Flames Weekend Guide, November 1 2012

 

 

The weekend is almost upon us! And while the outside world may be getting chilly, the arenas of this continent have been that way for quite some time.

The Abbotsford Heat (4-1-0-2) are back home after a three games in three nights road triple-header that saw them drop their first game in regulation all year. Now they have the Toronto Marlies (3-2-0-1), who eliminated them from the playoffs last year in the second round. To say this is a measuring-stick series is probably accurate. The games go at 8pm MT tonight and tomorrow.

Roman Horak and Sven Baertschi are tied for the Heat scoring lead with 8 points apiece, while Danny Taylor has a 3-1-1 record and a 1.97 goals against average in net. The Marlies boast the likes of Keith Aucoin (6 points), Jake Gardiner and Mike Kostka (5 points each) on the score-sheet, while Ben Scrivens is 2-2-0 with a 2.73 goals against average.

Meanwhile, in the ECHL, the Utah Grizzlies play the Idaho Steelheads on Friday night.

Ryan Culkin’s Quebec Remparts are on the road this weekend, playing the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday and the Rimouski Oceanic on Saturday.

Patrick Sieloff and the Windsor Spitfires have a busy weekend ahead: they host the London Knights on Thursday, visit the Kitchener Rangers on Friday, then welcome the Belleville Bulls to Windsor on Sunday afternoon.

Brett Kulak and his Vancouver Giants are equally busy with three on the road: Thursday they’re in Medicine Hat, Saturday they’re in Cranbrook to play the Kootenay Ice and then it’s across the U.S. Border for a Sunday game against the Tri-City Americans.

All other Flames junior prospects play twice. Laurent Brossoit’s Edmonton Oil Kings visit the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday and the Swift Current Broncos (and Flame pick Coda Gordon) on Saturday. Gordon’s Broncos host Seattle on Friday night before Edmonton comes to town. The surging Portland Winterhawks (and Tyler Wotherspoon) tangle with the Victoria Royals on Friday and Saturday. Finally, the Red Deer Rebels and captain Turner Elson head to Spokane on Friday and Tri-City on Saturday.

Fresh off an impressive weekend, Boston College (home of Bill Arnold and Johnny Gaudreau) takes on the Maine Black Bears on Friday and the Massachusetts Minutemen on Saturday. The Providence College Friars, backstopped by Jon Gillies and featuring young Mark Jankowski, tangle with Vermont on Friday and Saturday. Gillies, by the way, is having a huge freshman season so far with a .938 SV% in six games played.

Elsewhere, Wisconsin (John Ramage) faces Colorado College, Michigan State (Matthew Deblouw) takes on Bowling Green and the surging Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Nick Larson) battle Western Michigan. All of these teams play games on Friday and Saturday.

Karri Ramo and Avangard Omsk hope to continue their winning ways at home against HC Yugra on Friday. After that game, they get a rest, as they don’t play again under November 14.

Markus Granlund, Joni Ortio and HIFK Helsinki play the Blues on Thursday and KalPa on Saturday. They’re coming off a win over league-leading JYP this weeek.