time road point streak record sits at seven games. To hit both marks, the Heat must first find another win against the second-place team in the Pacific.
3. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Heat - Byron Froese
Byron Froese rides a four-game point streak into Monday's tilt with six points (2g, 4a) in that span. The last time Stockton's captain notched points in five straight was February 1 through 14 of the 2019-20 season, when he totaled four goals and five assists in a nine-point sprint.
Reign - Gabriel Vilardi
Vilardi got the party started on Sunday, lighting the lamp in the first period to give Ontario its lone lead of the contest. Vilardi played his first AHL game of the season last night after spending the first month of the campaign with the Los Angeles Kings, skating in seven games and registering a goal with the NHL club.
4. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Kevin Gravel is one assist shy of 20 in his AHL career.
Glenn Gawdin will play in his 150th AHL game.
5. QUOTABLE
"They're a good team. We knew that coming in, but we know we are too. We knew it was going to be a battle, details and all of the little things were going to be huge. We did a good job with that tonight." - Glenn Gawdin on Sunday's win over Ontario
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