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Hunt's third-period goal sparks Canucks farm team to shootout win over Heat

For Chicago Wolves defenceman Brad Hunt, Thursday evening's game at the AESC was one he'll never forget.
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Heat forward Quintin Laing battles for position in front of Chicago Wolves goalie Eddie Lack. Laing returned after missing seven games with a foot injury


For Chicago Wolves defenceman Brad Hunt, Thursday evening's game at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre was one he'll never forget.

For the Abbotsford Heat, it was more of the same at home against the Vancouver Canucks' affiliate.

Hunt, a Ridge Meadows native, scored the game-tying goal on the power play at 12:37 of the third period, deflecting a pass from Steve Reinprecht between the legs of Heat goalie Leland Irving. It was the first professional goal for the 23-year-old, who is on an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Wolves.

Mark Mancari and Eddie Lack finished the job in the shootout. Lack stopped all five Heat shooters, while Mancari was the lone Wolf to solve Irving as Chicago prevailed 5-4.

"It's just good to get the first one out of the way, especially at home in front of my family and friends," said Hunt, who played locally for the junior B Ridge Meadows Flames and the junior A Burnaby Express before moving on to play NCAA hockey at Bemidji State. "It feels really good.

"There were probably pretty close to 40 (in the stands), I guess – family and friends, uncles and aunts. It was pretty cool to get it in front of them."

Over the Heat's three seasons in Abbotsford, the Canucks' affiliate – the Manitoba Moose in 2009-10 and 2010-11, and the Wolves this year – has consistently gotten the best of them at the AESC. With Thursday's triumph, the Vancouver farmhands are 9-1-0-1 in Abbotsford.

The Heat held the lead on three occasions, but were never really able to seize control of the game.

"I felt we skated more on our heels than our toes," Heat head coach Troy Ward analyzed afterward. "I don't know if we really had it, to be honest."

The Heat opened the scoring just over four minutes in, as Dustin Sylvester stole the puck in the neutral zone from Wolves defenceman Mark Matheson and got away on a two-on-one break with Paul Byron. Sylvester slowed up to allow a sprawling Hunt to slide by, then fed the puck across to Byron for a tap-in at the far post.

Tim Miller leveled the score at 12:33 of the first, scoring a shorthanded goal on a three-on-two break. But just as the same Heat power play expired, Hugh Jessiman ripped a wrist shot past Lack on the short side to restore the Abby lead.

In the second period, Jordan Schroeder scored twice on the same shift, 25 seconds apart, to give the Wolves their first lead of the night in lightning-quick fashion. First, he deftly deflected home a point shot by Hunt. Then, he wheeled out of the corner and slid a shot between the legs of a sprawling Irving.

The Heat, though, responded with goals from Joe Piskula and Krys Kolanos before the period was up to reclaim the lead.

It was all Wolves in the final frame – they out-shot Abbotsford 10-2, and held the Heat without a shot for the first 12-plus minutes.

They eventually got the equalizer after the Heat took back-to-back penalties – their first infractions of the game – midway through the period. The first, a holding-the-stick call on Greg Nemisz, the Heat were able to weather. But on the second, a tripping call on J.P. Testwuide, Hunt's milestone goal drew the Wolves even.

When all was said and done, Chicago had its first third-period comeback win of the campaign. They had been 0-19-0 when trailing through 40 minutes.

"They just came out a little harder than we did (in the third period)," Heat centre Ben Walter said. "We maybe just sat back a little bit, trying to protect the lead. It's times like that where you've got to push right back at them and see if we can get a couple more."

The Heat and Wolves renew hostilities on Friday (7 p.m., AESC), and Ward said the Heat's forward corps could look far different for the rematch. Centre Roman Horak was sent down to Abbotsford by the Calgary Flames late Friday afternoon, and he'll draw in. Jon Rheault, out since Feb. 11 due to an upper-body injury, could also make a return.

Irving had a couple of shaky moments, but Ward said he'll be back between the pipes Friday and will be the Heat's go-to guy for the balance of the stretch drive.

"I thought Leland was better than he's been," Ward said. "It's been the best year of his life – he's played in the NHL, but he's also been up and down.

"On the great side of life, his wife is pregnant – it's the most exciting time. And then at the same time, he's supposed to come in and make all you guys smile, and he's supposed to get wins. But he's got a wife that's pregnant and wants ice cream."

With the single point, the Heat (35-26-3-5, 78 points) jumped from sixth to fourth in the crowded Western Conference standings. The Wolves (38-25-2-3, 81 points) tightened their grip on third place.

"We're treading water," Ward noted. "We're staying afloat, and we've got to hit our stride. We've got to find our top 12 forwards, and our top six D."

ICE CHIPS:

• Heat captain Quintin Laing returned to the lineup Thursday after missing seven games with a foot laceration. His insertion came at the expense of Guillaume Desbiens, who was a healthy scratch due to AHL veteran restrictions.

• Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald was in attendance as part of the Heat's Hockey Heroes Night, and there was a lengthy lineup at the autograph table during intermissions.

• General manager Mike Gillis was among the crowd of Canucks management at the AESC to look in on the team's top prospects.

Schroeder acknowledged that scoring a couple goals with the brass in the stands was a nice feeling.

"You want to use it for motivation more than anything," he said. "Any time you score and help your team win, it's a big boost. It felt good."

Heat centre Ben Walter celebrates Krys Kolanos's power-play goal in the second period. (Amy Williams Photography)