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AHL Stockton Heat

Findlay Scores Final Marker as Heat Fall 2-1 vs. San Jose

April 14, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release


STOCKTON, CALIF. - Brett Findlay scored for the Heat, but Alexander True's pair of goals in the second proved to be what San Jose needed as the Heat fall in the season finale 2-1, eliminating them from postseason contention. True scored a pair of goals moments apart in the second period for his 14th and 15th goals of the season, but Findlay gave the Heat some life when his backhand deke beat Bibeau to pull the Heat within one. Stockton put the pressure on in the third, but San Jose's defense stayed the course and prevented the Heat from finding the tying marker in the loss. Stockton finishes the season at 34-28-2-4. Get Fired Up for the 2018-19 season by becoming a Full-Season Heat365 Member. By becoming a Member today, you'll receive four exclusive gifts during the 2018-19 season including a Heat365 cup, blanket, scarf and pin, along with access to Member-Only events and benefits. By becoming a Full-Season Member by tomorrow, April 15, you'll also receive a limited edition Heat365 jersey! Learn more about Heat365 or become a Member and start receiving immediate benefits by calling 209.373.1500or by visiting stocktonheat.com/heat365.

BOX SCORE

PHOTOS

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

No Goals

Shots: STK - 12 | SJ - 10

2nd Period

San Jose Goal: F Alexander True (14) shot from the rush is stopped but the rebound is knocked out front where the puck is pushed into the open net past the unaware goaltender (Mashinter assist)

San Jose Goal: F Alexander True (15) pass from the far side corner into the high slot is one-timed past the goalie (McAuley, Chekhovich assists)

HEAT GOAL: F Brett Findlay (12) pass up off the glass springs the centerman behind the defense where he finishes with the backhand deke through the five-hole (Healey, Prout assists)

Shots: STK - 11 | SJ - 12

3rd Period

No Goals

Shots: STK - 8 | SJ - 8

GOALIES

W: Antoine Bibeau (31 shots, 30 saves)

L: Jon Gillies (30 shots, 28 saves)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

Three Stars: 1- Alexander True (SJ) (2 goals) 2- Antonie Bibeau (SJ) (30-saves) 3- Brett Findlay (1 goal)

Final Shots: STK - 31 | SJ - 30

Brett Findlay scores the final goal of the Stockton season

Andrew Mangiapane was named the Team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year

Rasmus Andersson was named the Defensive Player of the Year

Spencer Foo was named the Rookie of the Year

Rod Pelley was named the Unsung Hero

Luke Gazdic and Morgan Klimchuk were named co-winners of the Heat's Community Service Award

Ryan Lomberg was named the Fan Favorite for the second-straight season as voted by Stockton Heat fans

QUOTES

"Right now, it's tough, there's no doubt. I thought we played a solid game but their goalie was good, they got a couple goals in tight. That's the way it goes, it's like a game seven mentality today. The two games at Ontario were solid and great team efforts. It's a tough one." - Rod Pelley on on the tough loss tonight to end the season against San Jose

"I'm certainly proud of the group in there. There's a lot of character in that room and there's not much quit at all from top through bottom there. You have guys there that care about each other and that's why it's a little disappointing, the group in the room really is resilient throughout the year. From personnel changes to different call-ups to injuries, everyone goes through it but I thought we handled it the way guys came up here from Kansas City and chipped in, I thought they were outstanding. That's basically why I'm disappointed for everyone." - Pelley on the character in the locker room and his disappointment after this loss

"How energized and how easy they made my job to be. You have a wide range of character in that room, I can go up and down through the line up and tell you how different guys add strength to the group. Personally, I'm going to remember about how much guys cared about each other and what kind of group we had. The intensity of our group pretty much at all times. We did things hard all the time and you know, there's a couple games throughout the year you can turn around and look at and say, we should have had a better effort. There's not a ton of them, so that's one thing I'll remember and think about with this group." - Pelley on how he's going to reflect on this season and this special group of guys that he played side by side with the past year

"It's heartbreaking. This is one of the best group of guys I have ever played with. It is devastating, I thought we deserved a better fate. Hands down to San Jose I thought they played a good game. It sucks." - Brett Findlay on the tough loss

"I mean I am sure that every guy in the room there would like to maybe have done something different, but at the end of the day it is what it is. I thought we battled hard to the very end. I thought we gave ourselves every chance to win, but it wasn't our time I guess." - Findlay on the overall outlook following the season

"It was big. You could see the emotion in the guys and I was obviously pretty excited myself. To be honest, going into the third, I thought we had a good chance. I thought for the third we played the better game. It was very discouraging. A lot of guys are disappointed in the room, but we got to hold our heads high and be proud of how we fought to the end." - Findlay on his goal to cut into the San Jose lead

"Every guy in that room is resilient. We battled to to the very end. I can't say enough. There are 24+ great guys in that room and a lot of good memories I will cherish forever." - Findlay on the resilience of the group

"We needed to [win] and that's the unfortunate thing that we weren't able to find a way to get it done. I thought their goaltender was really good early. He made some great saves that our group needed to capitalize on those chances early on." - Coach Huska on going for a third win in a row

"I think it was just a good hockey game. They played well, I thought we played well, I thought we played hard. Third period was difficult for us, they did a good job of not allowing us to get a little bit of speed built up in our game. I thought they did a good job of closing things off in the third period and just we weren't able to get any sort of sustained pressure in their zone." - Coach Huska on San Jose's gameplay tonight

"It was [an playoff-type game], especially the first period. That was a fast period of hockey. Both teams. You get two one games when there's a lot on the line and unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end." - Coach Huska on tonight's playoff atmosphere

"We basically missed out on a playoff opportunity by one game. So there's different stretches over the course regular season, whether that be October, November, December, where I think, looking back at it now, a better understanding that every time you step on the ice matters. One of those games, that's the difference right now for us. That's the hard part to swallow right now." - Coach Huska reflecting on the results of the 2017-18 season

"I liked our group. I'm disappointed for them because it would have been neat to see them in a playoff run. Rod Pelley and his group of leaders were excellent to work with and I thought we had a good group of guys that worked hard for each other." - Coach Huska on the 2017-18 Stockton Heat season

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