Abbotsford Canucks Advance To Calder Cup Finals For The First Time In Franchise History
As the towels spun with pride at the Abbotsford Centre, the Abbotsford Canucks had to work extremely hard to secure their spot in the Calder Cup Finals, knocking out the Texas Stars Sunday night in a very even and tough best-of-seven series.
Abbotsford Captain Chase Wouters has been with the Canucks since their inaugural season in 2021-22. As a 22-year-old, Wouters was named the captain of the team at the beginning of the club's second season. He spoke about what Sunday’s win and advancement into the Calder Cup Finals mean to this young group.
“Yeah, it means everything. It's been a goal of ours all year to get to this point, and obviously I'm really proud of everyone in that room,” said Wouters. “It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of effort throughout the year to get to this point. So, we'll enjoy this one tonight. But there's still lots of work ahead.”
Wouters is the franchise leader in games played for Abbotsford and has seen the community grow with the AHL team over his four years as a Canuck. The support that this group receives from its fans in big moments, like Sunday, provides a massive boost to the players on the ice.
This group continues to grow and come together as the AHL playoffs roll along. The culture in Abbotsford is something that Canucks’ General Manager Patrik Allvin has spoken highly of, and it starts with the players buying in to making hard work fun.
“We all love coming to the rink every day. That's the main thing. This time of the year is about coming together as a team and being brothers for each other, and that's what we're building off right now. It's quite the feeling, we're all very proud of one another in there.”
The Canucks trailed 2-0 late in the second period, when Arshdeep Bains got the Canucks on the board and commenced the comeback.
“There is just so much belief in that room. Bainsy scores a massive goal with a minute left in the second and we came in the locker room and the whole mentality everyone's saying, ‘we're ending it right here, we're going to get the next one,’ and then we're going to find a way to finish it,” said Max Sasson.
The Canucks came out firing in the third period and ultimately outshot the Stars by a 17-4 count, including a stretch where they had 16 shots to the Stars' one. Jujhar Khaira scored early in the third period to tie the game up, and the crowd went wild for the local guy scoring his third goal of the AHL playoffs.
The Canucks continued their pressure and Max Sasson tipped in an Akito Hirose point-shot to give Abbotsford their first lead of the game.
“I've been pretty snake bitten. I've had a lot of shots, and for one finally to go in, in that moment, I feel like that's how it always goes. It felt really good. And obviously it's a massive goal for the team," said Sasson.
“When we get a lead in the third, we're a really hard team to break down with our structure. So that celebration, I just let it all out. It felt like the monkey was off my back, and the crowd was insane, the whole place. I kept on just looking around and was like ‘wow,’ that was so cool to see.”
Head coach Manny Malhotra spoke to the team’s depth being one of the primary reasons why the Canucks feel confident even when they are trailing. He was rolling all four lines throughout the third period, and the Canucks kept the pedal to the metal on the backs of every player giving a valiant effort in the final frame.
“It's obviously a huge step for us as a group, as an organization, and I'm happy to see the guys getting rewarded for the way they're playing and their commitment to what we're trying to do here,” said Malhotra.
Malhotra gave plenty of credit to the fans at the Abbotsford Centre as the building was buzzing from the opening puck drop to the trophy presentation.
“I'll say it again and again. Our group gets so much energy off the life in this building,” said Malhotra. “The fans have been outstanding throughout the entire playoff run. They're a big part of our success. This atmosphere here to play in front of has been really special for the guys, and we’re looking to continue that.”
Abbotsford has advanced into the Calder Cup Finals and will face the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
They have a couple of former Abbotsford Canucks on their roster, including Will Lockwood and Aidan McDonough (McDonough has not played since November). Zac Dalpe has been injured since December, but he played 55 games for the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013-14 season.
Between the pipes, the Checkers are led by 28-year-old Kaapo Kähkönen. The Finnish netminder won gold with his country at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Vancouver. He is 10-2 in these playoffs and holds a 1.73 goals-against average, 0.927% save percentage, and has one shutout.
The Checkers have won their last eight games, including a sweep in the Conference Finals and Division Finals.
As for the format of the finals, the series will begin on Friday in Charlotte, as they are the higher-seeded team. Games will take place every other day, and the first two games will be held in Charlotte before returning to Abbotsford for games three, four, and five. Games six and seven will be back in Charlotte.