Abbotsford Heat Report: Feb. 17th-24th

The Breakdown

The Heat finished their six-game homestand with wins over the Charlotte Checkers and the Texas Stars heading into the All-Star break before losing 7-2 in a blowout to the very same Stars a week ago Sunday.

Ben Street scored once for the AHL in last week’s All-Star Classic, which saw the American Hockey League All-Stars go up against Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. Heat defenceman Chad Billins also played in the game; he scored no points but was +1 as the AHL defeated Farjestad by a score of 7-2.

Following the break, the Heat set out on a five-game road trip, on which they are 1-0-1 thus far. Abbotsford secured a 5-1 win over the Checkers on Saturday and lost 5-4 in overtime to the same team on Sunday.

On Monday, the Heat recalled forward Zach McKelvie from the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. McKelvie has one assist in nine games with Abbotsford so far this season.

Who's Hot

Sven Baertschi has remained consistent for the Heat since before the break. He has two goals and three points in his past five games as well as the shootout winner versus the Stars back on February 8th.

Ben Street has five points in his past five games and has been climbing back up to the top in terms of team scoring since returning to the AHL. With 40 points he now sits just two back of Markus Granlund, tied with Max Reinhart for second place in team scoring.

And Ben Hanowski finally scored his first point, a goal in Abbotsford's 5-1 win over Charlotte, since December 28th, so good for him I guess. He has still been a healthy scratch in the remaining three games, however.

Who's Not

Chad Billins is a player who has cooled off significantly over the course of the past couple of weeks. Billins, who played for the AHL at the All-Star Classic, has just one point in his past five games, and finds himself bumped down to fifth in team scoring.

Trevor Gillies also has no points in his past five games, but I doubt that comes as a surprise to many.

The Standings

The Heat remain in top spot in their division with 32 wins and 69 points in 52 games, a two-point lead on the Texas Stars. The Stars have lost two straight to Rochester and Toronto after beating the Heat 7-2 back on February 9th.

Abbotsford still lays sole claim to first place in the Western Conference with a game in hand on the Stars.

Upcoming Games

The Heat are off for two more days before playing three consecutive games against the Admirals and back-to-back games against the Chicago Wolves.

The Admirals are currently in third place in the East Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Emerson Etem leads Norfolk with 12 goals and 33 points in 28 games, followed by Rickard Rakell and Devante Smith-Pelley.

Twenty-year-old John Gibson has shouldered the load for the Admirals in net so far this season, with five shutouts and a .923 SV% in 35 games played.

The Chicago Wolves sit in fifth place in the West and second place in the Midwest Division.

Ty Rattie leads the Wolves with 19 goals and 33 points in 50 games, followed by Mark Mancari, who has nine goals and 29 points in 42 games.

Jake Allen leads the way in net for the Wolves; in 35 games played this season, Allen has a record of 22-11-2 with two shutouts and a .921 SV%.

The Heat return home on February 28th to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins at the AESC.

by Hayley Mutch