5 Things: Heat at San Diego
January 7, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
STOCKTON HEAT (20-4-2-1) at SAN DIEGO GULLS (9-12-1-0)
7:00 p.m. PST | Broadcast: AHLTV, Fox Sports 1280, Spreaker
Leading Scorers
Heat:
Goals - Jakob Pelletier (11)
Points - Jakob Pelletier (28)
Gulls:
Goals - Jacob Perreault (8)
Points - Jacob Perreault/Brayden Tracey (17)
Special Teams
Heat:
PP - 21-for-111, 18.9% (t-15th)/PK - 102-for-113, 90.3% (1st)
Gulls:
PP - 17-for-93, 18.3% (t-17th)/PK - 74-for-89, 83.1% (10th)
1. HEAT INDEX
Stockton's two-week roadie continues Friday night, a 7 p.m. matchup with the San Diego Gulls at Pechanga Arena. The Heat come into the the game following a mid-week split against Tucson, winning the back end by a 5-2 margin in a game that featured two shorthanded goals, a penalty shot score and a 6-for-6 effort from the PK. San Diego has seen its last six games postponed due to AHL COVID-19 protocols, last hitting the ice on December 18.
2. THIS, THAT, THE OTHER
THIS... It didn't take long for the Heat to gain the upper hand in Wednesday's game against Tucson, Matthew Phillips finding twine from a sharp angle just 54 seconds into the contest for a 1-0 edge. The Heat, who have scored first in all three meetings so far this year against the Gulls, are lights-out when scoring first, bringing a record of 15-0-1-0 into Friday's game in contests in which Stockton breaks the ice. THAT... Stockton comes into tonight's game 3-for-3 on the year against the Gulls and hope history repeats itself with tonight's tilt. In the 2019-20 season, Stockton's most recent in the Pacific Division, the Heat won the first four matchups against the Gulls on the season with two wins in Stockton and two in San Diego. THE OTHER... Pechanga Arena has felt like home for the Heat, Stockton going 13-8-0-3 all-time on the Gulls' home ice (.604 point percentage). The Heat have earned at least a point in eight of the last nine matchups with San Diego in America's Finest City, a stretch that dates back to the start of the 2018-19 season.
3. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Heat - Connor Mackey
Mackey terrorized the Gulls with five points and three goals in the teams' most recent two-game set at Stockton Arena, an effort that earned the defenseman AHL Player of the Week honors. Two of Mackey's goals came shorthanded while another came on the power play.
Gulls - Jacob Perreault
Despite leading San Diego in both points and goals on the season, Perreault has been limited to just one helper through three games against the Heat. For a San Diego club that has not seen game action in some time, his presence will be critical should the Gulls find success.
4. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Kevin Gravel is one goal shy of 20 in his AHL career.
Eetu Tuulola is one goal shy of 20 in his AHL career.
Justin Kirkland is one goal shy of 40 in his AHL career.
Emilio Pettersen is one appearance shy of his 50th AHL game.
5. QUOTABLE
"We're on top of the standings right now. Coming into games, teams are mentally prepared to play a good team. We know they're going to give it their best. We haven't matched that intensity (enough), but we expect our guys to play the game more physical, be harder on pucks, respect our opponents more and hold our game to a different standard." - Don Nachbaur on team mentality every game
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American Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2022
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- Walker's Shorty Catapults T-Birds Past Sens, 4-3 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- 5 Things: Heat at San Diego - Stockton Heat
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- Game Preview: Bears at Crunch, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
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