Pro hockey is alive and well in the Fraser Valley with the Heat lighting things up for the 4th year of operation.
While it is true changes have been made in the off-season, it’s purely a business decision from the parent club the Calgary Flames.
I continue to get asked why the Canucks farm club does not play here and the simple answer is Calgary got her first. The season kicks off with Peoria Rivermen coming to town, which is the affiliate for the NHL St. Louis Blues and given the current lock-out this is the best priced hockey you will see for a while.
The Heat ran an intense training camp, under 2nd year Coach Troy Ward who is extremely passionate about making hockey succeed in the valley.
Local talent is prevalent to the club as it not only shows the commitment to the area, but also displays the enormous amount of talent produced in the lower mainland.
This season the Heat have three players from the lower mainland on the roster and all have had success in the respective minor Associations. Ben Walter of Langley who is playing in his 500th AHL game marked the occasion by getting his goal.
Hockey is in his blood-lines given the fact his Dad- Ryan had a successful NHL Career capping it off with a Stanley Cup win.Vancouver’s Max Reinhart is following in his Father Paul’s footsteps that spent over a decade in the NHL with the Atlanta/Flames/Canucks organizations.
His younger brother Griffin was a top five selection of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the NY Islanders
Coquitlam’s Ben Street led the Wilkes-Barrie Scranton Penguins in scoring last season with 57 points and finished the season tied for 17th in AHL goals numbering 27.
While the Heat continues to struggle with attendance, I am told that starting with the Chicago series all remaining games are over half sold out.
With the Heat having seven years remaining in the contract, it’s unlikely that the Flames organization will give up on this endeavour in the near future.
Peoria comes to town and have one new BC product Scott Ford (#44) on the roster from Fort St. John who spent last season with Milwaukee Admirals and was dealt to Peoria July 1st.
He has had a solid career in various leagues and in conversation he tells me “he has enjoyed the ride and it thankful to everyone that has helped him along the way in all areas of his career.”
He is no slouch to mixing it up as entering the game he is four PIM’s away from reaching number 600 on the chart. He was named Captain prior to the start of the season and is in his 9th season of pro hockey.
While we question the work-stoppage in the NHL, if it wasn’t for that we might not see the likes of Lance Bouma, Sven Baertschi or TJ Brodie in the line-up.
Baertschi was an emergency call-up by the Flames last season from the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL and scored three times in his five NHL games.
This series marks the first time in the history of Peoria that they have started the season north of the 49th.The Rivermen brought Dave Allison on board as the teams 18th Coach in franchise history, and most recently served as an amateur scout with the Penguins.
He also enjoyed a 10 year playing career in the AHL, IHL and the NHL, who was signed by Montreal in 79.
This game saw the Heat pound the Rivermen both on the scoreboard and in the fisticuffs department too. After the first the Heat outshoot Peoria 17-7 and through two they were still up in the shot department by a 23-10 romp.
The Heat had six different goal scorers and multi-point nights from Ben Street, Dustin Sylvester, Sven Baertschi and T.J. Brodie. Brodie earned first star honours and led all scorers with three assists.
Danny Taylor stopped 17 of 19 shots for the home team, earning his second win in as many games. The Heat outshot the Rivermen 33-19, allowing just three shots in the second period.
The Heat scored were 2 for 4 on the PP and are now 3 for 9 on the PP through the first two games of the season.
The Chicago Wolves (Canucks AHL affiliate) visit the Heat October 19th and 20th for a pair of games to the delight of many in the area. Both games start at 7:00 PM at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.
Friday also marks the first of the Legends of Hockey series which will feature Cliff Ronning and Geoff Courtnall.
Saturday’s game will feature the first of three post-game concerts as Fighting for Ithaca will take the stage.
Excellent hockey and well worth the trip!!!
