GAME PREVIEW - ABBOTSFORD HEAT AT IOWA WILD 11.23.13
Nov 23, 2013MEDIA KIT - HERE
Abbotsford Heat (15-5-0-1, 31 points) at Iowa Wild (6-9-0-0, 12 points)
The Iowa Wild continues a six-game homestand with a three-game weekend. The Wild hosts the two top teams in the Western Conference this weekend, starting Friday with a 2-1 loss to Grand Rapids. The loss was the team’s sixth in a row at Wells Fargo Arena. Overall, the team has fallen in four straight and posted a 2-8-0-0 mark over the last 10 games. Iowa is 3-8-0-0 at home, having been outscored by the visitors 34-20 at Wells Fargo Arena.
Abbotsford is coming off a 4-2 win at Rockford on Wednesday night. The team is 9-4-0-0 on the road this season, having outscored their opponents 48-44. The Heat is 9-1-0-0 over its last ten outings. Abbotsford leads the AHL in points and wins. The Heat is 8-2-0-1 when scoring the game’s first goal.
Minnesota's AHL Affiliate was in Houston for the 2012-13 season, going 40-26-5-5 (90 points / .592 %). The Aeros met the Heat four times last season, going 3-1-0-0. Over the last five years, Houston was 10-6-1-3 against Abbotsford, including a 6-2-1-1 mark at home.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Abbotsford 11/23 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
vs. Abbotsford 11/24 5:05 PM iHeart Radio
at San Antonio 12/4 7:00 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
Latest Transactions:
11/20 – Delete forward Jason Zucker (recalled – Minnesota – NHL)
11/19 – Add goaltender John Curry (recalled – Orlando – ECHL)
11/18 – Add goaltender Johan Gustafsson (assigned – Minnesota - NHL)
11/18 - Delete goaltender Darcy Kuemper (recalled – Minnesota – NHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Grand Rapids 2-1 in front of 7,580 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night. Forward Tomas Jurco and defenseman Xavier Ouellet scored 2:03 apart late in the second period, helping the Griffins hand the Wild its fourth straight loss, sixth straight at home. Grand Rapids goalie Petr Mrazek stopped 31 Iowa shots, holding Iowa off the scoreboard for the games first 59:17. Wild forward Brett Bulmer scored the team’s lone goal, ending a goalless drought of 146:09 for the club. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson stopped 20 Grand Rapids shots in defeat.
Iowa Wild
After 15 games, defenseman Brian Connelly leads the team in scoring with 11 points (all assists). Connelly set an Iowa season mark with three power-play assists on Nov. 9 in Rockford. Forward Erik Haula is second in scoring with ten points in 15 games played. Haula is also tied for second with four goals and tied for second on the club with six assists. Prior to his recall, left wing Jason Zucker was third on the team with eight points in 11 games played. Forward Brett Bulmer leads the team in goals with five. Center Zack Phillips and defenseman Jonathon Blum are also among the team leaders with eight points each. Phillips has three goals and five assists, while Blum has two goals and six assists.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and John Curry man the nets for Iowa. Kuemper was recalled after going 3-7-0. In ten appearances, he had a 2.97 GAA and a .908 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 3-2-0 with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 SV %. Curry has yet to make his Iowa debut.
Iowa is 14-for-75 (18.7 %) on the power play and has allowed 13 power-play goals against on 79 attempts (83.5%) The Wild is 26th in the AHL with a 2.40 goals against average and the team sits 13th with a 2.80 goals per game average.
Notables –
· Iowa has allowed the first goal in six of the last seven games. The team is 6-1-0-0 when scoring first.
Abbotsford Heat
The Heat returns ten players from last year’s team, which failed to make the playoffs. Head Coach Troy G. Ward returns for his third season with the club. Ward is 91-63-7-12 over his tenure in Abbotsford.
Prior to his recall to Calgary, center Blair Jones was leading the team in scoring with 20 points in 16 games. Defenseman Chad Billins is the team’s active leading scorer with 18 points in 17 games played. He is first overall with 12 assists, to go along with six goals. Rookie forward Corban Knight is second on the team with 17 points in 21 games played. Knight has six goals and 11 assists. Forward Ben Street leads the team with nine goals and is third in points with 16 in 14 appearances.
Goalies Joni Ortio and Joey MacDonald split time between the pipes for Abbotsford. MacDonald is 3-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .918 SV%. Ortio is 8-0-0 with a 2.54 GAA and a .921 SV %.
Abbotsford is fifth in the league on the power play, going 22-for-100 (22.0%). The Heat penalty kill has allowed 20 goals on 88 chances (77.3%). The team averages 3.43 goals per game while allowing 2.95 GAA.