Heat Hot Sheet

Published on November 8, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


ABBOTSFORD BC - The Abbotsford Heat will wrap their eight-game home stand on Monday and Tuesday night at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. So far the Heat is 3-3 on the stand with splits versus the Rochester Americans, Milwaukee Admirals and the San Antonio Rampage.

Abbotsford is 7-6-0-1 on the season and tied with the Manitoba Moose for 3rd place in the AHL's North Division. Over the past weekend, the Heat split with the San Antonio Rampage, falling 5-1 on Friday night before coming back for an impressive 4-1 win on Saturday evening. Powell River's Cam Cunning was awarded the first star on Saturday evening, as the impressive power forward scored once and added an assist.

The Heat will close out with the Aeros on Monday and Tuesday then embark on a five game road trip. The trip begins this Friday as the Heat will take on the Boston Bruins primary affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on Friday and then again on Sunday. In between games, the Heat will venture to Glen Falls, NY to face the Philadelphia Flyers affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

KEITH REWARDED

Aldergrove's Matt Keith currently leads the Heat lead in goals with seven. For his efforts in the month of October, the winger was named the Ronald Allan Clothiers Player of the Month as voted by the fans. Keith scored in seven different games for the month in which the team compiled a record of 6-5-0-1. The twenty seven year old is the oldest player on the AHL's youngest team.

LOUIE LOUIE!

The youngest player on the Heat roster, centre Gaelan Patterson, is tied for the team scoring lead with nine points (3G-6A). Patterson centers the `Kid Line' of Lance Bouma and Greg Nemisz, which over the past three weeks has been the best line on the team. `Louie' gets his nickname from his teammates, who think that the rookie looks like comedian and former Family Feud Host Louie Anderson.

BANCKS SHOTS

Marysville BC's Carter Bancks leads the team in scoring with nine points. In fourteen games this year, the rookie has been a minus player in just two of those games, and never more than a -1. Bancks has been a catalyst on the penalty kill with one goal and two assists as the Heat lead the AHL with five shorthanded goals on the season. Head coach Jim Playfair has been so confident with Bancks' play that he has moved Bancks all thru the lineup to jumpstart other players. "I don't know if I've ever seen a team block as many shots as I did tonight," Heat head coach Jim Playfair said after the Heat's 4-1 win on Saturday night over San Antonio. "Maybe in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals against Tampa Bay (Playfair was an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames in 2004). They took great pride in it, they expected it from one another, and they did a good job. A bunch of young kids, they were hungry to win." Playfair singled out Bancks, Gaelan Patterson and Joe Piscula as players who lead the shot blocking parade by example.

CUNNING INDEED!

Powell River's Cam Cunning has picked up right where he left off last seasonscoring regularly. Last season, Cunning used the second half of the season to springboard his scoring game. With just five goals in his first 33 games last year, Cunning became a consistent contributor for the Heat, scoring 14 goals down the stretch after January 15th to help the Heat secure a playoff spot. This season, he has picked up where he left off, with six goals and nine points to tie for the Heat lead in scoring. If Cunning can maintain his pace, he would finish the season with 30+ goals.

MOOSE SIGHTING

The Abbotsford HEAT will welcome the Manitoba Moose to the AESC for a pair of games on November 26 and 27. The Vancouver Canucks affiliate is always a popular ticket here in Canuck Country and tickets for both games are selling exceptionally well. "These games are always well attended and have been selling nicely," comments Heat VP of Ticket Sales and Service Justin McIntyre. "Our sales team has done a great job of packaging the Moose games with other great games. Our `Moose Meat Sampler Packs' have been very popular and continue to be a hot seller."

Fans can get their hands on Moose tickets by calling the toll free HEAT ticket line at 1-877-452-HEAT (4328). You can also go online to www.abbotsfordheat.com to order tickets online.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from November 8, 2010


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.

OurSports Central