Heat Hot Sheet - Bruins on the Horizon

Published on February 22, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


ABBOTSFORD BC - The Abbotsford Heat finished off a disappointing week in their chase for a Calder Cup Playoff spot, dropping a pair of close games to the veteran laden Oklahoma City Barons this past weekend.

On Friday night in Calgary, the Heat's Ryan Stone scored his fifth goal in his past three games, but Alexandre Giroux scored the game winning goal on a bad Heat line change with just over a minute to play to lead the Barons past the Heat 3-1.

On Saturday back in the Fraser Valley, Greg Nemisz and Logan MacMillan would score early first period goals to pace the Heat to an early 2-0 lead. However, Abbotsford resident Brad Moran and Finnish rookie Teemu Hartikainen scored in regulation before Marc Arcobello scored in overtime as the Barons completed the two game sweep of the Heat with a 3-2 OT win.

HEAT NOTES:

STONE CONTINUES TO ROLL - Ryan Stone continues to find his form following a nasty knee injury that has him in rehab for nearly 10 months. Over the past seven Heat games, Stone has posted seven points (4 goals and three assists) and has been named the first star for the Heat on three separate occasions. Stone has also had 17 shots on goal over his past seven games.

LOGAN'S RUN - Heat forward Logan MacMillan was inserted into the lineup by Heat Head Coach Jim Playfair on Saturday versus Oklahoma City, looking to change things up and provide a spark. MacMillan responded by scoring his first goal in 19 games and giving his team a 2-0 lead at the time. MacMillan is the only player on the Heat to hail from Prince Edward Island.

NEMO BOUNCES BACK - Rookie forward Greg Nemisz is having a far more productive February. In January, the winger was only able to manage one goal and one assist while being held off the score sheet in eleven of the Heat's 13 games. This month, Nemisz has seven points, but more importantly to Coach Playfair, has been a +7.

THIS WEEK:

FRIDAY and SATURDAY- The Abbotsford Heat will face the Providence Bruins (Boston Bruins) in a pair of weekend clashes at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. Back in November, the Heat faced the Bruins in a pair of games in Providence, with the Heat taking three of four points.

On November 12th, Quintin Laing made his Heat debut, scoring once and adding an assist while Aldergrove's Matt Keith added a goal and an assist to go along with a +3 rating as the Heat pounded the Bruins 5-2 behind a 42 shot bonanza.

On November 14th, the Heat carried a 3-2 lead late into the third period, only to have Jeremy Reich score two late goals to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead with 1:24 to play. The Heat never panicked, and with JP Lamoureux on the bench with the extra attacker, TJ Brodie would wire his first AHL goal of the season home with 28 seconds to play to force extra time. In the shootout, Greg Nemisz would score, but it would not be enough as the Bruins held off the Heat 5-4.

NOTABLE BRUINS:

Zach Hamill - The pride of Port Coquitlam, Zach Hamill in his third full season with the P-Bruins. This former first round draft pick (8th overall in 2007) has also seen some time with the big club in Boston this season, posting one assist in three games. With the Providence Bruins this season, Hamill is second in team scoring with 32 points; including a team high 27 assists. Hamill and Heat goaltender Leland Irving are long time teammates with the WHL's Everett Silvertips.

Jamie Arniel - Last season, Arniel was selected as the Providence Bruins Rookie of the Year. This year, he leads the team in goals with 16 and points with 36.

Kirk MacDonald - An AHL veteran from Victoria BC, MacDonald will likely have family and friends in the stands this weekend. MacDonald has 11G-15A for 26 points on the season.

This Friday is `Get Red-y for a win night' as the Heat take on the Bruins. Fans are encouraged to wear red to support their home team. Also, with a Heat victory, every Heat fan with a ticket stub from this game will receive a free ticket to an upcoming Heat home game in early April. For all the details, visit www.abbotsfordheat.com . In addition, Friday is another `LOONIE-TOONIE DOG `N BREW NIGHT' at the AESC. Hot dogs are just $1 each and beer is on for $2.

All of the Heat action can be heard on Country 107.1 FM. Dave Sheldon has the call of every game. For road games, the pregame show will get things started 15 minutes before faceoff, while at home Dave and Craig MacEwen of Roger's Sportsnet will get the Diamond Bar Equipment Pregame Show underway thirty minutes prior to puck drop.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 22, 2011


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