Port Proud, Stockton Proud Home Opener Tonight at 7PM
Arena: Stockton Arena
Date: October 6, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST (Doors at 6:00 p.m.)
Giveaway: Heat Refillable Stadium Cups to the first 2,500 fans & after the game ends, the first 2,500 fans will receive a Heat Magnetic Schedule
Broadcast: AHL Live, Spreaker and iHeartRadio at 6:45 p.m. PST
2016-17 RETURNING LEADING SCORER: STOCKTON: C Mark Jankowski (64GP, 27-29-56)
BAKERSFIELD: F Joey LaLeggia (67GP, 20-18-38)
For the live, in-game tweets, follow @AHLHeat. Stay tuned at the end of the game for the Chase Chevrolet Big Moment of the Game with your chance to win an autographed puck from Oliver Kylington.
TONIGHT
Get Fired Up because hockey is officially back as our Port Proud, Stockton Proud Home Opener kicks off at 7:00 p.m., presented by the Port of Stockton! The Heat will be wearing specialty jerseys tonight celebrating the Port of Stockton, which moves 230 ships a year toting 4 million tons of goods from 55 countries worth $1.5 billion to not only California but across the country. There will be 15 jerseys available during the silent auction tonight while 10 jerseys will be made available to purchase in the store and 11 jerseys up for auction online starting next Wednesday.
It’s also a Fry Day presented by Golden State Restaurant Group McDonald’s. Fans who eat at a participating McDonald’s location can bring their receipt to the Stockton Arena Ticket Office and with a purchase of one adult ticket, can get one ticket free! To find a participating McDonald’s location nearest you click here!
It’s also the debut of our new Breakaway Cafe located on the Fan Deck! The Breakaway Cafe is available to anyone in the building on Friday and Saturday home games this year, featuring food from local restaurants and craft beer available from the Brewhaus! This weekend you can enjoy food from Cast Iron Trading Co. and BellaVista Cucina Italiana in a fun, social environment!
We’re Fired Up for the beginning of the season and hope you are too! With so many exciting new changes, be sure to get here early and check out all the new stuff inside Stockton Arena!
HEAT365 REMINDERS
If you’re a Heat365 Member and you haven’t picked up your tickets or Membership Card, there will be a table outside of the Heat365 Bud Light Cold Zone starting at 4:30 p.m. The Heat365 Bud Light Cold Zone will be open to Heat365 Members only beginning at 5:00 p.m. where Members can pick up their Heat365 gifts, meet up with friends before the game and enjoy food and beverage from the Arena at an additional cost.
You can begin to request Bring-A-Friend Tickets for the Friday, October 20 game against the San Diego Gulls by talking with Rachel Kisker. You can call her at 209.373.1730 or find her during the game to RSVP or ask any questions about your membership.
LAST TIME VS. BAKERSFIELD
If you’re thinking about the last time these teams met up, you don’t have to think too far back…or maybe you do.
If you think about the last time these teams played against one another, you can go back a week ago today as the Heat took on the Condors during the preseason opener at Stockton Arena, with the home team capturing a 4-2 win. The Heat dressed many of their returning players against a weaker Bakersfield team and got goals from Colby Robak, Emile Poirier, Joseph Cramarossa and Hunter Shinkaruk with both Poirier and Cramarossa’s goals coming shorthanded.
However, if you want to go back to the last time these teams played with two points on the line, you have to go to a pivotal game on the second-to-last day of the season. The Heat needed a win or an overtime or shootout loss to clinch a playoff berth and they got off to a good start with Oliver Kylington sniping a shot over goaltender Nick Ellis to give the Heat the lead.
Bakersfield would answer with a shot through traffic that fooled Heat goalie David Rittich to tie the game up at one. Since the Condors needed two points to stay alive in the playoff race, they opted to pull Ellis from the cage, leaving the net empty, which would eventually see Ryan Lomberg alleviating any pressure the Heat faced in their quest for their first trip to the playoffs when he sealed his team’s fate with the empty netter.
WHO TO WATCH
Without a doubt the player to watch here is a player that could have easily found himself with the big club.
The story of the week is certainly the return of Mark Jankowski to the Stockton Heat. Jankowski, in just his second full season pro, ranks as the Heat’s All-Time Leading Scorer, was the second member of the club to attend the All-Star Game, named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and he led the Heat and all rookie skaters in goal scoring last season with 27 markers, tying Derek Grant for the most goals in a single season by a member of the Heat.
