Stockton Heat split weekend games

After successful road trips, Mrs. Finest and I traveled to Las Vegas, and the Stockton Heat ventured to San Diego and Bakersfield. We watched the Golden Knights beat the Avalanche 7-0, while the Heat swept the Bakersfield Condors. Stockton also grabbed a point in a shootout loss to San Diego Gulls.

We returned to the Stockton Arena for a weekend set of games against the Manitoba Moose and Texas Stars.

On Friday, we heard a beautiful rendition of O Canada for the first time (we did not attend the game in 2015) as the Manitoba Moose made their first of two visits to the Stockton Arena (they return this Wednesday). Attendance is starting to increase, as there were 3,500 in the house. Considering we have been averaging 3,000 through the first month, this is a good thing.

Line were as follows:

A penalty in the first minute of the game set the tone for the next two periods. The Heat looked lost while Manitoba beat them to every open puck and out-skated them. The Moose capitalized on their second power play in the first for the lone score of the period. Jon Gillies made a few good saves but the power play goal he gave up was soft.

The second period did not get any better, with the Heat making a “moose-take” leading to a 5-on-3 power play goal by Manitoba midway through the period. Gillies had a clear look at it but could not stop it. The Heat played uninspired. Mrs. Finest stated they were playing as individuals and not a team. At the end of two periods, it was 2-0 Moose.

There was a glimmer of hope in the third as Andrew Mangiapane, the AHL’s October Player of the Month and league-leading scorer, buried the puck past the goaltender for his sixth of the season. That tally gave him points in his 10th straight game to tie a Heat record with Mark Jankowski. But that was the only one of 22 shots in the third period that tickled the twine, while Gillies allowed one and the empty net swallowed the other as the Heat fell 4-1 to Manitoba.

This was by far the worst game I have seen in some time. This was a team loss. The Heat reverted back to over-passing the puck the first two periods. No one in particular stood out, but if I had to point to one, it would be Emile Poirier. He had a breakaway in the first and rung the post in the third.

Gillies gave up way too many rebounds. He did not control the puck, which led to more second chances for Manitoba, and the defense having the clean up the zone.

The Moose trampled their way to this win. They iced the Heat with a physical game, finishing their checks and out-working the Heat in corners. Not known for their speed, the Moose were faster that night. Hopefully the Heat can trap the Moose in Wednesday’s rematch.

On Saturday, over 7,000 fans came out as the Heat welcomed the Texas Stars for the first of three meetings this year. It was Heat Hockey Fights Cancer night and the Heat wore special lavender sweaters to help bring awareness to all types of cancer. Jerseys were auctioned off after the game with proceeds going to a local hospital that specializes in cancer research and treatment.

A little bit of line shuffling for Saturday’s game:

Two points to note here; David Rittich was in goal and Rasmus Andersson was a late scratch (to whomever posted this originally, you now have me and Mrs. Finest saying Fat-Ras every time we see him on the ice). A special thanks to “Freethe Flames” who asked me at the start of the game to post which defenseman was absent, based on the Travis Hamonic injury. Great, now I have to actually work and take more notes.

After two minutes in, no Andersson. I asked a staff member to see if he knew if Andersson was indeed on a plane to Calgary, he acted like he knew nothing. I believe the answer when asked was, “He’s not out there? Hmmm, maybe he got sick at the last minute,” all the while having a snarky grin on his face. To all of my friends in Flames Nation, thanks for the heads up. By the time the first period had ended, most of the regulars in my section knew the real story.

The Heat came out to play Saturday night. From the drop of the puck, you knew they were ready to dance with the Stars. In some ways, the Heat can thank Bullwinkle for getting them ready. In contrast to the night before, it was the Heat who were beating the Stars to the puck, working the corners, and dictated play. Rittich controlled the puck by using his stick and minimizing the amount of rebounds. In my opinion, the defense plays so much better in front of Rittich, as he does not give up as many second chances as Gillies.

There was no score after one. The second period yielded the game’s only goal as Garnet Hathaway scored on the power play with an assist from Marek Hrivik. Originally Mangiapane was credited with an assist, but later was removed. Knowing the AHL, it may be added later this week. But for now, it ends his point streak at 10 straight games. Hathaway took over the team lead with seven goals.

The third period was again a tight-checking affair. The offense applied enough pressure and the defense remained steady, allowing Rittich to flash some leather without giving up rebounds. The last 1:36 of the game was intense, with Texas pulling their goaltender and Rittich coming through with some huge stops, earning his second shutout of the season with a 32-save performance. He is now 3-1-0-0 with 2 shutouts and a 2.00 GAA and a .937% save percentage.

In comparison, Gillies’ numbers are 2.42 GAA and .920% save percentage. He is 4-2-0-1 with one shutout.

Welcome back Ryan Lomberg! His fight in the second period got the crowd into the game. He took a minor roughing penalty at 3:31 and just five seconds after exiting the box, he and his opponent dropped the gloves on the way back to their respective benches. After the fight, Lomberg was egging on the crowd during the applause. This is his first fight of the year on home ice and it brought the crowd into the game. This is the Lomberg that Mrs. Finest and I have been looking for. He also returned to being that pest that gets under the skin of others without being reckless. He provides energy and has a nose for the puck.

Adam Ollas-Mattsson was paired with Tyler Wotherspoon. It took AOM a few shifts to get used to playing with Wotherspoon. This tandem settled down as the game wore on. I see this pair sticking together until Andersson gets back (if he does at all).

Josh Healey and Colby Robak had their best night. Robak cleared the zone with purpose and Healey delivered some crushing blows into the boards. This pairing should be the bottom six for the time being.

Coach Ryan Huska changed up the forward lines in the third period of Saturday’s game. I like Hrivik on the top line, as he seems to be more aware of the situation than Brett Findlay. He plays a style closer to Mark Jankowski than Findlay which Hathaway and Mangiapane are used to.

The pairing of Oliver Kylington and Cody Goloubef seems to be solidified. I cannot see Huska changing that pairing any time soon. Kylington needs to shoot more. He tends to try and skate more and shoot less, especially on the power play. When you have players like Foo, Hathaway, Mangiapane, Hrivik, and Shinkaruk in front of the goal looking for a tip, fire the puck.

Poirier seems to be unbothered by being jerked between the third and fourth lines. Even though he only has three points this year (1-2), he continues to drive toward the net. He has pinged the posts more than a few times this year. I believe he is due for a multi-point game very soon.

Spencer Foo is getting more comfortable in front of the net. At the beginning of the season, you could not find him on the ice. Now, with a little more experience, he is constantly heading to the crease looking for a tip.

It will be interesting to see the lines for Wednesday’s rematch against Manitoba. I am wondering if Freddie Hamilton will make his 2017 Stockton debut. With the line changes in the third period of Saturday’s game, I can see Huska using the following lines on Wednesday: