CAVENDISH FARMS REPORT - 27.04.22

First goal was making the playoffs.
Next, it was winning the division.
Now, the Stockton Heat have their sights set even higher. They want it all.
"It's absolutely something we want to accomplish," said Matthew Phillips, who has paced the Pacific Division champions with 67 points this season. "We've had some goals as a team. We made the playoffs. We got the division. Now it's in our power to hold on to first in the league. That's something we want to accomplish, and we hold the power to control our place."

The most recent box - the Pacific Division - was checked last week. Unbeknownst to the team at the time of the clinch, the Heat sealed their first-ever divisional crown after fending off a rally from second-place Ontario over the last couple of weeks. A long time coming, it was the first divisional title for the Flames' AHL affiliate since the 2006-07 season with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. It's the fourth all-time AHL divisional title for the Flames' farm club.
It's an accomplishment that Flames Assistant General Manager and Heat GM Brad Pascall says was well-earned.
"It's been a great regular season for the group," said Pascall. "I'm really proud of Mitch Love and the entire staff there, really pleased with the performance of everyone from the coaches to the training staff to the support staff. You look at our players and our team who stuck with it all year with their competitive nature throughout the season, that's what got them here.
"Our players deserved this. They earned it. They really worked towards it, and I'm just really proud of the whole group."
Neither Phillips nor Pascall could point to a particular moment in the season where it became evident what Stockton had, no a-ha moment that sprung thoughts of a divisional championship on the horizon. Instead, Pascall pointed to some of the bedrocks of Stockton's success this year - consistency and resiliency - that have helped the Heat to a banner year.
"It's hard to pinpoint a particular part of the season, other than to say early on you'd see the team have success, especially after bumps in the road and how we came out of it," he explained. "This wasn't just a 10-game segment we pointed to and said it was a good 10 games. It was a consistency throughout the whole year. Again, tough to pinpoint a particular area where we could say we knew, but just the consistency of how we've played, the detail of how we've played, where we ended up in the standings in a product of that effort."
As Phillips noted, there's still a goal out there to play for. One game remains on Stockton's slate and they're in the driver's seat for the Macgregor Kilpatrick trophy, awarded annually to the league's regular season champion. The Magic Number sits at two points, but the Chicago Wolves are hot on their heels with two games of their own remaining and a Magic Number of five.
It's only right that in a year in which Stockton has been able to elevate its game every time the situation has called, whether facing off against top teams in the division with critical four-point swing games or answering brief rough stretches, the Heat have one final hurdle to clear before hitting that second season.
One road game left - Saturday at Bakersfield with a rivalry grudge match to close out the regular season - is all that remains, the final test for this team before the records go back to 0-0 and they have to earn it all, all over again.
It's a chance to go into the bye week awarded to the division champion feeling good about where their game is at. It's an opportunity that Mitch Love and the coaching staff points to with excitement.
"As a group, we get through this week with two games against two worthy opponents and teams that have played us hard all year, we want to get back to the basics and the foundation that has allowed us to be a successful team," he said. "Then we have some time to reset and get our preparation right.
"Our mindset is there's plenty to play for here. We're chasing first overall in the American Hockey League. That's plenty of incentive there. Then we'll reset ourselves, get some rest and get ready to go for the playoffs, which everyone's excited about."

RECENT RESULTS:

Wednesday vs. Tucson - W, 3-1
Friday vs. Abbotsford - OTL, 5-4
Saturday at Bakersfield - L, 4-0
Tuesday at San Diego - W, 4-1

QUICK HITS:

THEY SAID IT:

"As a staff, we're really proud of our team for withstanding some really good teams in our division for first place and getting that first-round bye in the playoffs. That's a credit to the players and all the work that they've put in, and all of the staff too for the countless hours they've put in to put us in a position to earn the bye. We want to finish off in the next couple games in the right note in preparation for getting going in the second round."
- Mitch Love on Stockton's Pacific Division championship
"It's two-fold. All year, we've gone on a day-by-day process. That doesn't change our mind this week in the final week of the regular season. We were coming off two straight losses, which doesn't sit well with our group. We wanted to have a response (Tuesday) in San Diego then get some rest and get back at it against Bakersfield, a very good hockey team. Our mindset is getting better each day, chipping away and making sure we're getting ready for that playoff game one."
- Love on the mindset heading into the last week of the regular season
"That goes with Mitch and his staff, how we play, and you could say it as an organization, has always been a priority for our group but even more so this season, the synergy between our group (and Calgary) and how we play. That's been a really strong positive. The success that Stockton has had from a win-loss standpoint this season, it's produced a belief that we go into every game with the belief that we will win tonight. That's important. That's how you want to structure the whole organization and how we took the approach to build a positive atmosphere and a positive attitude across our entire organization."
- Brad Pascall on building a top-down winning culture
"It's obviously nice to hit a milestone like that, but that doesn't happen without playing with good players and playing on a good team. I've been lucky to have had really good line mates all season. (Jakob Pelletier) has been right by my side the whole season, so it's very fitting that he set me up for (the 30th goal). It's nice, but you don't hit milestones without good teammates helping you out."
- Phillips on scoring his 30th goal
"I could say it all year long, this isn't something that he does just once in a while. He bails us out in games we haven't been there for him. He was a stud, as always. He made some key saves that could've made it a very different game. We're very fortunate to have him and Adam Werner behind us."
- Justin Kirkland on Dustin Wolf's career-high 42 saves Wednesday