By Sean Evans (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: May 9, 2012
Many hockey fans in the Lower Mainland had expected a long playoff run from their hometown team – they just didn’t know it would be the often-ignored team from Abbotsford. The Heat turned it on at precisely the right time of the year, and swept past the Milwaukee Admirals in three games straight in the opening round of the postseason. The Heat now find themselves down two-games-to-one in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Heat came into the post-season riding a seven-game winning streak, and continued to rush past the Admirals, outscoring them 14-6 in the short three-game series. The key to the early success in the opening round of the playoffs has been simple: the best players on the Heat have been their best players. They have stepped up. To put it in a way that the average reader will understand, the Ryan Kesler, Cory Schnieder and Henrik Sedin of the Abbotsford Heat have played up to their potential. It has been quite refreshing, actually, to watch a team play their heart out – and be rewarded for it.
Krys Kolanos led the way, notching four goals and four assists in the three-game series. Ben Walter is averaging over a point a game, and defenceman Clay Wilson had two goals and three assists in the opening round. Goaltender Danny Taylor stood tall, allowing six goals in three games – not amazing numbers, but good enough to win. It’s exactly what the Heat need to do in order to grow their fan base.
The second round of the playoffs is currently underway, with the Heat facing off against the Toronto Marlies (affiliate to the Toronto Maple Leafs, an organization not currently known for postseason success – or appearances, for that matter). The Heat got off to a solid start against the Marlies, defeating them 3-1 in Toronto. They then lost games two and three, however, by a combined score of 9-2. Abbotsford now sits down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
All is not lost, however. The Heat know that they can beat the Marlies, as shown in game one of the series, and in the last two games of the regular season in which the Heat took down the Marlies by a combined score of 8-4.
The problem in this series will be painfully familiar to fans of the Vancouver Canucks; the Heat are currently 0-16 on the power-play. This has really limited the offensive sting that the Heat have had at times during this season. For whatever reason, the Heat have been held off the board with the man-advantage.
Heat forward Guillaume Desbiens commented on the struggle after the game in an interview with The Vancouver Sun. “I felt like we were controlling the puck in their zone a lot but we didn’t put the puck on net enough,” he said. “I feel like if we put a little more traffic, a little more pucks on net, I think our chances and our shots will be a lot higher.”
The answer is cliché, yet true. Which is how clichés become cliché, I guess. The Heat need to get more shots on net, and shots on net that are not taken from the outside. In game two, the Heat put 37 shots on net, yet saw only one goal for their efforts. It is clear that they need some better quality chances. The Marlies goaltender, Ben Scrivens, has been good, but is by no means unbeatable. The Heat have simply not put second or third chances toward the net.
Moving forward, there is somewhat of a question of who will start in net for the Heat. Danny Taylor, who has won four of five playoff games this postseason, watched game three of the Toronto series from the bench. Leland Irving, who took his spot between the pipes for the first time in the postseason, played well but failed hold the Marlies off in the 4-1 loss. Irving allowed an energy-sucking wrap-around goal just 58 seconds into the game.
“A little rusty to start,” said Irving following the loss in an interview with The Vancouver Sun. “I was excited to get in there though. It was a big game. Any pro athlete loves being thrown into those situations. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way tonight.”
Head coach Troy Ward did not hint at who he would start the next game, but made it clear that he did not pin the loss on Irving’s play. “He was good. I liked him. I liked him a lot … He made some big saves. I think he felt very comfortable. For him, it’s like riding a bike. He’s been doing this his whole life.” Whether Taylor will get another shot on the bike remains to be seen, as the Heat try to climb out of a 2-1 deficit to continue their postseason run.
Game four is set for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday, May 8, at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. Game five, the following night, is also set for a 7 p.m. start at the same venue. Should the series be pushed to a game six and seven, they will take place May 12 and May 13 respectively, in Toronto.
