The Abbotsford Heat snapped a two-game losing streak in emphatic fashion on Friday, cruising past the Lake Erie Monsters 4-1 on the road.

The Heat built a 3-0 lead before the Monsters got on the board, and goalie Danny Taylor turned aside 23 of 24 Lake Erie shots in the win.

Ben Street got Abbotsford on the board at 4:37 of the first period, capitalizing on a two-man advantage. Goals by Tyler Ruegsegger in the second and Paul Byron in the third stretched the lead to 3-0.

Brad Malone put a puck past Taylor at 7:38 of the third, but the Heat snuffed any hope of a comeback by out-shooting the Monsters 12-4 in the final frame. Brett Olson rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter with five seconds to go.

Abby defenceman Brady Lamb picked up a pair of assists for his first multi-point game of his pro career.

Taylor’s performance represented a bounce-back effort – he was pulled in the third period of a 4-1 loss to Lake Erie on Thursday.

The Heat (23-14-7, 53 points) leapfrogged the Monsters (24-17-4, 52 points) for first place atop the crowded North Division standings. The Toronto Marlies are three points back with three games in hand.

The Heat wrap up a three-games-in-three-nights stretch at the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday. They return home for their second annual school day game, a 10:30 a.m. start on Tuesday vs. the Rochester Americans.