Tag Archives: AHL hockey

Abbotsford Heat 3, Toronto Marlies 1

April 16, 2013 Jason Kurylo

Abbotsford Heat defenseman Mark Cundari has four assists and 13 penalty minutes in just two games since being acquired in the Jay Bouwmeester deal. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Hockey fans in Abbotsford were treated to another Hall of Famer at centre ice as the hometown Heat beat the Toronto Marlies 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. Two days after legendary forward Darryl Sittler opened the curtain on a 3-0 Heat win, goaltender Johnny Bower was in attendance to shake hands with Abbotsford goaltender Barry Brust, who earlier this season broke Bower’s AHL record for consecutive shutout minutes. Brust went 268:17 without allowing a goal, eclipsing Bower’s mark of 249:51, set with the 1957 Cleveland Barons.

Brust was called upon to relieve the injured Danny Taylor in the second period, and stopped all but one shot to record the win for Abbotsford.

Mark Cundari was again impressive for the Heat. He earned three assists, two minor penalties and a fight in his second game since being traded to the Calgary Flames organization in the Jay Bouwmeester deal. Cundari has quickly become a fan favourite in Abbotsford, leading many to lament the fact that he was not in the lineup earlier in the season when the team floundered through a series of “must-win” games.

In addition to the Bower / Brust tête-a-tête, fans witnessed the Heat’s franchise-best 23rd home victory in the final game at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre this season. Sadly, those 46 points gained at home did not add up to a playoff spot for the Heat, whose road record leaves much to be desired. The team sits in 12th spot in the Western Conference and were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs despite the back-to-back wins this weekend.

More after the jump.

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Abbotsford Heat 3, Grand Rapids Griffins 2 (SO)

April 7, 2013 Jason Kurylo

The Abbotsford Heat and Grand Rapids Griffins split back-to-back games this weekend, as the Heat avenged a 4-1 Friday night loss with a 3-2 shootout win on Saturday night. The Griffins are running away with the Midwest Division, sitting 10 points up on the second-place Chicago Wolves, while the Heat at this point are a longshot to make the Western Conference playoffs.

Members of the Abbotsford Heat youth hockey program celebrate receiving game-used sticks from the home team during a pair of games against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Krys Kolanos scored his team-leading 16th goal

More, including game highlights, after the jump.

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Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Abbotsford Heat 1

April 6, 2013 Jason Kurylo

The Abbotsford Heat came into Friday night’s game desperate for a win, but it was Landon Ferraro and the Grand Rapids Griffins who left with two points. With his father Ray, veteran of over 1,200 NHL games and 10 years of work in the broadcast booth, in attendance, Ferraro scored twice including the game-winner to further ruin any hope of the Abbotsford Heat backing into the playoffs.

Grand Rapids Griffins forward Landon Ferraro scored twice in a 4-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Heat are now three points back of the Chicago Wolves for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with the Wolves having three games in hand. Abbotsford has won just three games in their last 10. More after the jump.

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Sven Bärtschi on a roll for the Abbotsford Heat

April 4, 2013 Jason Kurylo

Huge props to Caleb Henry of the BCIT Broadcasting program for shooting some footage at the most recent Abbotsford Heat home stand, including a brief interview with Sven Bärtschi. (No, I don’t ask him if he’s ever been to Utica.)

Despite playing just 30 games with the AHL team this season — he missed a chunk of the year due to injury, and spent 10 games with the big club in Calgary — he is the fifth leading scorer on the team with 25 points. That includes a goal and an assist in each of the last three Heat wins. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, as he proved himself as an elite threat with the Portland Winterhawks in his last year in the WHL, notching exactly two points per game: 94 points in 47 games. With the departure of Jarome Iginla from the Flames, don’t be surprised to see Bärtschi take a more regular position at the Saddledome next season.

Check out Caleb’s editing handiwork below. It’s our first foray into full-on video coverage, so any and all feedback is much appreciated!

Abbotsford Heat forward Sven Bärtschi was dangerous, but ultimately failed to score in a 5-2 loss to the Rockford Ice Hogs. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — The Abbotsford Heat are 17-7-3-3 with Sven Bärtschi in the lineup this season. The Swiss forward hasn’t found his scoring touch when called up to the Calgary Flames just yet, but at the AHL level he’s a threat each and every game. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Articles, Hockey

The Heat search for elusive road wins

March 25, 2013 Jason Kurylo

The Abbotsford Heat are on the road this week, with three games of the must-win variety. Wednesday and Friday give the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate a chance at points against the last place Hamilton Bulldogs, while Saturday offers an afternoon tilt against the division-leading Toronto Marlies. The Heat are in tough to make the playoffs, having won just three of their last ten games.

More after the jump.

Abbotsford Heat defenseman Joe Callahan is better known for his physical, stay-at-home style, but he added an assist in a split against the Rockford Ice Hogs the weekend of March 21, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

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Articles, Hockey

Photobombing the pros

March 23, 2013 Jason Kurylo

At the Abbotsford Heat game last night, I got some great shots (and some not so marvellous pictures, too, but that’s the way she goes). Here’s something a little different. Check out this pic of Brad Mills drawing a penalty shot in the second period. Then look below to see a shot by Heat photographer Clint Trahan of the exact same moment in the game — there’s me photobombing the shot behind Danny Taylor in the Abbotsford net.

