The Abbotsford Heat are on a three-game winning streak as they return to home ice Thursday against Oklahoma City.
It will be the first of a two-game set against the Barons, the Edmonton Oilers affiliate, as they meet again on Saturday night. Both games will be at Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre at 7 p.m.
Tuesday night the Heat needed overtime to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens affiliate, 3-2 at Copps Coliseum.
In overtime, T.J. Brodie rushed up ice, fed a pass to the point from the corner of the Bulldogs zone to Joe Piskula, whose shot appeared to hit Jon Rheault before bouncing in and winning the game.
After losing the opener of their road trip in Toronto last Wednesday, the Heat reeled off a Friday win in Grand Rapids, and then a pair of wins on Sunday and Tuesday in Hamilton. The Heat now own a tidy road record of 5-1-0-0, and a record of 7-3-0-0 overall.
Tuesday the Heat trailed the Bulldogs 1-0 starting the second period, but Greg Nemisz tied the game with his third of the season, set up by captain Quintin Laing. Later in the frame Jon Rheault roofed his third of the campaign on the power play, after newly minted Krys Kolanos, and Guillaume Desbiens set him up. The Heat led 2-1 through 40 minutes, but would need overtime to escape Hamilton with four of four points.
Leland Irving made some stunning saves, earning his AHL leading seventh win of the season. The 23-year-old set aside 24 of 26 shots.
The Heat outshot the Bulldogs 35-26.
Heat special teams are clicking. The power play finished with a goal on four opportunities. The penalty kill allowed a goal on two man-advantages for the Bulldogs, but remains at 91 per cent on the season, having erased 40 of 44 enemy power plays.
Tickets are available by calling 1-877-452-HEAT or by visiting AbbotsfordHeat.com. Pre-game shows start at 6:30 p.m. both nights, with the entire broadcasts available on Country 107.1 FM in Abbotsford or at theAHL.com.