Tag Archives: AHL

Articles, Hockey

Abbotsford Heat playoff hopes fading fast

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.
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.

Continue reading Abbotsford Heat playoff hopes fading fast →

Articles, Hockey

Ben Street makes NHL debut

Abbotsford Heat forward Ben Street had a goal and his stache had an assist in a 5-1 thrashing of the Hamilton Bulldogs on the last day of Movember. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat forward Ben Street, pictured here in action on on the last day of Movember, makes his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames on Hockey Day in Canada, February 9, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Congratulations to the pride of Coquitlam, BC, Ben Street on this Hockey Day in Canada. He makes his NHL debut tonight with the Calgary Flames at the age of 25 after being called up from his assignment with the Abbotsford Heat in the American Hockey League. He currently leads the offensively-challenged Heat in scoring, with 31 points in 44 games.

Street went undrafted by NHL teams, but earned a professional tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 after solid performance with his college team, the Wisconsin Badgers. He won Rookie of the Year in the ECHL Wheeling Nailers before being promoted to the AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Despite more solid numbers there — he got 57 points in 71 games last year with responsible two-way play — the depth chart up the middle in Pittsburgh is reportedly tough to crack. Some guy named Crosby, and another dude named Malkin, for starters.

Street signed with the Flames as a free agent in the off-season with the hopes of doing exactly what he does tonight: dressing for the big club just a few games into the post-lockout season.

Rip it up, big guy.

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.
Articles, Hockey

Abbotsford Heat greets morning crowd with win

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.

Continue reading Abbotsford Heat greets morning crowd with win →

2012-13 Season, Articles, Hockey

The Flames just don’t trust Brust

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.
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.

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.

Continue reading The Flames just don’t trust Brust →

Articles, Hockey

Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Milwaukee Admirals

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.

More pictures and video after the jump.

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.

Continue reading Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Milwaukee Admirals →

2012-13 Season, Hockey, Podcast

Episode 49 – Jason’s Questionable Ethics

Rochester Americans forward and Buffalo Sabres prospect Cody Hodgson was kind enough to sign an 8x10 of a shot I took the night before. Photo of a Jason Kurylo photo for Pucked in the Head by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. Whoa. Meta.
Rochester Americans forward and Buffalo Sabres prospect Cody Hodgson was kind enough to sign an 8×10 of a shot I took the night before. Photo of a Jason Kurylo photo for Pucked in the Head by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head. Whoa. Meta.

Jason and Chris dance around the line between blogger and journalist. Just how much fanboy should creep into a blogger’s actions should they garner media accreditation — partial or full — with the teams they cover?

Listen after the jump, or hit us up on iTunes. Continue reading Episode 49 – Jason’s Questionable Ethics →

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Articles, Hockey

Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Chicago Wolves

The Chicago Wolves won back-to-back games against the Abbotsford Heat this weekend, including a 1-0 shutout win on Saturday night. Here’s a collection of images from that contest, for your ogling pleasure. All photos by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Abbotsford Heat all-time leading scorer Ben Walter races up the wing with seconds left in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Wolves on January 13, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat all-time leading scorer Ben Walter races up the wing with seconds left in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Wolves on January 13, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Check out the rest of the pics after the jump. Continue reading Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Chicago Wolves →

Hockey, Uncategorized

A Little Bit of Id Salad, by Kennedy Goodkey

Abbotsford Heat forward Brett Olson was sprung for this shorthanded breakaway in the first period, but it was Brad Hunt and the Chicago Wolves who would win this game 1-0. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat forward Brett Olson was sprung for this shorthanded breakaway in the first period, but it was Brad Hunt and the Chicago Wolves who would win this game 1-0. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Pucked in the Head is happy to have the one and only Kennedy Goodkey guest posting for us this evening. Please hold your applause until the end of the introductory paragraph. Mr Goodkey has joined us for a couple of podcast episodes in the past, most notably in Top 7 Canucks Nicknames, Part I & Part II.

This marks the first time he has trekked up the road to an Abbotsford Heat AHL game, and it happened to be on the very day that NHL hockey was officially announced to be coming back from the lockout. He decided to record a running commentary of the evening as he went, warts and all. By ‘running commentary’, I mean just that. He goes from folk rock to sports aha-moments to popcorn in, dude, mere seconds. And by ‘warts and all’, I mean ‘complete with double spaces after periods, like some retired receptionist who still thinks Robert Goulet is just the dreamiest. I can say that because I am, in fact, Robert Goulet.

Not to take anything away from Kennedy’s usage of the word ‘antipodal’ — which is awesome, by the way, my favourite part is when he writes, “I must be some kind of elitist hockey-jerk.” But don’t let me spoil everything for you. Have a gander after the jump, and enjoy! Just remember that Mr Goodkey’s opinions are entirely his own, and with the exception of his loathing for the song Cotton-Eyed Joe, they do not reflect the deep, inner love and respect for all human life levels of hockey that Chris Withers and I hold dear.

— Jason Kurylo, who is, like, totally bogarting Kennedy’s opening

Continue reading A Little Bit of Id Salad, by Kennedy Goodkey →

Articles, Hockey

Photo gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans, part two

Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Kirsten goes deep into her hockey stride during a break in play on January 5, 2013. She plays intramural hockey at BCIT, and is in her third year of scraping the ice at Heat home games. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Kirsten goes deep into her hockey stride during a break in play on January 5, 2013. She plays intramural hockey at BCIT, and is in her third year of scraping the ice at Heat home games. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Abbotsford Heat earned a split in their back-to-back set against the Rochester Americans with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night. After the jump, grab a gander at some images from the contest. Or just read about it here.

Either way, give a guy a hand with some fundraising for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

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.

Continue reading Photo gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans, part two →

Articles, Hockey

Abbotsford Heat & Rochester Americans do the splits

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Abbotsford forward Ben Street had a pair of a goals and an assist to lead the Heat to a 3-1 win over the visiting Rochester Americans on January 5, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford forward Ben Street had a pair of a goals and an assist to lead the Heat to a 3-1 win over the visiting Rochester Americans on January 5, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Abbotsford Heat turned things around against the Rochester Americans, earning a split in their two-game set to open play in 2013 with a 3-1 win on Saturday night. The Americans won the first game of the weekend 5-2 on Friday.

Coquitlam native Ben Street had two goals and an assist in the win, while goaltender Danny Taylor stopped 17 of 18 shots. Here’s the game sheet.

With the win, the Heat remain tied for fourth in the AHL Western Conference. Abbotsford, the Houston Aeros and Texas Stars all have 41 points in 34 games. In the North Division, Abbotsford sits four points behind the Toronto Marlies, who themselves beat the Rockford Ice Hogs 5-2.

The Abbotsford Heat have a pair of home games against the Vancouver Canucks affiliate Chicago Wolves next Friday and Saturday, January 11 and 12 at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. The puck drops at 7 pm on both nights.

More after the jump.

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.

Continue reading Abbotsford Heat & Rochester Americans do the splits →