Going into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals last night, Chicago head coach Ryan Warsofsky had compared his club’s pending battle with the Stockton Heat to a heavyweight fight.
The Wolves and Heat are now fully in that fight. Chicago fell behind 3-1, rallied to take a 4-3 lead, lost that advantage, and ultimately took a 1-0 series lead when Jamieson Rees struck in overtime.
“Yeah, I think we realized pretty quick when we were down 3-1,” Warsofsky told reporters after the game. “They’re a fast team, they shoot for offense quite a bit, so if you get caught sleeping just a little bit, they’re going to make you pay. We noticed that really pretty early in this hockey game.
“We’ll make some adjustments and make sure we’re ready for Monday.”
Warsofsky and the Wolves had gone through plenty of video preparation. That study time matched what the Wolves saw on the ice in Game 1 from Stockton.
“All four of their lines can score,” Warsofsky said. “Their D are really good. They’re mobile. They play with a really good structure. They push the pace really good with their team speed. They try to put you on your heels quick, and they play very similar to us.”
Said Rees, “They definitely play a different game than most teams. They play faster, closer to our pace. But we just had to play our game, and when we play our game, and we forecheck, and we take away their opportunities, good defense, there’s not much they can do.”
The Heat will have their own adjustments to make before Game 2 as well.
They liked their start. The middle, not so much.
Stockton built a 3-1 lead only to see the Wolves push back hard with a pair of second-period goals in a three-minute span. This Chicago attack can do that to even one of most defensively well-structured clubs in the American Hockey League.
“We’ve just got to bear down a little more,” said Heat forward Luke Philp, whose first-period goal tied the game at 1-1.
“We have to stick with what we know works for us. I think we started playing pretty well as a team early in the second there, and then we kind of got away from it, turned too many pucks over, and fed their offense a little too much. And ultimately it cost us.”
But between being one of four AHL playoff teams remaining, going against an elite club like the Wolves, and experiencing the Allstate Arena atmosphere, the Heat know they are fully engaged in what should be an excellent playoff series.
“It was fun for us,” Philp said. “We were really excited stepping into this building, a lot of energy. There’s a lot of excitement. Ultimately this one stings, for sure. But we have to have a short memory and move on.”
― Patrick Williams
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