Abbotsford Advances To The Pacific Division Semifinals With A 5-0 Win Over The Tucson Roadrunners

The Abbotsford Canucks hosted a do-or-die Game 3 against the Tucson Roadrunners, looking to secure a win and advance to the Pacific Division Semifinals.

There were no changes in goal, as Artūrs Šilovs once again got the start for Abbotsford, facing off against Jaxson Stauber for Tucson.

The game promised to be a battle, and Abbotsford came out flying — throwing the body early and getting pucks on net. Despite the early pressure, Stauber stood tall for the Roadrunners, making several clutch saves. The game remained scoreless for the first 15 minutes, but Tristen Nielsen finally broke through, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Max Sasson broke into the zone alone, and after a series of passes, Nielsen fired a shot from the right circle to give Abbotsford a 1-0 lead.

The Canucks dominated the first period, posting 20 shots to Tucson’s 5, but only Nielsen’s goal found the back of the net.

The second period started with a bang. After some 4-on-4 action, Abbotsford quickly found themselves killing a penalty. Ty Mueller hustled into the offensive zone, battled behind the net, and fed Chase Wouters coming down the slot. Wouters buried the puck into a wide-open net, extending Abbotsford’s lead to 2-0 just 46 seconds into the period.

Shortly after, Tucson’s Andrew Agozzino was handed a five-minute major for interference on Mueller. Abbotsford wasted no time capitalizing: Chase Wouters found Max Sasson in front of the net, and Sasson made it 3-0 less than seven minutes into the frame.

Despite facing three more penalties in the period, Abbotsford’s penalty kill held firm. Šilovs continued to be rock-solid between the pipes as the Canucks outshot Tucson 33-14 through two periods.

With 20 minutes standing between them and the next round, Abbotsford kept battling, although their shot count slowed as Tucson pressed harder. Šilovs and the Canucks' defense remained impenetrable, shutting down every Roadrunner chance.

Midway through the third, Abbotsford earned a power play, and Sammy Blais made it count — burying a shot from the slot to extend the lead to 4-0.

Tucson pulled Stauber for an extra attacker during a late power play, but Abbotsford successfully killed it off. Then, with under two minutes left, Phil Di Giuseppe sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.

The Abbotsford Canucks shut out the Tucson Roadrunners with a dominant 5-0 win, punching their ticket to the Pacific Division Semifinals.

Next up: the Canucks will travel to Coachella Valley to face the Firebirds for the first two games of the series before returning home for Games 3, 4, and 5 on May 7, 9, and 11.

To purchase tickets for Saturday’s game, click HERE.