Heat Head to Bakersfield Closing in on Division Title
April 23, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
Saturday, April 23, 2022
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Stockton Heat (44-14-5-2; 1st Pacific) at Bakersfield Condors (35-20-5-5; 5th Pacific)
LOCATION: Mechanics Bank Arena | Bakersfield, California
TIME: 7:00 p.m. PDT
TUNE IN: Today's game can be streamed on AHLTV, and the radio call is available on Fox Sports Radio 1280 or online via Spreaker.
HEAT INDEX
A valiant effort fell just short on Friday for the Stockton Heat, who dropped the front end of the two-game weekend by a 5-4 final against the Abbotsford Canucks. Stockton will now look to bounce back on Saturday against the Bakersfield Condors, the first of three consecutive road games to end the regular season over the next week. The Heat hit the road with a division-clinching magic number of just one point.
WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOUR
Jakob Pelletier shook out of a quiet stretch on the offensive end with a career-best four points on Friday, all assists in Stockton's overtime battle with Abbotsford. The rookie had two primary and two secondary assists in the game, the four apples being a season high for Stockton skaters, and it was the fourth four-point night posted by a Heat player this season. With the outing, Pelletier is within two points of Rochester's JJ Peterka for the league rookie scoring league at 62 points.
DID YOU C THAT
With his goal in the third period on Friday, Heat captain Byron Froese extended his scoring streak to a career-long nine games. The marker was Froese's 20th of the season, the fifth Heat skater to reach the 20-goal mark this season. In his current point streak, the captain has three goals and seven assists.
GOALS IN BULK
Justin Kirkland got the scoring started on Friday with his career-best 25th lamp-lighter of the campaign. Kirkland now has goals in four consecutive contests, a career-long scoring streak, and has 31 points (15g,16a) in Stockton's last 30 games, second-most on the roster behind only Matthew Phillips (34) since February 1. Kirkland is tied with Pelletier for the team's scoring lead since March 1 with 21 points in 22 games played and is tied with Froese for the team lead with 10 points in April.
DO THE MATTH
Matthew Phillips became the first-ever Stockton Heat skater to reach the 30 goal mark and is the first Flames prospect to reach the milestone since Krys Kolanos of the Abbotsford Heat in 2011-12. Phillips, who has 67 points on the year, is just three helpers shy of the team record of 40 set by Linden Vey in 2016-17.
THEN THERE WAS ONE
After Friday's results, Stockton's division-clinching magic number is down to one point. The Heat will close out their first-ever Pacific Division championship with a win, overtime loss, shootout loss or Ontario loss of any kind the rest of the season. It would be the fourth time ever that the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate has won a divisional crown, joining the Saint John Flames in 1997-98 and 2000-01 and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in 2006-07. With Stockton's next point, the Heat will finish with the most points ever by any Pacific Division team.
American Hockey League Stories from April 23, 2022
- Sikura's Hat Trick Propels Eagles to 5-1 Win over Ontario - Colorado Eagles
- Heat Clinch Pacific Division Championship - Stockton Heat
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- Barracuda Finish Season with 5-2 Loss at Henderson - San Jose Barracuda
- Pat Nagle Magnificent in Record Performance - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Slow Start Costs Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Henderson Wins 5-2 against Baraccuda - Henderson Silver Knights
- Crunch Roll Past Rocket, 5-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Providence Bruins Fall to Charlotte Checkers, 2-1 on Saturday Night - Providence Bruins
- Stars Sweep Wild to Inch Closer to a Playoff Berth - Texas Stars
- IceHogs Clinch 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs with 5-3 Win over Moose - Rockford IceHogs
- Wild Drop Close Contest to Stars, 2-1 - Iowa Wild
- Checkers Beat Bruins to Clinch Atlantic Division Title - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolf Pack Edge Islanders in Final 'Battle of Connecticut' of 2021-22 Season - Hartford Wolf Pack
- IceHogs Announce 2022 Calder Cup Playoff Tickets On-Sale Sunday - Rockford IceHogs
- Penguins Upended by Thunderbirds, 3-1 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Hofer's Heroic Efforts Lifts T-Birds over Penguins - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Amerks Unable to Hold Lead in 4-2 Loss to Monsters - Rochester Americans
- Strong Second Period Keys Monsters Comeback Win in Rochester - Cleveland Monsters
- Riley Barber Returns to West Michigan - Grand Rapids Griffins
- 5 Things: Heat at Bakersfield - Stockton Heat
- Roadrunners' Empey Suspended for One Game - AHL
- Connolly to Miss 4-6 Weeks - Rockford IceHogs
- Canucks Show No Quit, Defeat Heat 5-4 in OT to Extend Win Streak to Eight - Abbotsford Canucks
- Sandström to Flyers, McFadden to Reading - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Minnesota Wild Recalls Forward Joseph Cramarossa from Iowa - Iowa Wild
- Colorado Avalanche Recall Goaltender Annunen - Colorado Eagles
- Wolf Pack Visit Islanders in Final 'Battle of Connecticut' - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Heat Head to Bakersfield Closing in on Division Title - Stockton Heat
- Wolf Pack Recall G François Brassard from Loan - Hartford Wolf Pack
- T-Birds Host Final 2 Regular Season Home Games - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Game Preview: Phantoms at Bears, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Barber & Hirose Recalled by Detroit - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Game #66: Tucson at San Diego - Tucson Roadrunners
- Rockford Trying to Make Tonight the Night as They Look for One Lone Point for Playoff Clinch - Rockford IceHogs
- Roadrunners Drop Final Matchup Of The Season With Bakersfield Condors - Tucson Roadrunners
- Silver Knights Top Barracuda, 6-4 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Barracuda Sliced by Silver Knights, 6-4 - San Jose Barracuda
- Pelletier Helps Heat Reduce Magic Number to One Point - Stockton Heat
- Colorado Uses Hot Start to Top Reign, 6-4 - Colorado Eagles
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