STOCKTON, Calif. – The Stockton Heat (19-13-3-1) split a pair of games against their southern central California rival Bakersfield Condors (15-15-4-1) thanks to a Mark Jankowski hat trick on Friday night in a 6-3 win. Saturday’s Annual Teddy Bear Toss resulted in a lopsided 6-3 loss before the Heat’s largest home crowd in history (8,502 fans).
Matt Jankowski (L) fights Joey LaLeggia for the puck – Photo by Jack Lima
The Jankowski hat trick was the first in Heat team history. He opened the scoring in the first period when a pass from Morgan Klimchuk was wristed behind the goalie Nick Ellis at the 4:20 mark. The Condors answered back with a goal of their own at 9:53, when Patrick Russell’s breakaway shot beat Jon Gillies in the heat net. Then only seconds later, Jankowski’s second goal came off a pass from behind the net from Hunter Shinkaruk. But the Condors would again even the score at two apiece when Joey LaLeggia sinks a loose puck at 12:39 on a power play.
Condors’ Jesse Puljujarvi (9) looks to pass as Kenney Morrison (7) defends – Photo by Jack Lima
In the second period, the Heat came out fast, and Ryan Lomberg received the puck coming out of the penalty box and beat Ellis at 1:27 into the period. Jankowski and Klimchuk were credited on the assists. At the 13:44 mark, Stockton put the team up 4-2 when Tyler Wotherspoons shot from the top of the face-off circle hits the back of the net. The two goals came despite being held to only six shots on goal versus 10 for the Condors.
Jankowski’s hat-trick goal came at 4:34 of the third period when his rebound shot went past the goalie on a power play goal. The Condors Jesse Puljujarvi dropped a one-timer power play shot into the net at 10:30, to give the Condors their third goal of the night. But, despite the extra player, Andrew Mangiapane’s empty-net goal sealed the game for the 6-3 win.
Nick Ellis had 20 saves in the Condors loss, while Gillies’ 29 saves earns him another win.
Jankowski attributed his success for the night to his line-mates.
“My whole line was going all night, so it just made life easy to play with those two guys and it was a good feeling to help the team get the win. It’s a little different than the one in preseason, it was in a game that matters, a big divisional game for us. The big thing was helping the team win,” Jankowski said following the game.
Stockton fans throw stuffed animals on the ice during the annual Teddy Bears Toss on Saturday night – Photo by Jack Lima
Fans hoped the Heat could take the momentum from Friday’s game into Saturday’s heavily attended and anticipated Teddy Bear Toss night, but the tables turned and the Condors had the better bounces and the Heat’s three-game win-streak came to an end in the 6-3 loss.
Taylor Beck (41) scores a goal past Heat goalie Jon Gillies – Photo by Jack Lima
It was Matt Frattin (11 goal of the season) that started the launching of the bears from the stands. His goal at 15:47 into the first period put the Heat on the board following a Taylor Beck opening power play goal earlier in the period. Ryan Lomberg scored for the second night in a row when his goal beat Jonas Gustavsson in the Condors net at 16:06. The period ended following a final Heat goal off the stick of Mike Angelidis, when his rebound shot found the net, with an assist to Austin Carroll.
Heat foward Matt Bailey (22) tries to deflect the puck past Condors’ goalie Jonas Gustavsson – Photo by Jack Lima
The single goal of the second period was a Condors power play goal that saw the puck stall in front of the net and get tipped in by LaLeggia.
Matt Frattin (L) collides with David Musil during first period action Saturday night – Photo by Jack Lima
The Heat worked to keep their 3-1 lead, but Griffin Reinhart’s long shot through traffic just over two minutes into the period, saw the lead dwindle. Scott Allen did it again at 4:15 to tie the teams at three each. Then Taylor Beck beat Gillies to give the Condors the go-ahead goal at 14:27. LaLeggia earned an empty net goal with just under two minutes remaining to seal the Heat loss.
Gillies gets the loss in this game with 29 saves, while Gustavsson earns the win with only 18 saves.
Condors’ Captain Ryan Hamilton (12) tries to tip a shot past Heat goalie Jon Gillies – Photo by Jack Lima
Coach Ryan Huska commented on the game, “I thought we cheated things towards the end, but at the end of the night, in the third period when you look at it in particular over the last little while, we’ve played against teams that have wanted it more than we have and you don’t win games hoping to win. You have to go out there and make things happen, you have to get it done and we didn’t move our feet in the third period, we stood around and watched and they capitalized on their chances.”
Matt Frattin (R) celebrates his goal that starts the teddy bear toss on Saturday night – Photo by Jack Lima
Mark Jankowski scores his first of three goals past Condor goalie Nick Ellis during the Heats’ 6-3 win on Friday night – Photo by Jack Lima
The loss moves Stockton to the fifth spot in the Pacific Division, but the teams are still very tight. Stockton will need to turn up the Heat (so to speak), if they want to keep in the race, as they will host the third place San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday night. They are 2-2-1 against them for the season to date.
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