Sports stats



AHL Stockton Heat

Heat Comeback to Beat Stars in Shootout 7-6 During Paint the Ice Night

January 2, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release


Stockton, Calif. - In what can only be described as a wild game at Stockton Arena Saturday night, the Stockton Heat rallied from a three-goal deficit twice to earn the victory over the Texas Stars 7-6 by way of the shootout. Brendan Ranford and the Stars built up a seemingly insurmountable 6-3 lead late in the second, but the Heat scored three unanswered goals and tied the game in the third - the tying goal going to Bryce Van Brabant who is now on a team-high three-game goal-scoring streak. Bill Arnold and Jakub Nakladal led the way offensively for the Heat, scoring three points apiece, while Turner Elson netted the shootout winner on top of his already impressive two-point night. The Stockton Heat will have little time to dwell on this emotional victory, as they face their bitter rival, the Bakersfield Condors, Sunday night right back at Stockton Arena in what will be another late afternoon matchup.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Texas goal: F Remi Elie (4) awkward bounce in the slot leads to a shot from just below the farside faceoff circle that goes off the goaltender's inside foot and into the net (Dowling, Blacker assists), 1:35

HEAT GOAL: F Bill Arnold (5) shot from the point while falling goes through traffic and off a defender into the net (Nakladal, Poirier assists), 2:08

Texas goal: F Brendan Ranford (9) shot from the farside faceoff dot on a 2-on-1 rush goes through the goaltender's five-hole and into the net (Bystrom, Morin assists), 3:14

Texas goal: D Ludwig Bystrom (1) backdoor tap-in is put in past the goaltender's outstretched blocker (Ranford, Dowling assists), 9:59 (PP)

HEAT GOAL: F Derek Grant (12) backdoor rebound is buried past the goaltender's outstretched blocker (Kulak assist), 12:18

Shots: STK - 12 | TEX - 15

2nd Period

Texas goal: F Brendan Ranford (10) shot goes through traffic at the top of the crease and past the goaltender (unassisted), 2:50

Texas goal: F Gemel Smith (9) shot from just inside the farside faceoff circle beats the goaltender on the glove side (unassisted), 3:00

HEAT GOAL: F Bill Arnold (6) rebound off his own shot is squeezed between the goaltender's outstretched foot and the post (Poirier, Sieloff assists), 5:17

Texas goal: F Matej Stransky (8) shot from the nearside faceoff circle goes farside past the goaltender's blocker and into the net (Honka, Lindell assists), 17:13

HEAT GOAL: F Freddie Hamilton (8) shot from the nearside faceoff dot goes high glove-side past the goaltender and just under the crossbar (Agostino, Nakladal assists), 19:41 (PP)

Shots: STK - 10 | TEX - 11

3rd Period

HEAT GOAL: F Turner Elson (4) rebound at the top of the crease is tucked past the goaltender's outstretched pad on the blocker side (Nakladal, Stevenson assists), 0:22 (PP)

HEAT GOAL: F Bryce Van Brabant (7) one-timer from the high-slot goes off a defender's skate and past the goaltender (Arnold, Elson assists), 3:20

Shots: STK - 15 | TEX - 7

Overtime

No goals

Shots: STK - 7 | TEX - 2

Shootout

STK - Kenny Agostino - misses

TEX - Brendan Ranford - misses

STK - Freddie Hamilton - misses

TEX - Travis Morin - scores

STK - Derek Grant - scores

TEX - Cole Ully - misses

STK - Bill Arnold - misses

TEX - Greg Rallo - misses

STK - Turner Elson - scores

TEX - Matej Stransky - misses

GOALIES

W: Joni Ortio (17 shots, 15 saves) returned at the beginning of the third period

Kent Simpson (18 shots, 14 saves) replaced Ortio in the first period

L: John Muse (44 shots, 38 saves)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

