The Abbotsford Heat have a home game on the road this Friday, as they clash with the Oklahoma City Barons at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
It's a neat opportunity for the Abbotsford players to play in the home rink of the Calgary Flames, the Heat's NHL parent club.
"We get a chance to play in front of hopefully our future fans, and it's a big game," rookie forward Greg Nemisz pointed out.
The Barons are the Edmonton Oilers' farm team, and Nemisz said he hopes some of the "Battle of Alberta" rivalry between the parent clubs trickles down to their AHL affiliates.
"We're a team that plays well when we're emotionally invested in games, and that's something we'll try to spark in the first five or 10 minutes," he said.
The Heat and Barons fly back to Abbotsford for a rematch on Saturday (7 p.m.).
NEMISZ FEELING FINE
Cosmetic damage is all Nemisz sustained after a face-first collision with the butt end of Toronto Marlies defenceman Matt Lashoff's stick last Saturday.
Late in the third period of the Heat's 3-0 victory, Lashoff took a run at Nemisz along the side boards in the Marlies zone. The blow drove one of the Heat forward's teeth through his lower lip, opening him up to the tune of nine stitches.
"It was a pretty dirty play, but I'll move on," Nemisz said. "It's a little swollen right now, but the doc did a good job of stitching me up. It looks like I'm going to keep the tooth, so it's pretty good."
MEYERS ON THE MEND
Defensive reinforcements are on the horizon for the Heat.
Josh Meyers, who missed the past eight games with a neck injury suffered in a collision with teammate Matt Pelech on Jan. 28 vs. Houston, returned to practice on Tuesday.
"It's good to see," Heat head coach Jim Playfair said. "He had a big hit with Matt Pelech, and we're fortunate that he's capable of getting back out there right now."
Meyer joins John Negrin on the comeback trail. Negrin, recovering from knee surgery, began skating with the team last week.
Other injured Heat players include goalie Matt Keetley (knee) and the concussed trio of Carter Bancks, Mitch Wahl and Kris Chucko.
NEW PAINT JOB FOR IRVING
For the second time this season, Heat goalie Leland Irving is rocking some brand new headgear.
Irving unveiled a freshly painted mask in early December, but a hard shot cracked that unit in short order. The new one, which arrived this week, is similar to the ruined mask in that the paint job is an homage to former Vancouver Canucks goalie Kirk McLean, one of Irving's idols growing up.
"I'm excited," said Irving, who wore last year's helmet in the interim. "I liked the old one too, but this one is a little different design – more like Kirk McLean's last mask he wore with the Canucks. The dragons on the side are a little more 3D, almost cartoony, but with a lot of detail. I'm extremely happy with it."