Just a bit of proof that I do indeed take my own pictures. My shot of Brad Mills drawing a penalty shot during the second period against the Abbotsford Heat, and pro photog Clint Trahan's shot of me... er, of Mills drawing the penalty shot. — Just a bit of proof that I do indeed take my own pictures. My shot of Brad Mills drawing a penalty shot during the second period against the Abbotsford Heat, and pro photog Clint Trahan’s shot of me… er, of Mills drawing the penalty shot.

Articles, Hockey

Abbotsford Heat playoff hopes fading fast

March 23, 2013 Jason Kurylo

The Rockford Ice Hogs didn’t just beat the Abbotsford Heat on Friday night. They lined up the nails all neat-like, threw what was left of the Heat’s playoff hopes in the coffin, and started hammering away.

Rockford Ice Hogs captain Martin St Pierre scored once and added a pair of assists in a 5-2 win over the Abbotsford Heat. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The home side tossed 35 shots at Ice Hogs goaltender Henrik Karlsson, but could only beat him twice. Coming the other way, Abbotsford goaltenders Barry Brust and Danny Taylor combined for just 21 saves on 26 shots. Do the math and you’ve got a 5-2 win for the visitors.

Coming into the game, the Heat sat one spot out of the playoff picture with 11 games remaining. That wouldn’t be so worrying if the teams around them didn’t have five games in hand. At this point in the season, with offensive threats like Sven Bärtschi, Ben Street and Max Reinhart all healthy, they just can’t spend all night making opposing goaltenders look good. Those other teams have a possible 10 extra points up for grabs with those additional games, so the chances of making the post-season start to look very slim indeed unless the Heat run the table. With the Ice Hogs win Friday, these teams swapped positions: the Heat now sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, while Rockford moves up to ninth.

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Articles, Hockey

Abbotsford Heat greets morning crowd with win

February 6, 2013 Jason Kurylo

Abbotsford Heat goaltender tracks a puck through traffic during a 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans on February 5, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. — Abbotsford Heat goaltender Danny Taylor tracks a puck through traffic during a 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans on February 5, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Abbotsford Heat hosted the Rochester Americans in a rare morning game this week, and outlasted the visitors 3-2 in front of an energetic school aged crowd. Danny Taylor made 17 stops, earning his eighth win in his last 11 starts. Both defenseman Brett Carson and forward Ben Street had a goal and an assist in the victory.

With the win, the Heat maintained their position atop the North Division, two points clear of second-place Lake Erie Monsters. They now have 55 points in 46 games, and are the only team remaining in the AHL to have allowed fewer than 100 goals on the season thus far.

Pucked in the Head was at the AESC, and is happy to file this game report. Post-game quotes and photo gallery after the jump.

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2012-13 Season, Articles, Hockey

The Flames just don’t trust Brust

January 23, 2013 Jason Kurylo

Abbotsford Heat goaltender Barry Brust has played his pads off this season, much of it against NHL-calibre players. For contractual reasons, the Calgary Flames are not giving him the look he deserves. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

If you paid any attention to the Abbotsford Heat during the recent NHL labour dispute, you took notice of a couple of things:

1) The Heat gave up fewer goals than any other team in the league.

2) Barry Brust gave up fewer goals than any other goaltender on the Heat roster.

It’s a strange thing, even for longtime fans of the Heat. I mean, who is this guy, right? Brust came in on a one-year contract, but his name seemed to ring a few bells… And Flames fans are asking questions after looking at the numbers for their farm team.

More on Brust’s frustrating dance with the Flames after the jump.

va12_logo — Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.

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Articles, Hockey

Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Milwaukee Admirals

January 21, 2013 Jason Kurylo

Abbotsford Heat - Ben Walter - 400 — Abbotsford Heat all-time leading scorer Ben Walter gets his stick on a point shot during a 2-0 win over Magnus Hellberg and the Milwaukee Admirals on January 20, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Abbotsford Heat won their fourth game in a row with a 2-0 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon. Barry Brust, fresh off being named to the AHL All-Star Game being played in a week’s time, collected his fourth shutout of the season.

It was a good end to a 10-game home stand for the Heat, who had at one point fallen from first overall in the American Hockey League to eighth in the Western Conference. With the perfect weekend against the Nashville Predators farm team, the Heat now have 49 points in 40 games, good for fifth in the West. They are tied in points with the North Division leading Toronto, but have played two more games than the Marlies.

The Heat got goals from forward Krys Kolanos and blueliner Brett Carson, the same two goal-scorers from the previous night’s 2-1 victory over the Admirals. Below you can listen to Carson’s post-game reaction from that game. It marks two goals in two starts for Carson, who took 34 games to score that many in the AHL last season. Both players were on the bubble of making the opening night Calgary Flames roster, but were late cuts in the shortened training camp once the NHL lockout ended 10 days ago.

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