Heat-Condors AHL playoff series more than a mini-Battle of Alberta
Battle of Alberta #BattleofAlberta
Breadcrumb Trail Links
Stockton Heat forward Matthew Phillips skates around the net as Bakersfield Condors goaltender Stuart Skinner defends. Photo by Supplied /Stockton Heat Article content
Sure, the ties to the Battle of Alberta add to the intrigue.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
That’s inevitable.
When the Stockton Heat and Bakersfield Condors square off in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs — the puck drops Tuesday night on Game 1 — it’s a matchup between the AHL affiliates for the Calgary Flames, in the Heat, and the Edmonton Oilers, in the Condors.
Even in California, the state both teams call home, the Calgary-Edmonton rivalry resonates. That’s especially true for hockey players who happen to have relationships with the NHL clubs.
But after playing each other 10 times this past regular season, the rivalry between the Heat and Condors goes deeper than just being some sort of mini-Battle of Alberta.
“I mean, we play Bakersfield so often that we’ve kind of built our own rivalry,” said Matthew Phillips, the Calgary kid and Flames prospect who led the Heat with 31 goals and 37 assists this season.
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“It’s no secret that we’re both affiliated with the Battle of Alberta and both teams take pride in the organizations they’re a part of and even if it’s kind of a mini-version, we kind of want to win this matchup because we see them a lot.
“In our league, we seem to play the same teams fairly often. I think we played Bakersfield maybe 10 times this season, so we’ve seen them a lot and there aren’t too many secrets between the teams.”
In those 10 games between the Heat and the Condors, the Stockton crew got the better of their in-state rivals, going 6-3-1-0.
If you were to look at the regular-season standings, they, too, would suggest that the Heat should be heavy favourites. The Heat finished first in the Pacific Division (45-16-5-2) and with the second-best winning percentage in the entire AHL (.713), behind only the Chicago Wolves.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The Condors placed fourth in the Pacific with a 37-21-5-5 record.
Without going into all the unique weirdness of the AHL’s playoff format, the Heat earned themselves a first-round bye and a week off, while the Condors had to play a three-game knockout series against the Abbotsford Canucks, which they swept.
The Heat are certainly grateful for the extra time off to heal their bumps and bruises, but they’re unclear on how big an advantage it’s going to present when the Condors, too, got a week off by dispatching the Canucks so quickly.
“You work hard all season to earn some time off and heal some injuries and get some much-needed practice time this time of year with some of your structure and detail of the game that maybe slips over the second half of the year where you’re playing more games than practising, so I think it was beneficial for our group there,” Heat head coach Mitch Love said. “You don’t know quite what kind of advantage that was when you look at how this series is going to line up now. I think it’s been good for us, our guys needed it mentally and physically.”
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The Heat certainly aren’t taking anything for granted against the Condors. Playoff hockey is different. We’re seeing that in the NHL and we’ll see it in the AHL, too.
The Condors are big and they play solid team defence and they don’t give up many goals.
“Basically, they’re a pretty solid defensive team and a strength of theirs is they keep the puck to the outside,” Phillips said. “Upfront, they have a lot of good veteran players that kind of understand the offence. They’re a well-rounded, deep, hardworking team that’s played us well this year.”
So, what’s the key for the Heat?
Well, they don’t give up many goals themselves, so that’s going to be a good start. Given the importance of the rivalry, playing hard physically and keep emotions in check would probably help, too. All the usual things, in other words, that are so much easier said than done.
Advertisement 6
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“There’s lots of familiarities for guys on both teams with guys who have been in the same programs,” Love said. “They’ve played real well against us as of late and we recognize that as a group. Like any team, this time of year you’ve gotta elevate your play, elevate your competitiveness, elevate your heaviness and your willingness to go to the hard areas of the rink to be successful.”
daustin@postmedia.com
www.tiwtter.com/DannyAustin_9
HEAT VS. CONDORS
Game 1 at Stockton, May 10 7:30 p.m. MT
Game 2 at Stockton, May 11, 7:30 p.m. MT
Game 3 at Bakersfield, May 13, 8 p.m. MT
Game 4 at Bakersfield, May 15, 6 p.m. MT*
Game 5 at Stockton, May 17, 7:30 p.m. MT*
*If necessary
Share this article in your social network Advertisement 1
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up!
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.