The Abbotsford Heat opens their AHL season this evening with a game at home against Peoria. Over the past three seasons, the Heat haven’t exactly been holding their own in the Fraser Valley, including only 18 wins in 38 appearances at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.

Head Coach Troy Ward knows his team needs to be better at home. ‘It will be nice to start at home and hopefully we can do some more home-cooking than in the past,’ said Ward. ‘With no exhibition schedule, it’s going to be nice to play someone besides ourselves.’ 

With the NHL lockout, Ward knows that there will be an increased focus on his AHL players. ‘The NHL brass will be keeping a watchful eye on our players here, even more so than before,’ stated Ward. ‘These players have nowhere to hide now and will have to bring their best every night to make an impression. If the lockout ends, some of these players will be judged on how they are doing at that moment, so hopefully they will all be hungry.’

The Heat open up with ten of their first thirteen games at home.