Recently acquired goalie Danny Taylor picked up his first victory as a member of the Abbotsford Heat, as the Heat beat the Chicago Wolves 3-1 in a Sunday matinee at Allstate Arena.
Taylor, signed to an AHL contract by the Heat on Friday, turned aside 25 of 26 shots as Abbotsford won its third game in three days on the road. Two of those wins came against the Wolves, the top farm team of the Vancouver Canucks.
Heat captain Quintin Laing, better known for his checking ability and penalty kill prowess, was the unlikely offensive hero. He picked up his third and fourth goals of the season as the Heat improved to 16-8-1-0.
With 33 points, Abbotsford is tied for first overall in the AHL with the Oklahoma City Barons, though the Barons (16-6-0-1) do have two games in hand.
Krys Kolanos opened the scoring at 8:14 of the first period on Sunday with an unassisted goal, extending his point streak to four games.
Tim Miller drew the Wolves even at the 11:59 mark, but Laing restored the Heat lead just 32 seconds later.
After a scoreless second period, Laing supplied some insurance at 8:55 of the third, notching a power-play goal, with Lance Bouma and Clay Wilson picking up the assists.
Eddie Lack, the Canucks' top netminding prospect, took the loss, allowing three goals on 25 shots. His counterpart between the Heat pipes, Taylor, is a former seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings who spent the bulk of last season playing in Germany.
The Heat return home this week for a Friday-Saturday set against the Lake Erie Monsters at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.