Three Stars: 1- Jakub Nakladal (3 assists) 2- Bill Arnold (2 goals, 1 assist) 3- Brendan Ranford (2 goals, 1 assist)

Final Shots: STK - 45 | TEX - 35

Power Plays: STK - 2/8 | TEX - 1/5

Bill Arnold (2 goals, 1 assist) now has at least two points in back-to-back games (2 goals, 3 assists)

Bryce Van Brabant (1 goal) is now on a three-game goal and point streak (3 goals)

Jakub Nakladal (3 assists) earns his first three-point game of the season

Turner Elson (1 goal, 1 assist) earns his fifth multi-point effort on the season

Emile Poirier (2 assists) earns his third multi-point game of the season

Brett Kulak (1 assist) now has at least one point in back-to-back games (1 goal, 1 assist)

Kenny Agostino (1 assist) now has at least one point in back-to-back games (1 goal, 1 assist)

Derek Grant (1 goal) now has at least one point in back-to-back games (1 goal, 1 assist)

Grant also topped his previous high of 11 shots in a game by firing 13 at John Muse, establishing a new team high

Stockton's seven goals ties for the team's season high achieved back on opening night against the Rockford IceHogs (7-0 shutout)

Arnold's first goal coming 2:08 into the game was the fastest by a Heat players this season

Nakladal's 3 assists was the first time a Heat player recorded 3 assists since Kenny Agostino did it on Opening Night, October 10

The Heat are now 2-2 in shootout games. All four games making it past regulation have gone to the shootout

That was the first win by the Stockton Heat when trailing after two periods

QUOTES

"That was a big power play we had late there and we needed those goals. Once we got those couple goals in the third, [the Texas Stars] seemed to get tight on the other side and they played back a little, giving us more room for opportunities on them. We just kept pushing and pushing and they kept falling back. That's a big win for us." - Turner Elson on the two goals in the third that tied the game at six goals each.

"After we leave the rink we have to be business-like again. You have to make sure we leave this one behind us because the next game is big. We have to keep this streak going and climb back into the standings. It's do-or-die now and that's what we're going to do - claw back into it." - Elson on taking the momentum from the last two games and moving forward.

"It was a real character win. We had to deal with some adversity and some unlucky bounces early, but we stayed positive and really showed our character." - Bill Arnold on his overall thoughts of tonight's win.

"There are ups and downs throughout a season and I think before Christmas I was kind of in a slow area. I had to work through things and work with the coaches. Things are starting to come around though now. I have to make sure I don't get too high and keep working - that's how good things happen." - Arnold on his modest two-game point streak.

"These are important points for us. It was kind of a crazy game, but we got the two points and that's what matters. This win is the most important one for us and our confidence going forward." - Jakub Nakladal on what this win means for the Heat moving forward.

"It's all about regrouping. It's no different than if I had stayed in. Those two goals were behind me and there wasn't anything I could do about it at that point. It really is exactly the same thing I would've done had I stayed in." - Joni Ortio on gathering himself after being pulled in the first to come back in and get the win.

"At the end of the day, we won and we're really proud of our players for sticking with it. We gave up some goals early, but we came back from quite a bit behind to find a way to win tonight. That's something we're very proud of." - Head Coach Ryan Huska on his thoughts of tonight's win.

"This is one of those emotional games where we're going to have to turn the page fairly quickly. Our strategy for us to be prepared to play tomorrow is just to make sure we're ready to once again play our style of hockey. We need to get our rest and recovery tonight and make sure everybody's ready to play tomorrow. We've played a lot of hockey in a short period of time, so we have to do a good job of using our bench and everyone needs to be ready to play." - Coach Huska on turning the page for tomorrow's game.

NEXT HOME GAME

STOCKTON HEAT vs. Bakersfield Condors

January 3 @ Stockton Arena

First 2,000 fans receive painted ice poster

Doors @ 3:00 p.m., Puck drop @ 4:00 p.m.

Check out the Stockton Heat Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Stockton Heat Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central