Abbotsford News Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Street, Ortio lead Heat to weekend sweep Abbotsford News
Abbotsford Heat head coach Troy Ward is a man of many metaphors, and he’s frequently gone with a public transit theme when discussing his team this season. He’s waxed eloquent on the need to get his power-play personnel “in the right seats” on the bus, and occasionally bemoaned “a lot of empty seats on the bus” when the general performance isn’t up to snuff. To extend the metaphor, it’s become clear over the first two-plus months of the season that the Heat are at their best with Joni Ortio in the driver’s seat and Ben Street riding shotgun. Or vice versa. The duo led the way once again last weekend, steering the Heat to a weekend sweep over the San Antonio Rampage at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. Goaltender Ortio sparkled between the pipes both nights, turning aside 29 shots in Friday’s 4-2 win and another 27 in Saturday’s 5-2 triumph, improving his record to 11-1 on the season. Street, the AHL’s player of the month for November, has carried over his red-hot production since the calendar flipped to December. He was the offensive catalyst both nights vs. San Antonio – he scored a goal and had a spectacular assist on Max Reinhart’s game-winner on Friday, and his power-play strike late in the second period on Saturday was the turning point of the game. The Heat cruised from there, boosting their record to 19-6-2 for an AHL-best 40 points. “The word I would use is, he’s just a complete player,” Ward said of Street. “If you watch our game out there . . . Ben looks like a man compared to the rest. I mean that in the way of posture, his shift-toshift consistency, and he’s just as good with the puck as he is without it.” Ortio, who struggled in his first crack at North American pro hockey with the Heat in 2011-12, has come back a new man after a stellar season in his native Finland with HIFK Helsinki. “I’m just an overall better goalie,” he said. “That last year helped
me a lot – I played 70plus games back home, and that really teaches you something . . . My game is much more calm right now, and this time around, I knew what to expect.” ICE CHIPS: Q Friday was the Heat’s annual teddy bear toss night, and after Ben Hanowski’s second-period goal, fans threw three pickup truckloads worth of stuffed animals onto the ice for donation to the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau. Q The Heat went 2-for3 on the power play on Saturday and sit second in the AHL with a 25.8 per cent success rate. Q Abby blueliner Chad Billins is tied with T.J. Brennan of the Toronto Marlies for first in points among AHL defencemen with 23, and Street’s 14 goals are third-most in the league. Q The Heat received a major boost on Monday as veteran defenceman Derek Smith was sent down by the Calgary Flames. Q The Heat host a rare Wednesday-Thursday set this week vs. the Iowa Wild (7 p.m. both nights, AESC).
JOHN MORROW Abbotsford News
Heat goalie Joni Ortio was exceptional in a pair of weekend wins over the San Antonio Rampage.
UFV’s Evans wins PacWest award
Jenna Evans of the University of the Fraser Valley women's volleyball team has been named the PacWest conference's player of the month for November. Evans, the Cascades' fifth-year captain, ranks
14th in the nation with 114 kills through the first semester of play. She's helped guide the defending national champion UFV squad to a 12-2 record this fall, tied for first place in the PacWest with Vancouver Island University.
EVANS
Clayburn Village Store & Tea Shop Invites You...
Visit us at: Canadian Tire Abbotsford Mon - Fri 11-9 Sat & Sun 10-7 On location until Dec/31/13!!
Come and enjoy Christmas in the Village around the fireplace and see all the holiday items that have recently arrived. Traditional favourites are the British Sugar Mice, Handmade Candy Canes, Mulling Spices, Sugar Plums, Christmas Cakes and Puddings together with chocolates, candies, dips, dressings, teas, jams beautifully packaged to make excellent hostess gifts or help personalize that special Christmas basket or stocking. Enjoy homemade soup, pastries and desserts that combine with other Christmas scents to make a browse through our country store a pleasant change from the hurried holiday pace – a delight to the senses in an atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
Merry Christmas to all!
Our regular hours are: Tues - Sat 10-5pm, Closed Sun and Mon HOLIDAY HOURS: Wed. Jan 1 .........Closed Sat. Dec 28 .............10-5 Sat. Dec 21 .............10-5 Thurs. Jan 2 ...........10-5 Sun. Dec 29 .........Closed Sun. Dec 22 ............12-5 Fri. Jan 3 ................10-5 Mon. Dec 30 ........Closed Mon. Dec 23 ...........10-5 Sat. Jan 4 ..............10-5 Tues. Dec 31...........10-3 Tues. Dec 24...........10-3 Dec. 25, 26, 27 ......Closed
34810 Clayburn Road, Abbotsford 604.853.4020 Annual Closings: Jan. May & Sept.
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