From The Heat. The Heat finished up their five-game road trip against the Chicago Wolves on February 23rd. Through five games, the Heat were 2-2-1-0 and outscored their opponents 16-15. Overall on the road, they have 17 wins, which is the most in the Western Conference. Starting this weekend, the Heat begin an eight-game home stand, in which the first six games feature head to head matchups against teams that are top contenders in the Western Conference.
Although a solid road team, the Heat have performed better on home ice, with a .692 winning percentage. During their last home stand, the Heat won five of the eight games and earned at least a point in seven. The team tied their all-time record for longest home winning streak, with five straight wins from 01/31/14 to 02/08/14.
The Heat are now in second place in the West Division with a 33-17-4-1 record and 71 points.
Friday, February 28th – 7:00 PM PST – AESC
Saturday, March 1st – 7:00 PM PST – AESC
Radio: CIVL RADIO 101.7FM
Streaming: TEAMRADIO.CA
*Pre-Game Show begins 15 minutes prior puck-drop
HEAT vs. GRIFFINS (AHL AFFILIATE OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS)
The Heat and the Griffins have split their season series thus far, with the final two games in the series taking place this weekend. Looking to the all-time record, Abbotsford holds more wins than the Griffins, at 10-7-1-0 and with games at the AESC between the two squads, the Heat own a 5-2-1-0 record in the past five years.
Grand Rapids and Abbotsford have the same amount of points in the standings with 71. However, the defending champions hold the second spot in the Western Conference as they lead the Midwest Division. They come into the Fraser Valley riding a three game win streak, in which they have outscored their opponents 10-4. Calle Jarnkrok has tallied five points (1-4-5) in the last three games, while Griffins top scorer Teemu Pulkkinen is coming off a three point performance (2-1-3) from Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, scoring two goals less than 10 seconds apart.
2013-14 Heat head to head stats vs. Grand Rapids Griffins:
01/17/14—ABB 0 MIL 3 @ Van Andel Arena
01/18/14—ABB 3 MIL 2 @ Van Andel Arena
Individual leaders in season series (among active skaters):
ABB: Reinhart: 3 points in 2 GP (1-2-3), Bancks: 1 point in 2 GP (1-0-1), Arsene: 1 point in 1 GP (0-1-1), MacDonald 1 GP (0-1-0-0, 29/32 saves)
GRA: Ferraro: 2 points in 2 GP (1-1-2), Almquist: 2 points in 2 GP (0-2-2), Tootoo: 2 points in 2 GP (0-2-2), McCollum: 2 GP (1-1-0-0, 68/71 saves)
NEWS & NOTES
The Calgary Flames announced on February 23rd that they have assigned forward Ben Hanowski to the Abbotsford Heat.
The Calgary Flames announced on the February 24th that they have recalled centre Markus Granlund from the Heat. Granlund along with Joni Ortio, will both make their NHL debut on Thursday, against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Heat announced on February 24th that they have released goaltender Aaron Dell from PTO. During Dell’s short stint with Abbotsford, the Airdrie, Alberta native appeared in two games registering a 0-1-0-0 record along with a 1.39 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
Friday, February 28th, will feature another $3 $2 $1 Brew Dog ‘N Pop night. For tickets, please call 1-877-452-HEAT (4328), or visit us online at www.abbotsfordheat.com.
Brandon Astle will bring all live Heat action this week on 101.7 CIVL FM and on www.teamradio.ca. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes before puck drop.