STOCKTON, Calif. – With a 4-for-5 performance from the penalty kill and multi-point outings from Jakob Pelletier, Byron Froese and Matthew Phillips, the Stockton Heat (10-0-2-0) defeated the Ontario Reign (10-2-0-1) by a 4-2 final in a clash of the Pacific Division’s top two teams Sunday at Toyota Arena.
With the win, the Heat extended their point streak to 12 games, setting a new team record. Center Glenn Gawdin etched his name atop Stockton’s all-time scoring leaderboard with an assist on the game-clinching empty-netter, his 110th career AHL point.
The Reign took the upper hand in the first, Gabriel Vilardi getting the last touch for the home team on a puck that skidded past Dustin Wolf for a 1-0 edge. The lead lasted less than two minutes as Pelletier took a puck in the high slot and beat netminder Garret Sparks to pull even after 20 minutes.
The Heat gained control in the second frame with scores from Adam Ruzicka and Froese, both tallies coming on the power play as Stockton amassed a multi-goal edge. The Reign struck back right before the horn sounded on the second stanza as Helge Grans put a deflection into the back of the net with less than six seconds remaining to pull Ontario back within striking distance.
The teams battled to a scoreless draw through the third until Luke Philp’s empty netter, assisted by Gawdin and Colton Poolman, with less than a second remaining for the 4-2 final.
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