In a unique season, in a new division, in a new home arena, there have been ups and downs. A team-record, eight-game win streak early in the year gave way to a cold spell that has mired the club for the past several weeks. Personal milestones have been achieved - first NHL game for Glenn Gawdin, Flames debut for Byron Froese, then Adam Ruzicka and Matthew Phillips each etching their names into Stockton's record books with their blazing start to the season.
And now, into the final five, the Heat will look to close on a high note. The first step will be to shake off a tough home set at the Saddledome against Belleville.
"(Belleville) capitalized and we didn't," said Heat coach Cail MacLean following the final contest of the three-game series. "Some good things happened, but it's 'horseshoes and hand grenades.' Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."
With the tough trio of tilts against the Senators now in the rear view, the Heat turn their attention to Manitoba, where Stockton wrapped their team-record win streak in a thriller of a series that included three one-goal games in four outings, including a pair of overtime winners for the Flames' AHL affiliate.
A change of scenery could also benefit the Heat, who own an 8-6-0 road record on the season.
"We know that Manitoba is a really tight-checking team," said MacLean ahead of the final road trip. "They bring the play to you. They play right in your face. We have to be ready for that. We have to be prepared for them to be up in our face in the gaps, and we have to play behind them. When you get into that setting, playing in a practice facility, things move quickly in that confined space. We have to make sure we're mentally prepared to make fast plays."
The task ahead is tall - going on the road to finish off a season against a surging team. The Moose have won three straight and have battled back to second place in the Canadian Division standings. They come in rested and are looking to use a five-game series against Stockton to propel themselves into their final two weeks of play.
But the test could be what the Heat need. When the team has found itself in a corner throughout the season, time and time again it has been able to answer. It's the character they've shown from the start of the season, from rebounding after a tough first two games against Toronto, starting the big win streak, to earning a come-from-behind win against division-leading Laval in the final meeting between the teams this season.
Even while winning results have been tougher to find, this season has been about the testing of development and character.
With one final five-game push remaining, the Heat will look to show one more time what they're made of.