Sylvester helps Heat rally to beat Lake Erie Monsters 4-3 in a shootout

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Dustin Sylvester scored his second goal of the game with less than minute left to play as the Abbotsford Heat rallied to beat the Lake Erie Monsters 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday in the American Hockey League.

Brett Olson had the other regulation goal for Abbotsford (25-16-7), which increased its lead over Lake Erie (24-17-6) in the North Division to three points.

Roman Horak, Krys Kolanos and Max Reinhart had shootout goals for the Heat, while Barry Brust stopped all three shooters he faced and had 29 saves for his first win since Jan. 20.

Garry Steffes and Daniel Maggio each recorded their first career AHL goal, while Brad Malone also scored for the visitors. Calvin Pickard made 17 saves for the Monsters.

Lake Erie opened the scoring at 6:34 when Mike Connolly kept the puck in the zone and passed to Steffes, who beat Brust with a wristshot.

Sylvester tied the game at 14:49, finishing off a give-and-go with Paul Byron for his 10th of the season.

Brust kept the game tied at 1 with a point-blank save on Geoff Walker’s slap shot.

The Monsters made it 2-1 at 4:33 in the second after killing a penalty. Malone’s pass across the crease on a 2-on-1 was deflected past Brust by a defender.

Lake Erie increased the lead to two at 8:41 as Maggio beat Brust with a point shot through a screen.

Abbotsford cut the deficit back to one with 55.4 seconds left in the second. Olson redirected Joe Piskula’s point shot before backhanding in his own rebound.

With the goalie pulled the Heat tied the game with 51 seconds remaining. Reinhart moved to the top of the left face-off circle and wired a shot past that was tipped past Pickard’s blocker by Sylvester.