From the Heat. The Abbotsford Heat lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) 3-1 on Saturday night at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre (AESC). The Heat remains in second place in the Western Conference with a 23-11-1-1 record and 48 points.
Photo by Clint Trahan/Abbotsford Heat
Markus Granlund had the lone goal for the Heat, who lost their second game in as many nights to the Bulldogs. Kane Lafranchise and Max Reinhart each had one assist.
Granlund scored the first goal of the night at 11:31 in the first period, assisted by Lafranchise and Reinhart on the power play. The Heat maintained their 1-0 lead through 20 minutes, with goaltender Joey MacDonald standing tall to keep the Bulldogs scoreless on 9 shots. The first period ended with the Heat outshooting the Bulldogs 11-9.
The teams played an even second period, matching each other stride for stride until Gabriel Dumont evened the score at 16:48. The second period finished in a 1-1 tie.
The Bulldogs took the lead just 49 seconds into the third period with a power play goal by Dumont. Maxime Macenauer sealed the Bulldogs lead with a goal into an empty net at 19:44.
Abbotsford capitalized on one of the six power play opportunities, and killed off two of the three Bulldogs man advantages.
Joey MacDonald stopped 25 of 27 shots while Dustin Tokarski made 26 saves on 27 shots.
The Abbotsford Heat now embark on a six game road trip before returning home to face off against Utica Comets (AHL affiliate to Vancouver Canucks) on Friday, January 24th and Saturday, January 25th. Fans are encouraged to purchase the Comets flex package including six tickets to be used in any combination when the Heat take on the Comets. The Comets package starts at $81, call 1-877-452-HEAT (4328) to purchase yours today!