On Friday, Stockton welcomed the red hot Tucson Roadrunners, who were coming off back-to-back shutouts against the San Jose Barracuda. The Heat were without the services of Andrew Mangiapane with an upper-body injury (UBI), Jon Gillies with a lower-body injury (LBI), and Tyler Parsons (UBI). From my source, Mangiapane and Gillies are day-to-day, while Parsons is week-to-week.
But first, the Heat returned to Stockton Arena after a three-game road trip that saw a loss to Ontario and back-to-back wins against Colorado. A brief recap of that trip:
- Gillies was pulled in Ontario after giving up four goals (two shorthanded) in two periods. Nick Schneider came in and stopped all five shots he faced. Ryan Lomberg broke up the shutout with his second goal of the year in a 4-1 setback.
- In the first of a two-game set in Colorado, Gillies was pulled, this time late in the second period, after allowing another four goals (two shorthanded). Trailing 4-3, Schneider replaced him again, and did not allow a goal in just over 22 minutes of play. Adam Ollas-Mattsson recorded his first goal of the year with just over a minute left, and newly signed (earlier that day) defenseman Rob Hamilton won it in overtime. It was later revealed that Gillies was hurt.
- The next night Schneider made the most of his first start of the year, stopping 33 of 35 shots en route to a 4-2 victory. Curtis Lazar had the first three-point night of his career (2-1).
FRIDAY, NOV. 16
Klimchuk | Lazar | Robinson |
Rychel | Quine | Foo |
Pollock | Graovac | Lomberg |
Peluso | Gawdin | Phillips |
Kylington | Ollas-Mattsson | |
Taormina | Valiev | |
Healey | Hamilton | |
Schneider |
To the delight of the over 4,000 in attendance, this was a physical game throughout the contest. Stockton came out playing hard, finishing their checks hard to try and slow down a very fast Tucson squad, but the Roadrunners were the first team to light the lamp with a partial breakaway just after four minutes in. Stockton continued to fight and finally broke Tucson’s goalie Merrick Madsen’s scoreless streak when a centering pass deflected off Matthew Phillips and into the net to tie things up at one.
In the second, the visitors peppered Schneider with 16 shots, but the 21-year-old continued to stifle them. Stockton generated seven shots of their own, but the score remained tied going into the third period.
Schneider with 1 of 16 saves in the second
Play was spirited in the final frame, as both teams put the pressure on to take the lead. With just under five minutes left, Kerby Rychel went top cheese with his team-leading seventh goal to put the Heat up by one. Stockton stayed focused, played great defense in front of Schneider, and finished off the night with an Oliver Kylington empty netter to seal the win 3-1.
(For whatever reason, only the Tucson feed is available for the highlights. Spoiler alert: it will not show Rychel’s game-winning goal. Totally unacceptable from a Heat home game.)
AFTERTHOUGHTS
I finally know what a goalie’s glove is used for: to make a save without giving up a rebound. I know that is harsh, but it was refreshing to see Schneider swallow the puck when able and kick to the open areas when needed. His defense has played well in front of him, moving players to allow clean looks and cleaning up loose biscuits in front when shots would die in front of the Stockton netminder.
Currently, Schneider is sporting a 1.12 GAA and a .962 save percentage. At 6’2”, he plays bigger than the 6’6” Gillies. C-Fan in Van says Schneider is streaky. Let’s hope this hot streak continues.
Schneider on top of his crease
With Gillies and Parsons out, the team re-signed Ryan Faragher on a PTO. I had a chance to speak with Faragher after the game on Friday. He is excited to be here and hopes to get a start prior to Gillies’ return (the Heat have back-to-back games this week in Tucson). My sources tell me he may be here for a while, which leads me to believe the injuries to both Gillies and Parsons are more severe than anyone knows, or one of them will be moved.
Stockton’s special teams have improved over the past few weeks. The Heat have successfully killed off their past 16 power plays against, dating back to a goal at the 4:28 mark of the Ontario game on Nov. 11. They are currently 19th in the league with a 79.6% on the PK. Stockton has allowed a league-high eight shorthanded goals against. They are tied for 13th on the power play at 20%.
Power Play Unit 1
Time for ol’ SF to eat crow. Kylington is playing the best hockey that I have seen to date. After those first few games he has now settled in that top pair and is following in the footsteps of Rasmus Andersson. He is tied for the team lead in points and is top 10 in the league. Defensively, he is blocking shots, clearing out players, and even throwing the occasional check or two. He is the playing on the first power play unit and is a constant figure on the penalty kill. Is he NHL ready? Not quite yet, but if he continues to play like he has to date, he will be challenging for bottom pair next year in Calgary.
Secondary scoring is big at every level, and Stockton is no exception. The fourth line of Phillips, Glenn Gawdin, and grinder Anthony Peluso is heating up. In the past three games since Peluso returned, that line has generated six points, with Phillips leading the way with three points (2-1), Peluso with two apples, and Gawdin with a goal. Every time Phillips is in the offensive zone, I can find him in front of the net, looking for rebounds or trying to use his massive 5’7”, 155 lb. frame to screen the goalie.
Phillips heading back to the front of the net
Although Curtis Lazar is fourth on the team in points, he has been streaky, accumulating all of his points in six of the 11 games he has played. But he does bring a sense of experience and calm to the club. Brandon Kisker did an excellent article about his time in Stockton so far.
Speaking of Kisker, Friday’s game against Tucson was his last with the Heat. Since moving from the Cleveland area to be the color commentator in 2013 with the Stockton Thunder, Brandon has been the primary announcer for Stockton hockey ever since. He took over full time play-by-play duties midway through his first year in the booth. From his early training as an intern for Dave Mishkin and the Tampa Bay Lightning, he brought passion and excitement to the listening audience in a non-traditional market. He painted a vivid picture of the game for the fans of the Thunder and Heat. He was always available to answer questions and educate fans from the experienced to the first-timers on the game he loves.
Brandon Kisker and SF
Last year, Mrs. Finest and I had the pleasure to spend a period in the radio booth with him. He gave us the opportunity to watch hockey from a place where few are allowed. During coach’s chalk talk, he always called on us when taking questions (I found out later that he would warn the coaches of our questions). We will miss seeing him at the arena, hearing him on Heat broadcast, having hockey conversations. We wish him good luck in his future endeavors.
