Poulin Magnificent But Heat Suffer Setback in Illinois
January 16, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release
Rockford, IL. - Stockton Heat goaltender Kevin Poulin stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced, including a handful of surefire goals, but the Rockford IceHogs received high-quality performances from their team defense and their goaltender - Michael Leighton - en route to a 3-0 victory over the Heat Saturday night. Poulin's loss is his first loss in regulation this season as a member of the Heat, while Leighton earned his second shutout of the season for Rockford. The Stockton Heat will now look to put this game behind them, as they have a quick turnaround for a Sunday matinee contest against the Iowa Wild.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Period
Rockford goal: F Vinnie Hinostroza (5) a partial breakaway and a backhand-forehand move that is tucked into the net around the goaltender's outstretched leg (Ross, Svedberg assists), 13:38
Shots: STK - 11 | RFD - 12
2nd Period
No goals
Shots: STK - 4 | RFD - 8
3rd Period
Rockford goal: F P.C. Labrie (12) shot off the faceoff win from the top of the circle goes high past the goaltender and goes into the net just inside the bar (McNeill assist), 17:52
Rockford goal: D Ville Pokka (6) shot from the opposite side of the ice trickles into the empty net (Svedberg assist), 19:09 (EN)
Shots: STK - 8 | RFD - 9
GOALIES
W: Michael Leighton (23 shots, 23 saves)
L: Kevin Poulin (28 shots, 26 saves)
NOTABLE STATISTICS
Three Stars: 1- Michael Leighton (23-save shutout) 2- Vinnie Hinostroza (1 goal) 3- Daniel Paille (plus-2, 3 shots)
Final Shots: STK - 23 | RFD - 29
Power Plays: STK - 0/4 | RFD - 0/3
Kevin Poulin suffers his first loss in regulation of the season with the Heat
Derek Grant's six-game point streak is still intact, though he did not play in tonight's game (illness)
QUOTES
"Kevin [Poulin] made a lot of good saves for us tonight. There were stretches where we overcomplicated things in our own zone with turnovers and he was there to bail us out pretty consistently all night." - Head Coach Ryan Huska on the play of goaltender Kevin Poulin tonight.
"I think the "try' was there for us tonight and the guys worked hard, but I don't necessarily think we worked all that smart. There were a few too many turnovers for us and I thought we were a little sloppy with the puck, especially in our own zone." - Coach Huska on the turnovers in the defensive zone tonight.
"[Derek Grant] is our skill guy, but as I said before the game his absence is an opportunity for someone else to step up and prove himself. We needed to keep our game simple tonight missing guys like Grant and [Bill Arnold], but we really made it tough on ourselves with our play in our own zone." - Coach Huska on the absence of Derek Grant and Bill Arnold from the lineup.
"We didn't get a lot of quality chances in front of their net. I don't think we made [Michael Leighton's] job too difficult tonight and we maybe had four scoring chances. Their defense did a good job of blocking shots and getting into the lanes. We have to do a better job of getting to the net and earning second chances." - Coach Huska on the quality of his team's shots.
NEXT HOME GAME
STOCKTON HEAT vs. Manitoba Moose
January 22 @ Stockton Arena
First 1,000 adults 18 & over receive a Heat cap
Doors @ 6:30 p.m., Puck drop @ 7:30 p.m.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2016
- Monsters Outrun Wolves, 4-2 - Cleveland Monsters
- Rampage Fall to Admirals 6-3 - San Antonio Rampage
- Klinkhammer's Shorthanded Goal Wins It for Condors, 4-2, in Ontario - Bakersfield Condors
- McKenna Writes History in Pirates 3-1 Victory - Portland Pirates
- McKenna Writes History in Pirates 3-1 Victory - Portland Pirates
- Wolves Blocked by Monsters - Chicago Wolves
- Poulin Magnificent But Heat Suffer Setback in Illinois - Stockton Heat
- Barracuda Extend Point Streak to Nine Games in 2-1 Overtime Loss to Wild - San Jose Barracuda
- Comets 100th Win Comes in Dramatic Fashion over Old Ghost - Utica Comets
- Record Crowd Sees Wild in OT - Iowa Wild
- Aberg Gets Hat Trick in Admirals Win - Milwaukee Admirals
- Record Crowd at PPL Center as Phantoms Garner 5th Straight Sellout - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolf Pack Tops Lehigh Valley 2-1 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Crunch Halt Penguins' Seven-Game Win Streak, 4-2 - Syracuse Crunch
- Crunch Defeat Penguins in Syracuse, 4-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Bears Come Back to Take Down Falcons in Shootout - Hershey Bears
- Wild Smashes Attendance Record in Iowa - Iowa Wild
- Power Play Errupts for Two Goals But Falcons Lose in Shootout - Springfield Falcons
- B-Sens Drop 2-1 Decision to Amerks - Binghamton Senators
- Amerks Rebound with 2-1 Win over B-Sens - Rochester Americans
- Bridgeport falls in Portland for second night in a row - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wedgewood Shines in Albany Devils OT Loss - Albany Devils
- Werek's Hot Hand Lifts Checkers over Moose - Charlotte Checkers
- Manitoba Moose Post-Game Report - Manitoba at Charlotte - January 16 - Manitoba Moose
- Toronto Marlies Post Game Notes - Toronto Marlies
- IceCaps Can't Catch Marlies - St. John's IceCaps
- Canucks Reassign Taylor Fedun to Utica - Utica Comets
- Knodel, Hackett Sent to Utah - San Diego Gulls
- Rockford to Face Stockton on Pink in the Rink Night - Rockford IceHogs
- Jamie Oleksiak Assigned to Texas from Dallas - Texas Stars
- Rampage Recall Alex Belzile - San Antonio Rampage
- IceCaps Release Neilson from PTO - St. John's IceCaps
- Stockton Kicks off Midwest Swing in Rockford - Stockton Heat
- Reign Look to Carry Momentum into Tonight's American Red Cross Tilt vs. Bakersfield - Ontario Reign
- Sabres Recall Philip Varone - Rochester Americans
- LoVerde Powers Reign in 5-0 Shutout Win over Gulls - Ontario Reign
- Barracuda Bite Hogs at Home - Rockford IceHogs
- Texas' Late Tally Downs Condors - Bakersfield Condors
- Gulls Blanked on Road by Reign, 5-0 - San Diego Gulls
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.
