February 22nd, 2014 – Chi-City Baby! The Abbotsford Heat (33-15-4-1) face off against the Chicago Wolves (29-17-4-2) for a pair of back to back games tonight and tomorrow. The mini-series will close out Abby’s five game road swing, where so far they are 2-0-1-0.
It’s hard to believe it, but despite being the last week of February, the Heat and the Wolves have yet to play each other this season. Currently, the Wolves sit sixth in the Western Conference. They have been playing some pretty good hockey as of late, collecting points in 8 of their last 10 games. The Chicago Wolves are often considered one of the “New York Yankee” teams in the AHL. Along with Hershey and Toronto, they seem to ice a competitive team season after season.
This weekend’s matchups will not the easy for the Abbotsford heat. They’ve recently had major shake ups to the core of their roster, losing veteran forwards Corey Locke and Ben Street to injury, as well as losing Derek Smith and Joni Ortio to recalls with the big club. They’ll need all hands on deck to win this weekend, as last night’s game saw Trupp, McKelvie, Lamb and Arsene all back in the lineup. The Heat have also summoned Turner Elson from Alaska, and hopefully he arrives in town in time to lace up tonight. You can read up on Elson here.
The Watchtower
Heat Leaders this Season Goalies GP RECORD Svs .Sv% GAA ---------------------------------------------- Joni Ortio 28 20-4-2-0 742 .926% 2.22 Olivier Roy 5 4-1-0-0 147 .925% 2.61 Players GP G-A-P SOG +/- -------------------------------------------- Markus Granlund 48 23-20-43 121 +10 Ben Street 38 21-21-42 98 -4 Max Reinhart 46 13-28-41 118 +2
Since the Heat haven’t played Chicago yet, I guess I can be brief. Look for the stars of this team to continue to shine. Roy has been excellent since Ortio’s exodus, Granlund/Reinhart have been the perfect pairing up front, and Tyler Wotherspoon has been the anchor the team has needed on the backend.
Abby has gotten themselves on a bit of a roll this road trip, collecting at least a point in all three games so far. Even still, there is little room for error for the Heat, who can feel the Texas Stars stepping on their heels in the West Division. The Stars are currently only only 2 points and 2 wins behind the Heat with an extra game played.
Yesterday the Heat let their system get away from them and gave up far more shots than we are used to seeing, including 20(!) in the first period. They’ll need to play with more structure, especially as fatigue sets in throughout the next 48 hours.
Wolves of Ice Sheet
Chicago Wolves Leaders
Goalies GS RECORD Svs .Sv% GAA
-----------------------------------------------
Jake Allen 36 22-11-1-2 932 .922% 2.18
Matt Climie 15 6-6-3-0 370 .892% 2.94
Players GP G-A-P SOG +/-
--------------------------------------------
Ty Rattie 51 19-14-33 130 +4
Mark Mancari 43 9-21-30 103 +13
Dimitrij Jaskin 37 14-12-26 127 +8
Despite a lack of any obvious firepower, the Chicago Wolves once again find themselves in the playoff picture. A big portion of this years success will have to be given to Jake Allen, who has made 36 starts this season, and collected 22 wins. His numbers are great, and as a team, the Wolves are among the stingiest teams in the west, surrendering only 135 goals against all season. That’s good for 4th best in the league.
Sven Baertschi will certainly remember former Portland Winterhawks team mate Ty Rattie, who leads the charge for the Wolves. Rattie is a young player still, but if he can translate his junior game to the pros, he’ll be a star in the NHL before the decade is out.
The Heat will need to continue to play the system that has given them consistent success all season. With at least 5 new bodies in the line up, it could be easier said than done. Puck drops at 5pm PT/ 6pm MT.
PS. Mark Cundari is currently on loan and playing as a Wolf. Our end of the deal, Corey Locke, was injured on the road trip and likely won’t face off against his former team.
Heat Hockey HQ: Your Unofficial Source For The Abbotsford Heat 