Box Score | Photos
STOCKTON, Calif. – Facing a multi-goal deficit with 15 minutes to go in regulation, the Stockton Heat rallied with three consecutive goals, two coming from Glenn Gawdin, to take a 4-3 overtime win and extend the Western Conference Finals to a fifth game.
The Heat overcame a pair of deficits in the contest, first answering Chicago’s game-opening score 4:40 in with Martin Pospisil’s second of the playoffs to force a tie through 20 minutes of play.
The Wolves then scored the next two, Andrew Poturalski lighting the lamp early in the second and Josh Leivo 4:56 into the third, but a resilient Heat club answered just eight seconds later with Justin Kirkland starting the comeback on a rebound from a Matthew Phillips shot to trim the deficit to one with 14:56 to play.
The game then remained 3-2 for the Wolves until Gawdin’s last-minute heroics, tying the game with less than 49 seconds remaining. The centerman then forced a fifth game with his game-winner, a power play goal 6:43 into overtime to force Game Five.
NOTABLE
- Ilya Nikolaev made his professional debut in the game.
- Martin Pospisil’s goal at 16:08 of the first period snapped a Heat scoreless streak of 108:48 of game time.
- Justin Kirkland has at least a point in eight of the last nine games.
- Glenn Gawdin’s goal to tie the game in the final minute of regulation was his second of the postseason, first since the clinching win over Bakersfield on May 13. His overtime winner was his first game-winning goal since December 7.
- The game-winning goal was Stockton’s first power play tally of the series.
- The game was Stockton’s first-ever playoff overtime win.
SPECIAL TEAMS
STK PP – 1-for-6
STK PK – 1-for-2
THREE STARS
First – Glenn Gawdin (2g)
Second – Dustin Wolf (31 saves on 34 shots faced)
Third – Justin Kirkland (1g,1a)
GOALIES
W – Dustin Wolf (31 saves on 34 shots faced)
L – Pyotr Kochetkov (34 saves on 38 shots faced)
UP NEXT
Game Five between the Heat and Wolves will take place Saturday at Stockton Arena, a 6 p.m. puck drop.