PREVIEW: MARLIES @ FLAMES

Tonight’s Game: The Adirondack Flames play host tonight to the Toronto Marlies, the first meeting of eight this season between the two North Divisional foes.

Last Game: The Adirondack Flames held on to defeat the Rochester Americans 2-1 on Saturday evening at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The win marked the Flames eighth in a row, dating back to Nov. 7. The Flames had a season-high 47 shots on the night and held Rochester to 28, with 12 coming in the final period. Ben Hanowski and Brodie Reid had the goals for Adirondack, while Brad Thiessen made 27 saves on 28 shots to earn the victory and even his record on the season.

Head To Head: Tonight is the first meeting of the season between Adirondack and Toronto, the only North Division opponent that the Flames have not played against. The teams will meet sporadically throughout the season until they face off four times in a two-week span from Saturday, Feb. 28 through Saturday, March 14.

Scouting the Marlies: The Marlies are coming into Wednesday’s game having lost their last seven games, over which time they have only earned two points thanks to overtime losses against Hamilton and Oklahoma City. The Marlies have dropped substantially in the standings during this latest stretch, and now sit in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 5-8-1-2 record and 12 points. Leading the way for Toronto thus far has been center Greg McKegg and right winger Connor Brown. In 16 games this season, McKegg has registered six goals and five assists for 11 points, while Brown has 10 points (3-7-10) in 17 games. Christopher Gibson has been the man between the pipes for the Marlies, as he has played in nine of Toronto’s 16 games with a 2.30 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

Flames Quick Hits

The Flames are now riding an eight game winning streak, dating back to early November. Adirondack, which has also won 10 out of its past 11, has outscored its opponents 27-13 on the current streak. The Flames have tied the Rockford IceHogs for the longest winning streak of the season, with Rockford’s streak ending on November 8th, the day after Adirondack’s streak began.

The last time these two franchises played was on March 30, 2014. Abbotsford fell in a 6-4 decision. The two teams played four times throughout the season, with both teams finishing the series at .500.

Adirondack is 1-1 on Wednesday nights this season. The Flames took home a win on the last Wednesday night game on Oct. 29 vs. San Antonio.

Forward Ben Hanowski continued the strong beginning to his season with the opening goal in Saturday’s win over the Americans. Hanowski, who leads the Flames with seven goals and 10 points so far this season, has collected nine points (7-2-9) over 10 games played since he returned from injury.