CAVENDISH FARMS REPORT - 02.03.21

Down but never out.
These guys are a resilient bunch.
After losing their first two games of the season to the Toronto Marlies, the Heat trailed just over a minute into the third tilt of the campaign, yet another tough bounce off a skate ending up in the back of the net for the snake-bitten and puck-luck-less team in its home away from home at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

But the script didn't play out the same.
Instead, the Heat went on to beat Toronto 4-2 and follow that up Friday with a 8-1 victory.
"What I'm really proud of our team for is the resilience to get through those first two games, then to take an unlucky goal like that, which was an unlucky bounce, and to manage through it and stay on task, I was really happy with that," said Stockton Heat head coach Cail MacLean. "Our team made big strides over the week, and resilience was really displayed well there."
Zac Leslie potted his first of the season with just over a minute left in the first period Wednesday to tie the game and give his teammates some confidence.
"We needed someone to execute for us," said MacLean. "That's where we fell short in the first couple of games. We weren't winning that game within the game of finishing on your chances. Zac Leslie made a great play to start that, he executed on a shot that lifted our bench, got us into a 1-1 game and gave us a reward for that resilience."
From there, the Heat took over - and emphatically so - with a cumulative 11-2 score over the next five periods of play against the visiting Marlies.
Paced by back-to-back three-point efforts from second-year pro Adam Ruzicka, along with linemate Matthew Phillips, the Heat rattled off four consecutive markers on Wednesday en route to a 4-2 victory before winning the next two.
The Heat showed excellent special-teams play, scoring depth and defensive chops in the latter half of the four-game set. The boost in performance helped the home team earn an even 2-2 split against a Toronto club that had four games already under its belt as the Heat closed out a 348-day, COVID-caused hockey hiatus with the season-opener on Feb. 21.
"It says a lot about not only the players on the team, but the coaching staff and how they were able to work with us and make adjustments," said Phillips, who had three assists and four points in the four tilts.. "I think we showed a lot of resilience early and we had to regroup after a couple of tough games."
Stockton now hits the road for a nearly-three-week jaunt that features games against the Marlies, Belleville Senators, and Manitoba Moose before returning to the Saddledome on March 18.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

QUICK HITS:

THEY SAID IT:

"It was 3-2 at the time. Obviously you don't want to go down 5-on-3 in the span of a few minutes, but the message on the ice to my guys was just protect the back door, I've got everything strong side and let's get the job done. We played a really solid game, and it was nice to get rewarded on that front."- Dustin Wolf on his and the team's play down the stretch in Stockton's 4-2 win Wednesday
"(The way I finished last year) gave me confidence. To also play on the powerplay, be a leader and get more ice time (helps). This year I feel much better on the ice. It's a good start." - Martin Pospisil on his confidence and play in his second pro season
"I'm confident now in all different ways. It's not just in scoring but my whole two-way play. Playing defensively, creating chances for my teammates, the overall play around my game." - Adam Ruzicka on how he's feeling at the start of his second pro season
"It's a great feeling knowing every now and then, (Wolf) has the ability to save a puck that he probably has no business touching, but he finds a way to get a piece of it and make a great save. That's one part of it. But in (Friday's) game, he just looked solid all game. It really relaxes the whole team when guys can just play their position because they know he's going to do his job."- Matthew Phillips on the play of Wolf