5 THINGS: HEAT at TUC, 12.11.21
STOCKTON HEAT (14-2-2-1) at TUCSON ROADRUNNERS (9-7-1-0)
6:00 p.m. PST | Broadcast: AHLTV, Spreaker
Leading Scorers
Heat:
Goals – Adam Ruzicka (10)
Points – Jakob Pelletier (25)
Roadrunners:
Goals – Matias Maccelli (7)
Points – Matias Maccelli (19)
Special Teams
Heat:
PP – 18-for-79, 22.8% (3rd)/PK – 75-for-84, 89.3% (1st)
Roadrunners:
PP – 13-for-73, 17.8% (t-20th)/PK – 58-for-72, 80.6% (18th)
1. HEAT INDEX
In a back-and-forth game, the Stockton Heat fell just short in a 5-4 shootout loss Friday at the Tucson Convention Center Arena. Twice, the Heat led and twice they could not hang on, but still the team was able to salvage a point and extend the current point streak to four games. Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips led the way for the Heat with two-goal, three-point nights, while Glenn Gawdin and Connor Mackey each registered multi-point efforts of their own. It’s the second time that Tucson was able to win the front end of the teams’ back-to-backs, both times requiring play beyond regulation.
2. THIS, THAT, THE OTHER
THIS… Two games into the newly-formed top line of Jakob Pelletier-Glenn Gawdin-Matthew Phillips, the results could not be better. It’s a dangerous trio with high-end talent, a first round draft pick on the left flank of two skaters who made their NHL debuts last season. Through 125 minutes of play, the numbers are impressive: nine goals and nine assists for 18 points through six periods of play, or an average of a point-per-player-per-period. In the last two games, Pelletier is a plus-6, Gawdin a plus-7 and Phillips plus-7. THAT… Four times, the Heat have had a chance to respond from a loss, and four times they’ve emerged victorious. They’ll have another crack at re-entering the win column tonight. Common themes in the bounce-back efforts: stellar play from Dustin Wolf between the pipes, with a 1.74 GAA and .943 Save Percentage in those games and Jakob Pelletier scoring, with goals in three of those four games and points in all four (3g, 2a). THE OTHER… Stockton peppered Roadrunners netminder Ivan Prosvetov with 51 shots last night in regulation, but the goalie responded with 47 saves in his heavy workload. It was the first time the Heat hit the 50-shot mark since January 17, 2020, a 5-1 loss to the Ontario Reign in which Cal Petersen made 50 saves. The previous high for Stockton on the season was 39, set in Tuesday’s 10-1 win over San Jose.
3. PLAYERS TO WATCH
Heat – Matthew Phillips
Since returning to the lineup, Phillips has been a handful with four goals and two assists in two games. The winger has points in four of his last five games, with nine points (5g, 4a) in that span.
Roadrunners – Matias Maccelli
Maccelli has points in five of Tucson’s last six games and lit the lamp in Friday’s tilt. In three games against the Heat, Maccelli, the Roadrunners’ leading scorer, has operated at a point-per-game clip with a goal and two assists.
4. MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
- Kevin Gravel is one goal shy of 20 in his AHL career.
5. QUOTABLE
“Sometimes it comes in bunches. A little bit of a slower start (to the year) offensively, but I still think I’ve done a lot of good things in my own end, playing the right way. It’s nice to (contribute offensively) and help the team.” – Connor Mackey on his work on the offensive end
