AHL Stockton Heat

Heat and Stars Meet for Final Time this Season at 7:30 p.m. in Stockton

Published on March 12, 2016 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release


TONIGHT

The Stockton Heat close out their season series with the Texas Stars, as the two teams faceoff against each other for the final time in the regular season.

Stockton enters tonight's contest with wins in 13 of their last 15 games at Stockton Arena, including their most recent one last night against these very same Stars.

Texas had been riding a high note with points in their last three before last night, but fell to 4-1-0-0 on the season against the Heat with last night's defeat.

LAST TIME VS. TEXAS

Well it wasn't too long ago - last night as a matter of fact - that these two teams were on the same ice searching for two points. Thankfully for the Heat, they came out with the regulation win against the second-place Stars.

The tone of the game was set early on when Heat defenseman Pat Sieloff made a diving, desperation stop on the goal line that would have put the Stars up 1-0 early. However, Sieloff batted the puck to the corner and later in the period, Mitchell Heard tapped home a rebound and the Heat went to their locker room after 20 minutes up by one.

Mason Raymond would chip in a rebound on a power-play opportunity in the second period to put the Heat up 2-0, and despite a quick goal in the third and late power play from Texas, the Heat held strong to collect the 2-1 victory.

WHO TO WATCH

Anyone in the building last night undoubtedly noticed every shift Bryce Van Brabant took, seeing as the boards were rattling just about every time #48 hit the ice.

BVB was the most physical player last night and was a key factor in the win over Texas.

Texas is a skilled team that likes to get up and down the ice in transition. One way to thwart those efforts is by playing the body hard and often. Van Brabant did just that and earned praise from the coaching staff after the game for his effort.

Another performance like last night's from Van Brabant will go a long way to helping the Heat closeout their season against Texas teams with a bang.

Often times it's efforts like BVB's last night that earn a meat-and-potatoes type of player a point or two as well. It might not have been the case last night, but watch out for Van Brabant to repeat his physical play and have a serious impact on the outcome of tonight's tilt.

YOU #HEARDTHAT?

We think everyone has #HeardThat after Mitchell Heard potted two goals in as many games, including last night when he opened the scoring with a gritty goal as he crashed the net on a rebound.

Heard has scored both of his goals on the season in the last two games, as he and his linemates - Blair Riley and Hunter Smith - have been arguably the Heat's top line over the last 120 minutes play.

As a line, they don't shy away from the dirty areas on the ice and they've been rewarded for their efforts in the last two games in the form of Heard goals. While Heard is riding goals in back-to-back games, Riley also has points in his last two as he's assisted on both of Heard's goals.

Heard has had a solid season in Adirondack with the Thunder in the ECHL and he is making the most of his most recent call up to the AHL. It's also his birthday today, and the best birthday gift would be another big goal and a Heat win.

PERFECT PK LEADS THE WAY

The Stockton Heat have had a tough time consistently killing off penalties of late - that is until last night's win over Texas.

Stockton's penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3 and stopped a key opportunity with just three minutes remaining in the third to hold onto their one-goal lead.

The old adage is that your best penalty killer has to be your goaltender and last night was no exception, as Kevin Poulin made big save after big save en route to the 2-1 victory.

Arguably his biggest save in fact came on that late penalty kill when he stacked the pads on a Texas shot attempt and slammed the door once again to seal the deal for the Heat.

Tonight, the Heat will look for a repeat performance from their penalty kill as a whole, especially from their netminder as the last line of defense.

PLAYOFF PRIMER

With the Heat in the thick of the playoff chase, we take a look at what tonight's game against the Texas Stars can do for both teams.

Starting the day the Heat are sixth in the Pacific with a .510 win-percentage while Texas enters Saturday in second in the Pacific at .603.

Starting with Stockton, if the Heat can pull the victory in regulation the team can get to .519 with the two-points tonight. In the event the Heat pick up just one point the team will remain at .509 while a regulation loss would send the team back to .500.

As for Texas, a win would get them to .609 while an extra-time loss would drop the team at .602. A loss would put the Stars at .594, but they would only fall from second place if San Diego should win their game tonight against Ontario.

Keep an eye on the AHL's Playoff Primer updated every morning with the latest standings and magic numbers.

INTERESTING FACT

Last night was Bryce Van Brabant's milestone 100th AHL game and he put together one of his more memorable performances of the season in the 2-1 Heat win. Tonight marks Bill Arnold's 100th AHL game, as he reaches the milestone and will look to leave his mark on tonight's game the way BVB did last night.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Arena: Stockton Arena

Date: March 12, 2016

Time: 7:30 p.m. PST

Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 7:15 p.m. PST

Giveaway: Adult Replica Jerseys to the first 1,000 fans 13-years-old and over

Leading Scorer: STOCKTON: F Hunter Shinkaruk (52GP, 23-19-42)

TEXAS: F Brendan Ranford (63GP, 16-33-49)

For the live, in-game tweets, follow @AHLHeatPR. Stay tuned at the end of the game for the Chase Chevrolet Big Moment of the Game with your chance to win an autographed Freddie Hamilton puck.

Check out the Stockton Heat Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2016


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