5 Things, Heat at San Diego
March 27, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
STOCKTON HEAT (38-11-4-1) at SAN DIEGO GULLS (26-25-2-1)
5:00 p.m. PDT | Broadcast: AHLTV, Fox Sports 1280, Spreaker
Leading Scorers
Heat:
Goals - Jakob Pelletier (26)
Points - Matthew Phillips (57)
Gulls:
Goals - Nikolas Brouillard (37)
Points - Alex Limoges (18)
Special Teams
Heat:
PP - 43-for-219, 19.6% (t-14th)/PK - 201-for-230, 87.4% (1st)
Gulls:
PP - 40-for-214, 18.7% (t-20th)/PK - 170-for-211, 80.6% (t-17th)
1. HEAT INDEX
If you can't take the heat, Sunday's matchup is not for you. These are the two hottest clubs in the Pacific, with Stockton owning an 8-2-0-0 record in its last 10 and San Diego going 7-2-0-1 in that span to ascend to sixth in the division standings. The Heat were idle on Saturday while San Diego took an impressive 5-1 decision over the Ontario Reign, the second-place team in the Pacific. Stockton will look to clinch the season series against San Diego with a win.
2. THIS, THAT, THE OTHER
THIS... It's hard to find recent comparisons for the rookie season Dustin Wolf has put together, but the netminder reached another impressive milestone with Friday's win. How common is it to see an AHL goalie reach 29 wins in a season? Six goalies have pulled that feat since the 2016-17 AHL campaign. Among rookies? The last time a first-year netminder reached one shy of 30 was in 2015-16, when Juuse Saros went 29-8-0. THAT... The special teams battle has been one the Heat have relied on for team success for most of the season, including on Friday with Stockton earning the win after scoring on the power play and penalty kill. Stockton has outscored San Diego on the power play 5-3, with the Gulls seeing 35 opportunities on the man-advantage and the Heat getting 27. Stockton has also scored a pair of shorthanded markers, each coming from Connor Mackey. The Heat are 15-0-2-0 on the year when scoring a power play goal. THE OTHER... The saying goes 'history repeats itself,' and for Luke Philp consistency has been key. The 'Swiss Army Knife,' do-it-all forward has tied his career high in goals for a season with 19, set in 52 games played. Those numbers are identical to his rookie season in 2019-20. Philp is tied for Stockton's team lead in shorthanded points (2g, 2a), has four power play goals, is fifth on the team with nine multi-point games and leads the Heat with a plus-19 rating.
3. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Heat - Glenn Gawdin
With the chance to add on to already-impressive scoring depth for Stockton, the San Diego Gulls on the other end of the ice may be just what Glenn Gawdin needs. The centerman has gone for seven points (2g,5a) in six games against the Gulls on the year.
Gulls - Brent Gates Jr.
Gates has four points in three games against Stockton this season, including a pair of goals. Gates has an assist in consecutive games coming into Sunday's matchup.
4. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Glenn Gawdin is one assist shy of 100 in his AHL career.
Matthew Phillips is one point shy of sole possession of Stockton's single-season scoring record.
Jakob Pelletier is two points shy of tying Stockton's single-season rookie scoring record and one goal shy of tying Stockton's single-season goal record.
5. QUOTABLE
"Every game is hard now. Every game is hard at this point of the season. We just have to focus on what we do well. We've been doing a really good job of that the last few games here. We have to stay with it and keep pushing to get better every single game." - Luke Philp on the playoff push
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American Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2022
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- Anaheim Ducks Sign Josh Lopina to Three-Year Entry-Level Contract - San Diego Gulls
- Comets Battle Bruins to 4-1 Victory - Utica Comets
- Barracuda's Onyebuchi Suspended for One Game - AHL
- 5 Things, Heat at San Diego - Stockton Heat
- Heat Meet Gulls Sunday in San Diego - Stockton Heat
- Blues Sign UMASS D Matt Kessel to NHL Entry-Level Contract - Springfield Thunderbirds
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