Heat Host San Jose for Pacific Heats Up tonight at 7PM
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: April 6, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker and iHeartRadio at 6:45 p.m.
LEADING SCORER: STOCKTON: LW Morgan Klimchuk (61GP 19-20-39)
SAN JOSE: LW Rudolfs Balcers (62GP 20-23-43)
TONIGHT
After a successful road trip through the state of Texas that saw the Heat go 2-1-0, the Heat return to California where the Heat have five games to try and overcome the Texas Stars for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Stockton plays three of their five remaining games at home, and also play three of their five remaining games against San Jose, where Stockton has gone 5-3-1-0 in the season series this season, but just 2-2-0-0 at home.
Tonight is our final Fry Day of the season, presented by Golden State Restuarant Group McDonald’s. Head to a participating McDonald’s location for lunch to take advantage of a buy one, get one free ticket deal printed on your receipt. Visit stocktonheat.com/fryday to learn how you can redeem your receipt at the Stockton Arena Ticket Office, and to find a participating location nearest you!
It’s also Pacific Heats Up, an event put on by the Stockton Heat and University of the Pacific Sports Management students to celebrate the University.
There will be special ticket ticket deals tonight for University of the Pacific students, alumni, staff and faculty, as anyone with a School ID can purchase a $10 at the Stockton Arena Ticket Office.
However, students, alumni, staff and faculty can save by getting a group of 6 or more people together to receive tickets for $6 per person by calling 209.373.1500 right now (not available at the Stockton Arena Ticket Office).
All University of the Pacific Students are also welcome to attend our indoor tailgate starting at 5:00 p.m. with students able to purchase $1 hot dogs and $4 Bud Lights!
LAST TIME VS. SAN JOSE
After a 5-4 OT win at Stockton Arena, the Heat were trying to take the weekend series back in February, and while neither team could find the back of the net in the first period, Andrew Mangiapane and Spencer Foo would in the second to give the Heat a 2-0 lead.
Rourke Chartier would pull San Jose within one in the final 20-minutes but Mason McDonald stopped 25 of 26 to help the Heat capture the win.
WHO TO WATCH
Emile Poirier was a man on a mission during the entire Texas trip, and he only seemed to get better as the trip grew longer.
After sitting as a healthy scratch for a pair of games, Poirier was back on the ice in the first San Antonio game and scored in his return to game action. He also picked up a pair of assists on Wednesday’s big showdown with the Texas Stars to finish with 3 points in those three games.
But it wasn’t just the offense, as you heard Heat Head Coach Ryan Huska say about Emile’s game last week.
“Offense aside, if he is skating and working and competing the way we saw tonight, things will happen for him,” Huska said of Poirier’s game. “He just has to make sure he doesn’t let his foot off the gas pedal and get complacent with things start to go his way like they are right now.”
“He was engaged.”
Engaged is just one word to describe his game during the road trip.
Fast. Physical. Tenacious. Relentless. Hard.
Just a few others as Poirier utilized his best attribute, his breakneck speed, to win puck battles and create chances.
Should the Heat push past the Texas Stars for the final spot in the playoffs, it’ll be by having guys like Poirier playing their best hockey of the season right now. After seeing his last three, we don’t think tonight’s game will be any different.
SMITTY WITH THE MULTI-GOAL GAME
Colin Smith put in the work on Wednesday in Cedar Park, picking up the games first goal within the first two minutes of the game, and would follow that up with his second game winner for the Heat with the OT tally just 14 seconds into the extra session. For Smith, it was certainly one of his best games with the Heat, but also one of his best games he’s had in a while!
His last multi-goal game ended last season when He recorded a hat trick (and added an assist) on April 15 for San Antonio. It was his third multi-point game while wearing a Heat sweater since being acquired in a February trade with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
FOOZIE EARNS HIS FIRST CALL, SCORES HIS FIRST GOAL
Since the calendar turned to 2018, Spencer Foo has been putting up the offense, having scored 14 goals and 24 of his 37 points in 2018 (64.9% of his entire offensive production).
With his goal on March 24 against Manitoba, Foo became the third rookie in Heat history, and just the seventh rookie player for the Flames AHL affiliate since 2005-06 to record a 20-goal season (Dustin Boyd-27, Mark Jankowski-27, Markus Granlund-25, David Moss-21, David Wolf-20, Andrew Mangiapane-20).
Foo earned his first NHL call-up to Calgary during and made his NHL Debut on March 31 against his hometown team, the Edmonton Oilers at the Saddledome, following teammates Andrew Mangiapane, Ryan Lomberg and Morgan Klimchuk as Heat players to make their NHL debuts for the Flames as AHL call-ups this season.
He then tallied his first NHL goal last night when a Michael Stone point shot deflected off his skate and into the net.
DUBE TURNING PRO
Dillon Dube could be turning pro for good after a terrific junior career with the Kelowna Rockets, finishing as the team’s 9thbest goal scorer in team history (101) and tied-7th best point getter (232).
The captain of the gold medal winning Team Canada World Junior team this season, Dube turns 20 this off-season, which does keep him eligible for an overage year, but the numbers show Dube is ready for his chance at pro hockey.
INTERESTING FACT
Things have gone well for the Heat against the two teams that call Texas Home. Stockton is a combined 20-6-1-3 all-time against the Rampage and Stars combined, including a 8-4-0-2 while playing on the road in the Lone Star State.
