Heat Welcome in Manitoba for First Time this Season at 7:30 p.m.
January 22, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
TONIGHT
The Stockton Heat will host the Manitoba Moose for the very first time this season at Stockton Arena, as the two teams open up a Friday-Saturday double-header against one another in Stockton.
Derek Grant leads the home team into tonight's contest riding a seven-game point streak - a big reason why Stockton is 5-2-1-0 in their last eight games.
Manitoba enters tonight's tilt looking to improve on what has been a tough stretch that has seen them earn wins in just two of their last 10 games.
WHO TO WATCH
Derek Grant continues to impress night in and night out, carrying a seven-game point streak into tonight's game, but last Sunday in Iowa may have been his most stellar performance yet.
His career-night consisted of four points, a team-high plus-3 rating and he was on the ice for five of Stockton's seven goals.
Grant's three assists and four points were both AHL career highs for him personally and tied team-highs in each category for the Heat this season.
And oh yeah, by the way, he did all that while sick with the flu.
Simply put - the game in Iowa was a snapshot of how Grant's entire season has gone and he continues to rack up new career totals and threaten personal records.
In many ways, Grant has carried the Heat offensively this season, but he also props up anyone that he skates with on his line.
He makes others around him better and has seemed to gel with just about anybody lately. There is no doubt that Grant will be looking to extend his point streak to eight games here tonight against Manitoba.
HOME COOKIN'
After playing seven of their last 11 on the road, the Stockton Heat now settle in for two weeks and four games at Stockton Arena for their longest homestand yet this season.
It is the first of three such homestands this season for the Heat and with just 14 games played thus far at home, the Heat are looking forward to spending some time at their barn and keeping their recent solid play alive.
After two games against the Manitoba Moose Friday and Saturday, the Heat will take on the Ontario Reign and the Bakersfield Condors next week to round out their extended stay at Stockton Arena. However, coach Huska cautioned against looking past the struggling Manitoba Moose, as they are just as desperate as Stockton for the wins at this point in the season.
The focus is certainly fixed on tonight's tilt, but the lack of a looming road trip may help the team stay focused on one game at a time.
TEDDY BEAR TOSS SATURDAY NIGHT
This Saturday, the Stockton Heat will feature one of our favorite promotions as Teddy Bear Toss returns for the 11th season in Stockton.
The Heat host the event for the first time, where you, the fans, are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to the game and once the Heat score (make sure it's a good goal too because San Diego had this problem this season), fans chuck their teddy bears and stuffed animals onto the ice which will then be collected, counted and distributed to local charities courtesy of the United Way.
This year, the Heat's ownership group has already seen one team they own, the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, break world records for the amount of bears collected 28,815 bears and stuffed animals.
While the Heat might not be able to keep up with the Hitmen, one team should certainly help motivate Stockton fans to bring a bunch of bears to the game as the Heat's biggest rival, the Bakersfield Condors, collected 7,908 and we want to beat that number right here at Stockton Arena.
INTERESTING FACT
Derek Grant's point streak is not just heating up Stockton, but the AHL as well.
His seven-game streak is currently tied for the longest in the AHL with Wilkes/Barre-Scranton forward Conor Sheary. Both players have 12 points in their streaks.
Grant is also tied for the second-longest active road-scoring streak with points in his last seven away from Stockton Arena, while he has scored at least one goal in his last three games at Stockton Arena.
In fact, Grant has collected at least one point in all but two games he's played in at Stockton Arena this season.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: January 22, 2016
Time: 7:30 p.m. PST (Doors at 6:30 p.m.)
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker & iHeartRadio beginning at 7:15 p.m. PST
Leading Scorer: STOCKTON: F Derek Grant (24GP, 17-11-28)
MANITOBA: F Chase De Leo (38GP, 11-10-21)
Giveaway: First 1,000 fans 18 & older receive a Heat cap
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 Blair Riley puck.
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