By Tim Ubels (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: Online only
This past weekend marked the final two meetings between the Abbotsford Heat and the Lake Erie Monsters, after the Heat opened the season with a double-header on the road and finished up the season series on home ice. After splitting the two road games with the Monsters, the Heat had their sights on a winning record against the Monsters, and they got a little NHL-calibre help, as the recently reassigned Blair Jones, Ben Street, and Derek Smith were all named to the three stars at least once over the weekend. However, the Heat settled for a 2-2 record against the Monsters, defeating them Friday night by a score of 4-2, but falling in the second game 3-1. The Heat are now 4-4-0-1 to start the season and travel to Utica to face the Vancouver Canucks’ minor league affiliate on Wednesday.
Lake Erie had the Heat on their heels to open Friday night’s game, consistently finishing their checks and really taking the body to the Heat players in the opening minutes of the game. Turnovers and mad scrambles in front of Heat goaltender Reto Berra caused a lot of distress in the Heat end of the ice, as the Monsters had all the momentum and would have taken the lead on their first powerplay if it weren’t for Heat defenseman Braden Lamb sprawling out to stop the puck from being tucked past Berra. With the shots 7-2 for the Monsters about halfway through the first period, the Heat began to fight back.
Paul Byron’s gentle pass in front to a streaking Ben Hanowski was foiled, but under a minute later, Ben Street banged in his own rebound past Monsters netminder Sami Aittokallio before he could cover up the initial shot, giving the Heat the 1-0 lead. After a flurry of chances at the end of the first period, including a shot from Derek Smith that rang off the post, the Heat looked to have the edge heading into the second frame.
Despite a quick goal from Joey Hishon, who scored on a pretty backhand deke, the Heat managed to own the rest of the period, holding the Monsters to only four shots and maintaining puck possession for the majority of its duration. Tallies from Carter Banks and Corban Knight gave the home team a two-goal advantage heading into the third period, as they outshot their out of town opponents 27-12 through two periods of play.
Berra was beaten glove-side for a second time Friday night after Monsters’ captain Bryan Lerg finished off a pretty passing play to draw within one, but that was as close as they’d come. After a close call in front of the Heat net ended in a roughing penalty assessed to Monsters’ forward Michael Sgarbossa, Chad Billins potted his fourth goal of the year on the powerplay to put the home team up by two goals. After the game, Heat coach Troy G. Ward explained that it was, “the first time all year we’ve actually responded to something, where we kind of put a nail in the coffin.” Despite taking consecutive penalties to end the game, the Heat managed to kill off both penalties and secure the 4-2 victory Friday night.
Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to the Monsters was a game where, as coach Ward describes, the Heat were “a step behind the whole night.” Knight banked a powerplay marker off of the pad of Monsters’ netminder Calvin Pickard in the first period, but unfortunately it was all they could muster in the second half of their back-to-back series. The Monsters scored two quick goals in the second period, while former-Heat forward Guillaume Desbiens gave his team a cushion with his third period tally. In spite of getting 8 shots on net in the final frame, the Heat were kept off the board and settled for the split with Lake Erie. They now embark on a four game road trip, before returning home to face the San Antonio Rampage on November 5.
