Anything the 蜜柚直播 Roadrunners would do Friday night in 蜜柚直播 Arena, the Stockton Heat thought they could do better.
They thought wrong.
In what played out as a 65-minute-plus matchup of 鈥渃an you top this?鈥 between the Roadrunners (9-7-1-0) and first-place Heat (14-2-2-1), 蜜柚直播 battled back from a two-goal second period deficit to defeat arguably the team with the AHL鈥檚 second-best overall record, 5-4, in a shootout.
鈥淲e hung in there. We found a way,鈥 蜜柚直播 head coach Jay Varady said of the victory for the Roadrunners in their first of seven games over the next 14 days heading into the weeklong holiday break.
蜜柚直播 scored twice in four shootout attempts, with Matias Maccelli beat Stockton goaltender Adam Werner to open up the breakaway competition. Terry Broadhurst scored on 蜜柚直播鈥檚 fourth attempt while Roadrunners鈥 goaltender Ivan Prosvetov stopped three of four Stockton breakaways to secure the victory for the home team.
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Stockton has lost just five times this season. That includes two in regulation, two in overtime, and this one in a shootout. 蜜柚直播 also handed the Heat one of the overtime defeats 鈥 that coming in a 1-0 Roadrunners鈥 victory on opening night.
While the Heat came in winners of three straight and four of five outings, 蜜柚直播 has now picked up two victory points in five of their last six games. The Roadrunners are in fourth in the Pacific Division standings, mere percentage points behind the Henderson Silver Knights for third.
Prosvetov stopped 47 of 51 shots on goal against to earn first star honors. He admitted it鈥檚 not often four goals get past a goalie and he鈥檚 still the game鈥檚 top star. But on Friday, it was clearly deserved.
鈥淚 actually came off the ice and they grabbed me to go back,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 like, maybe third star, you know? Yeah, it was a lot of shots. But they gave me the first (star)? I was kind of surprised.鈥
With roughly 30 seconds to play in the second period, not long after 蜜柚直播 tied the game at four apiece in an otherwise seesaw battle, Prosvetov made arguably the save of his young season. With players from both teams tying up the puck deep in the Roadrunners鈥 zone, it found its way free and eventually ended up on the stick of Stockton鈥檚 Martin Popisil. Prosvetov might have committed himself slightly too soon, hitting the ice before sprawling across the crease. Popisil waited, then with Prosvetov practically on his stomach, took his shot.
But instead of the score being 5-4 Stockton, the puck was in Prosvetov鈥檚 glove snatched out of mid-air.
鈥淜ey saves in key moments,鈥 Varady said of his netminder. 鈥淚 thought he made really big saves when we needed him the most.鈥
Prosvetov would go on to stop multiple breakaway attempts in a scoreless third period en route to 15 saves in the final frame. Prosvetov stopped two in overtime before allowing just one goal on four Heat skaters in the post-OT shootout.
鈥淚 went down pretty early on that shot, but he was pretty close. I was trying to seal the ice the best that I can,鈥 Prosvetov said, adding that the atmosphere, especially in the arena鈥檚 south end where he was in net for the first and third period鈥檚 was especially rowdy Friday. 鈥淗e made a good move. I have to give him credit. But you know, I have to get my luck, too, sometimes.鈥
Blake Speers, who had been without a point through 蜜柚直播鈥檚 first 16 games, scored his first of the season 3:16 into the first period. 蜜柚直播 would hold the lead for roughly nine minutes before Stockton鈥檚 Jakob Pelletier, the AHL鈥檚 second-leading overall point producer this season, scored his first of two on the night. Less than two minutes later, Stockton had the lead on a goal by Matthew Phillips.
In the second, after 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Matias Maccelli scored his team high seventh goal of the season four minutes in, Stockton did the double-dip again. Pelletier connected 1:18 after Maccelli鈥檚 goal before Phillips notched his second 2:02 later, giving the Heat that 4-2 lead.
But 蜜柚直播 wasn鈥檛 done.
Travis Barron and Victor Sodorstrom joined Speers in scoring their first goals of the season Friday. Barron鈥檚 goal came 11:05 into the middle frame, with Soderstrom tying the game at four with less than three to play in that second period.
鈥淪omething that we鈥檝e shown, especially over the course of the last 10 games or so, is that we鈥檝e got a serious amount of character in that locker room,鈥 Speers said of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 resiliency. 鈥淔or them to get it to 4-2, and for us to not let it slip away and get out of hand and then climb back. 鈥 It kind of shows what we have building in that locker room right now.鈥
Saturday鈥檚 rematch will be broadcast on KWBA-TV, which is channels 8 or 58 depending on the carrier. Radio play-by-play voice Adrian Denny will be on the call, which is slated as a simulcast on 1450-AM.