Jankowski proved last year, and through training camp that he certainly belongs in the NHL, so his time in Stockton may be limited, but fans of his will enjoy the big centerman while he’s here and cheer him on throughout his career.
He happened to be on a line with Andrew Mangiapane and Spencer Foo during the Penticton Young Stars Classic and Coach Huska could certainly turn to that line to produce tonight as they looked lethal with their speed and skill during the preseason tournament.
FOO FOR THOUGHT
Speaking of Spencer Foo, there’s no doubt that the winger will be making his pro debut tonight as a member of the Stockton Heat. Foo is a gifted offensive threat, scoring 68 points for his Union College (NCAA) club last season in just 38 games played. In total, Foo went nearly a point-per-game in his NCAA career with 112 points in 113 games played before signing with the Flames this offseason and turning pro.
Foo ranked fourth in the nation last year with his 68 points. His 112 points is 12th on Union’s all-time scoring list and Foo’s 49 tallies over his NCAA career rank eighth on Union’s all-time goal scoring list.
HATH IS BACK
The Heat received a boost from the Calgary Flames yesterday as two-time alternate captain Garnet Hathaway was assigned to the Heat by the Flames after suiting up for the big club in the team’s season opener, a loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Hathaway skated 11:01 with 13 shifts but was shifted back to Stockton after Calgary signed 28-year pro Jaromir Jagr to a contract this past week.
Hathaway split last year between Calgary and Stockton and certainly gave the team a late boost which ultimately led to the Heat going to the playoffs. During the Pacific Division Semifinals, Hathaway ranked among the team’s leaders in points with 2 goals and 2 assists in the five-game series against San Jose.
CARROLL PLAYING GAME 100
Should he be in the lineup tonight, Austin Carroll will be playing in his 100th AHL game of his career. Entering his third season pro, Carroll increased his goals, assists and point totals during his second year and would like to find the same magic that saw him score three game winning goals last season, ranking him fourth on the team.
INTERESTING FACT
The Heat put a streak on the line stemming from last year as the club currently finds themselves on an 11-game points streak in the regular season! To end the season and capture that final spot in the postseason, the Heat got very hot in March and April, going 7-0-3-1 beginning on March 24 in Texas.
DON’T MISS CALGARY FLAMES NIGHT TOMORROW AGAINST SAN JOSE
Don’t forget the Heat are back in action tomorrow night as well as they’ll renew their rivalry against their other big rival, the San Jose Barracuda, in the first official meeting since last year’s tough playoff series. The Heat will once again be wearing special jerseys as they’ll put on the Flaming-C sweaters and take to the ice against the Barracuda with 15 jerseys available for bid through the silent auction and starting next Wednesday, 15 jerseys available for purchase in the Stockton Fan Attic and 11 jerseys available to bid for online.
There’s more than just jerseys too as the 1,000 fans will receive a hockey puck featuring logos of the Flames, Heat and new ECHL affiliate, the Kansas City Mavericks.
The Breakaway Cafe will once again be set up in the Arena with Cast Iron Trading Co. and BellaVista Italiana Cucina serving up some delicious dishes and the Brewhaus pouring some terrific craft beers. It will also be the debut of the Heat Zone, a fan party along Ring Road kicking off every Saturday home game 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. open to the public. The Heat Zone is absolutely FREE to everyone and includes a Kids Zone, Beer Garden, Live Music and food trucks.
Saturday night’s are Hockey Night in Stockton presented by Budweiser! For just $15, fans 21-years-old and over can pick up a Bud and Burger at Stockton Arena during every Saturday home game, including tomorrow’s game, during the 2017-18 season.
There’s still time to sign up for the Cornhole tournament on Saturday too! The double elimination tournament begins tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at Banner Island Ballpark in conjunction with the California Cornhole Association – Central Valley and the Banner Island Ballpark Brewfest. Enjoy 24 different beer stands, a cornhole tournament with great prizes, ballpark food, and live music.
For just $150, your team will receive entry into the cornhole tournament (teams of 2), two Beerfest tickets (includes tasting stein and eight drink tickets per person), Stockton Heat game tickets (two Lower Premium Tickets), and two Stockton Heat Hats ($270 total value).
Sign your team up now! Just want to get tickets to the game tomorrow? Set up your group or purchase your ticket plans by calling 209.373.1500 or by purchasing your tickets at the Stockton Arena Ticket Office or Ticketmaster.com.
