By Mike Cadarette (Contributor) – Email
The mid-week set between the Abbotsford Heat and Hamilton Bulldogs was as expected as the two lowest scoring teams in the AHL battled head-to-head on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. However, the Heat were able to muster enough offense to lift themselves into fifth spot in the Western Conference with a regulation and shootout win over their divisional rivals.
The Heat, with 46 per cent of their offense at Calgary’s NHL training camp, broke a 135 minute and 21 second goalless drought in a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs who are equally as decimated offensively.
Ben Walter ended the Heat’s scoring woes on the powerplay with 0:34 seconds left in the first period. Mike Matczak shot the puck into the zone behind the net where Krys Kolanos picked up the puck and attempted a wrap around goal, but found its way to Walter in the crease who potted his seventh goal of the campaign. Matczak, who was called up from the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL and signed to professional try-out contract (PTO) on January 10, collected his first AHL point.
“It’s exciting to get on the scoresheet like that. [I] didn’t really do nothing too special out there,” said a humble Matczak to reporters after the game.
Midway through the second period, Bulldogs’ forward Tyler Murovich picked up his first goal of the season on the powerplay to level the scoring at 1-1.
On the ensuing faceoff, Zach McKelvie dropped the gloves with Kyle Hagel to attempt to spark his team. McKelvie’s intended goal materialized as just ten seconds later Tyler Ruegsegger picked the pocket of Bulldogs’ Antoine Corbin and sniped it top shelf over Cedrick Desjardins’ glove to put the Heat up 2-1. Ruegsegger’s goal would stand as the game winner.
In the third period, Matczak added to the score sheet as he gathered his first career AHL goal on an accurate wrist shot just inside the far side post that fooled Desjardins. On the insurance marker, Greg Nemisz picked up his first point of the season – a welcome evemt as the big winger had gone 18 games without a point.
On Wednesday evening the Heat continued their winning ways, this time in nail biting fashion, squeaking out a 2-1 shootout victory in the rematch versus Hamilton.
Dustin Sylvester snapped a personal 11 game goalless streak at 12:55 of the first period on a powerplay marker to put his team up 1-0. Ben Walter picked up his second point in as many nights as he found Sylvester in front of the net where he lifted the puck just under the crossbar and over Desjardins glove.
“Obviously it feels good to kind of get that monkey off my back,” explained Sylvester. “It was a great play by Walter to get the puck to me in the middle and I think I kind of fanned on it a little, little bit of a changeup, so it might’ve fooled him, but it’s nice to get that goal.”
After a scoreless, but physical second period the Bulldogs were finally able to answer back with a goal of their own in the third period. On a two-on-one entrance into the Heat’s zone, Alexander Avtsin passed the puck over to Philippe Lefebvre, but it bounced off of Greg Nemisz and past Danny Taylor to the knot the game up at 1-1.
Very few chances would take place in the overtime frame before the game headed to a shootout. Max Reinhart and Ben Walter both converted on their chances to start the shootout while Hamilton could not solve Taylor until their last two shooters, Nathan Beaulieu and Abbotsford-native Mark Isherwood, kept their chances alive.
Nemisz, who in the 2010-11 season converted on nearly 50 per cent of his shootout attempts, could not beat Desjardins. Daultan Leveille, with a chance to win the game, could not beat Danny Taylor’s quick glove. Tyler Ruegsegger, on the other hand, made the most out of the pressure situation by beating the Bulldogs’ netminder on a swift snapshot high over his glove to win the game for the Heat 2-1.
“He’s been playing great. All year he’s been playing great for us,” said Sylvester of the back-to-back clutch performance from his teammate Tyler Ruegsegger. “Last night it was obviously nice to see him get that goal for us and tonight to get the shootout winner, it’s big.”
The Heat will have just two days of preparation before they welcome the Milwaukee Admirals to the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on Saturday and Sunday. The last time the Heat and the Admirals faced off was on April 25 when the Heat knocked Milwaukee out in the first round of the playoffs.
“I always find that they’re a fun team to play against because they pose you a lot of problems that a lot of teams don’t play,” Ward described of the Admirals. “The one thing usually about the Nashville team, the organization of the Nashville Predators, they usually have players that have really good stick skills. They’re good. They’re strong over their sticks. So I find that this will be a good test for us this weekend and we look forward to the challenge that’s in front of us.”
