Following a SoCal sweep of San Diego and Ontario over the weekend, the Heat are now 4-0 since falling to the Roadrunners with a pair of wins over the Iowa Wild last week followed by a 2-1 win over the Gulls on Saturday and a 4-3 shootout victory against the Reign on Sunday.
The blood pressure for Heat loyalists may have risen over that time, as all four have come in dramatic fashion.
Over the four-game stretch, Stockton has seen:
No such thing as a free lunch, after all.
"We don't have a choice at this time of year," said Lazar following Sunday's thriller. "We're still in tough, but our hopes aren't dead. Credit to everyone. Everyone stepped up and we found a way. It took a full game, but we got the job done."
The turnaround has been catalyzed by stellar goaltending from Jon Gillies, and this weekend from Tyler Parsons as well, who shared duties between the pipes to the tune of 70 saves on 74 shots faced.
It has also come from a resurgent penalty-kill unit that has allowed just one goal over the past 18 chances, from steady defensive play and timely scoring.
The cardiac kids have enjoyed a recent run of success that matches their longest win streak of the season, but the climb ahead remains steep. Stockton currently sits nine points back of the teams tied for the last playoff spot in the Pacific Division with 11 points left on the board. They need wins, and they need help.
But no one can say Stockton hasn't held up its end of the bargain.