Heat Host San Diego with Both Teams Searching for First December Win
December 5, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: December 5, 2015
Time: 7:30 p.m. PST (Doors at 6:30 p.m.)
Broadcast: A special presentation of tonight's broadcast will air in Canada on Sportsnet 960 the Fan and will also be on AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 7:15 p.m. PST
Giveaway: First 1,000 adults 18 & over receive a Heat t-shirt
Leading Scorer: STOCKTON: F Freddie Hamilton (16GP, 5-8-13)
SAN DIEGO: D Brandon Montour (20GP, 5-17-22)
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 Jon Gillies puck.
TONIGHT
The Stockton Heat look to bounce back from last night's setback in San Jose, as the Heat host the San Diego Gulls for a Saturday night tilt at Stockton Arena.
The Gulls come into the game with just three wins in their last 10 games, while the Heat have collected four wins, including one over San Diego, in their last 10.
LAST TIME VS. SAN DIEGO
In Kevin Poulin's Stockton Arena debut, he and the Heat shutout San Diego 4-0 back on November 18th.
Poulin stopped 21 shots and earned first star honors for his efforts, while the second star of the night, Derek Grant, bookended the contest with the game's opening and closing goals.
It was also Grant's return to the Heat following a nine-game stint with the Calgary Flames. It was an absolutely welcomed return for Grant, as he and his linemates that night, Turner Elson and Emile Poirier, went for five points as a unit and the Heat collected the shutout victory.
WHO TO WATCH
Tonight we'll be watching the big centerman Derek Grant.
Grant has hit a bit of a cold spell following his triumphant return to the Heat lineup against San Diego last month, failing to score in the five games since.
However, the big centerman has shown the ability to have a big game against the Gulls and will be looking to replicate, or even improve upon his last contest against them in which #27 earned his second multi-goal game of the year.
He has been peppering opposing goalie's with shots since that game, registering 18 official shots and adding many more attempted shots during this five-game drought.
However, Grant is not a guy teams can keep out of the goal column for long. Watch for him to look for a big game tonight back home in Stockton.
THE CAPTAIN GETS HIS FIRST
Heat captain Aaron Johnson got in the goal column last night with his first tally of the season, but he has been a huge asset to the Stockton blueline across all 200-feet of the ice all year long.
His eight points from the backend leads all Heat defensemen and his plus-3 rating ranks him second among active players.
The NHL and AHL veteran of over 700 combined games continues to be a force on the offensive blueline and that fact was highlighted last night in San Jose, when his slap shot rang through the SAP Center to pull the Heat within one of the Barracuda.
A player like Johnson could certainly build off a performance like his from last night and start seeing his name on the scoresheet even more often than he already does.
THE ITALIAN STALLION FRIES THE FISH
Following last night's two-goal effort, Kenny Agostino now has three goals on the season, all of which have come against the San Jose Barracuda.
Is he just a big fan of seafood? Perhaps, but nevertheless, Agostino has been buzzing around the offensive zone all year and is currently sitting in third place on the team with 45 shots on goal.
His quick hands and vision of the ice allow him to be a threat wherever he is on the ice and he has shown the ability to not just create chances for himself, but to set up his teammates with golden opportunities as well.
Agostino was the team's top scorer last season in Adirondack and has been hovering around the top of the team's points rankings again this season, despite his early struggles to find the back of the net.
He and his linemates Freddie Hamilton and Garnet Hathaway were the most effective line offensively last night in San Jose and will certainly be looking to repeat their success in the offensive zone tonight against San Diego.
INTERESTING FACT
The Heat are 3-0-0 when scoring first on home ice this season. They picked up wins in two of their last three games at Stockton Arena after scoring first. The lone exception was the last home game against the Condors last Friday when Bakersfield scored 2:04 into the game to open the scoring.
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