Morning Skate: June 3 at Chicago
June 3, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Stockton Heat at Chicago Wolves
SERIES: Game 1; Series Tied 0-0
LOCATION: Allstate Arena | Chicago, Ill.
TIME: 5:00 p.m. PDT
TUNE IN: Today's game can be streamed on AHLTV, and the radio call is available on Fox Sports Radio 1280 or online via Spreaker.
HEAT INDEX
It's on to the Western Conference Finals for the Stockton Heat after the regular season Pacific Division champions held serve in the postseason, defeating the Colorado Eagles in four games to emerge victorious in the division finals round. The Heat now turn their attention to the Chicago Wolves in a best-of-seven Western Conference Final, each team coming into the series with a postseason record of 6-1. Friday's tilt will be the first-ever clash between the Heat and the Wolves.
BIG, BAD WOLF
Dustin Wolf brought his best hockey to the Pacific Division Finals, earning three shutouts in four games to help the Heat advance. He's just the third-ever AHL goalie to register three shutouts in a playoff series, joining Mika Noronen of the Rochester Americans in 2000 and Gord Henry of the Hershey Bears in 1947 to pull off the shutout hat trick. Entering the series Wolf had yet to register a shutout in 53 career AHL appearances.
COSTCO
Justin Kirkland became the first AHL skater to tally three game-winning goals in one series since Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016. The forward notched the first goal in each of Stockton's three shutout wins over Colorado and finished the four-game set with four goals and six points. Kirkland leads the Heat with five goals and is tied for the team lead with seven points thus far in the playoffs.
FRONT-RUNNERS
The Heat have been dominant en route to the Western Conference Finals, owning a record of 6-1 through the playoffs while scoring first in six of seven games. Through the entire postseason the Heat have trailed for a total of 3:01 of game time, including only 2:28 in the four-game set against the Colorado Eagles.
QUICK RESPONSE
Stockton's clinching win against Colorado continued a season-long trend of quickly responding from setbacks with the Heat now 19-3-1 since the start of the season in the games following losses. Chicago comes into the Western Conference Finals with a record of 18-2-6 since the start of the regular season after taking losses, 1-for-1 bouncing back in the playoffs.
TUSSLE AT THE TOP
The Western Conference Finals presents a meeting of the top two regular season teams in the AHL, with the race between the Heat and Wolves coming down to the final day of the campaign to determine the winner of the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy. Ultimately Chicago took the top overall seed with a win on the last day coupled with a Heat loss, ending Stockton's several-month reign at the top of the league standings.
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American Hockey League Stories from June 3, 2022
- Wolves Rally to Take Game 1 in Overtime - Chicago Wolves
- Heat Fall in Overtime of Western Conference Finals Opener - Stockton Heat
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- Penguins Locker Room Sale Returns Next Weekend - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Checkers Raise More Than $300,000 for the Community in 2021-22 - Charlotte Checkers
- Dual Affiliation Meshes into One-Of-A-Kind Group in Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Morning Skate: June 3 at Chicago - Stockton Heat
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