Heat lose 1-0 in Snoozefest

On Saturday, the Heat hosted the Bakersfield Condors and their new “Hitch Hockey” mentality. With their current standings, every point is vital to Stockton’s playoff hopes. But this night saw the Condors clog up the middle, backcheck fearlessly, and grind out a 1-0 victory to send Stockton below the 0.500 mark. Nick Schneider was solid again, giving up the lone goal after the Heat could not clear the zone for what appeared to be an eternity. Tired skaters led to mistakes which turned into a goal against.

Spencer Foo’s quotes from the game can be found here.

Now that Tyler Parsons is “healthy” and Jon Gillies returned from a one-game call up to back up David Rittich, Schneider will head back to the Kansas City Mavericks with a 6-3-0 record, a 2.45 GAA, a 0.922 save percentage, and confidence knowing he can compete at this level. I wish they would send Gillies to KC and have Schneider back up Parsons, but dollars and contract dictate that won’t happen.

Time for a rant.

In last week’s recap, I said the Heat would need to play 0.605 hockey for the remainder of the season to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs. Unless there is a Christmas miracle, Theo, this team will miss the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Coming into the season, there was a lot of promise. There was a mix of promising rookies and veterans that many thought would go deep in the playoffs. Returning players including Andrew Mangiapane, Spencer Foo, Ryan Lomberg, and Oliver Kylington were joined by newly signed experienced players Buddy Robinson, Kerby Rychel, and Tyler Graovac. Throw in a rookie class that included Matthew Phillips, Dillon Dube, Juuso Valimaki, and Glenn Gawdin and the mix looked to be just right.

Before the puck could drop on the Heat season, there were a few things that started to muddy the waters. Dube and Valimaki made the Flames out of camp, Rasmus Andersson was recalled before the first Heat game, and the Brett Kulak trade netted two defensemen that did not hit the ice for the first few games. Lastly, as the season has progressed, there were a stream of players making their way to Calgary. This is great news for the Flames, as Stockton is doing its job in preparing these players for the NHL, but bad news for Stockton’s and Mrs. Finest, who are still hoping for some spring-time playoff hockey.

The team’s defense, once a strength, was constructed with PTO players, AHL contracted players, and Kylington. Gulp. But I ate crow after the fast start and solid play of Kylington, who earned the call up when Valimaki got injured. He is playing some of the best hockey of his young career, so much so that when Valimaki returns from IR, I think he will finish the year riding the bus.

Goaltending, which I have chronicled ad nauseam, has not performed well. This is partly due to the porous defensive units in front of them, but they also need to make the routine stop. ‘Nuff said.

The forward group has played well at times, but the constant flux has hurt chemistry. Coach Cail MacLean continues to juggles the lines, with four of the top seven Heat players spending time in Calgary, to try and find that magic. Curtis Lazar has been a bright spot for this team. He has good puck control, vision, and a 200-foot game. Rychel, now with Calgary, has also been consistent, leading the team in goals and points. He never takes a shift off and is not allergic to the blue paint in front of the net. Foo continues to do the things he does best: fire the puck and cruise the front of the net looking for tips and loose rubber. Newcomers Graovac, Phillips, and Gawdin have been good, but they cannot afford to take a shift off. Dube still is searching for the back of the net, but has four helpers in five games. With Andrew Mangiapane being assigned back to Stockton, the Heat could feature a top line of Dube – Lazar – Mangiapane.

For me, Buddy Robinson has not performed as advertised. He has 10 assists to go with his two goals (one was an empty net tally) but frequently he is a non-factor. Anthony Peluso is just as bad in the AHL as he is with the Flames. His stick is where pucks go to die.

In 2017, the Heat had a late season five-game road trip to Texas and gained nine out of 10 points. That trip moved the Heat into a playoff spot, which they solidified as the fourth spot in the penultimate game of the season. Hopefully when the Flames get completely healthy (and stay that way), the returning players to Stockton can push this team to play the required 0.605 hockey that will be needed to reach the playoffs.