Heat Host Bakersfield and Santa Tonight at 6 PM
December 15, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: Saturday, December 15, 2018
Time: 6:00 PM
Broadcast: Spreaker, iHeartRadio & AHLTV at 5:45 p.m.
For the live, in-game tweets, follow @AHLHeat. Stay tuned at the end of the game for the Chase Chevrolet Big Moment of the Game with your chance to win an autographed puck from Nick Schneider.
TONIGHT
Stockton welcomes in the Bakersfield Condors on Sing for Santa Night at 6 PM. Stockton practiced at home all week prepping for a Saturday night matchup with Bakersfield, the first meeting since late October. Bakersfield, on the other hand, is playing their second game in as many nights, following a 4-3 shootout win over San Diego. Stockton is 1-2 this year against Bako, but they are 1-0 on home ice.
Tonight is Sing for Santa Night and there will be photo opportunities with Santa all night long, starting at the North Entrance before the game and up on the Puck Drop Party Deck during the game! Remember to stay after the game for postgame autographs in the North Entrance with players.
It is also Hockey Night in Stockton Presented by Budweiser. All fans 21 years old and over can purchase a bud and burger combo for just $14!
WHO TO WATCH
Andrew Nielsen now has two full weeks of practice under his belt and will presumably take on a bigger role tonight with Josh Healey out for three games with a suspension. Nielsen will play in his third game as a member of the Heat tonight. The Red Deer native was much more aggressive on Saturday, compared to Friday, registering five shots on goal and an assist on Curtis Lazar's game winning goal.
GOALIE SHUFFLE
Nick Schneider was assigned to Kansas City on Tuesday, played on Wednesday night in the ECHL, and then was recalled back to Stockton on Thursday. Also, on Thursday, Jon Gillies was recalled by the Calgary Flames for the first time this season. Mike Smith is considered day to day with Calgary. Tyler Parsons has not dressed in a game since October 26, but the goaltending prospect will be one of the two goalies tonight for Stockton.
LAZAR, AGAIN!
Curtis Lazar scored twice in Stockton's last game to propel the Heat to a 3-2 overtime win. Lazar's goals bookended the Heat's offensive attack, including Lazar's team-leading third game winner this season. It all started for the centerman with his league-leading third shorthanded goal of the year. When the Heat need a big goal, defensive zone faceoff or special teams play, Lazar seems to answer the call.
LOW SCORING AFFAIRS
The first two months of Stockton's season was marked by high scoring games. Although Stockton often found themselves on the right side of the track meet, Heat Head Coach Cail MacLean has voiced the importance of learning to play in low scoring games. Stockton's weekend series with Manitoba was a good sign for the Heat. Last weekend's two games featured just eight goals and the Heat have only allowed a combined four goals in their last two wins.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Stockton's penalty kill has killed off 19-22 chances over the last five games. The Heat PK is 40 of their last 47 on the penalty kill over the last twelve games. Since Wednesday, November 14th in Colorado, Stockton is operating at 85.1% on the penalty kill. Stockton's penalty kill got back on track last time out, going 2-5 on the man advantage. Stockton scored their fifth shorthanded goal of the year last Saturday and again it was Curtis Lazar for the Heat.
FIRST GOALS IN CALGARY
On Wednesday night in Calgary, Rasmus Andersson became the latest former Heat player to get his first goal as a Flame. It was a matter of time for the NHL rookie who is looking more comfortable by the day in Calgary. In his 40th game as a member of the Flames he grabbed his first goal with just over a minute to play to help set up the overtime win. Andersson joins Oliver Kylington and Alan Quine as former Heat players this month to pot their first with Calgary.
INTERESTING FACT
Prior to last Saturday's 3-2 overtime victory over Manitoba, Stockton was 0-5-1 on Saturday games. The Heat will look to make it two in a row on Saturdays.
American Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2018
- Wolves Win Fourth in a Row - Chicago Wolves
- Depleted Griffins Fight Back for Shootout Win over Division Leaders - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Condors, Wells Shutout Stockton, 1-0 - Bakersfield Condors
- Haggerty Hat Trick Leads Penguins over Phantoms - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Penguins Top Phantoms in Feisty Rivalry Affair - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Amerks Sweep Monsters with 2-1 Win in Overtime - Rochester Americans
- Monsters Fall to Amerks in Overtime, 2-1 - Cleveland Monsters
- Mascherin Nets Overtime Goal for 3-2 Win in Rockford - Texas Stars
- Dal Colle scores two more and Bridgeport ties a franchise record by extending its points streak at home to 13 games - Bridgeport Islanders
- Senators Conclude Week with Loss in Binghamton - Belleville Senators
- McIntyre Breaks P-Bruin Wins Record in 6-2 Victory - Providence Bruins
- Admirals Earn Point in Shoot-Out Loss - Milwaukee Admirals
- Devils Rebound with 3-1 Win over Senators - Binghamton Devils
- Bruins Score Five Unanswered, Drop Bears 6-2 - Hershey Bears
- Charlotte Edges Wolf Pack Again - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Sound Tigers Prove to be Too Much for T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Top Wolf Pack on Teddy Bear Toss Night - Charlotte Checkers
- Dominant Performance Lifts Rocket 4-0 over Crunch - Laval Rocket
- Stage Set for Game Two in Winnipeg - Toronto Marlies
- Crunch Blanked by Rocket, 4-0 - Syracuse Crunch
- Rangers Recall Boo Nieves from Hartford - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Tucson, Arizona: A Player's Paradise - Tucson Roadrunners
- Promotional Advisory: Another Winning Wednesday Coming up against Cleveland - Grand Rapids Griffins
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
- Texas Stars Recall Left Wing Spencer Naas from Idaho - Texas Stars
- T-Birds Visit Sound Tigers for Sixth Meeting of Season - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Sabres Recall Matt Hunwick - Rochester Americans
- Game #25 Preview: Tucson at Chicago - Tucson Roadrunners
- Heat Host Bakersfield and Santa Tonight at 6 PM - Stockton Heat
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators at Devils, December 15 - Belleville Senators
- Capitals Recall Tyler Lewington from Hershey - Hershey Bears
- Game Preview: Bears at Bruins, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Panthers Recall Forwards Jayce Hawryluk, Henrik Borgstrom from T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Bakersfield Edges Gulls in Shootout - San Diego Gulls
- Condors Prevail 4-3 in a Shootout over San Diego - Bakersfield Condors
- Soshnikov, Kyrou Headline Shootout Win over Wild - San Antonio Rampage
- Moose Outplayed by Sharp Marlies - Manitoba Moose
- Crunch Take First of Back-To-Back 3-2 in Shootout - Laval Rocket
- Iowa Falls in the Shootout to San Antonio by a Score of 4-3 - Iowa Wild
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