ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS FALL 6-3 IN OPENING GAME OF ROAD TRIP IN TUCSON
For the first time in 353 days, the Abbotsford Canucks took on the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday night. In the first clash of a five game southern road trip, Abbotsford took to the ice at the Tucson Convention Centre.
The Canucks would have the help of some re-enforcement, as Phil Di Giuseppe made his first Abbotsford Canucks appearance since making his Vancouver Canucks debut on January 25th. Di Giuseppe played alongside Vasily Podkolzin and Justin Dowling, with Dowling entering the game on a four game point streak (2G and 3A).
Christian Wolanin came into this one with 12 assists over his past 11 games played, while Arturs Silovs would command the Abbotsford crease. It would be Tyler Parks who would start between the pipes for Tucson, off the back of back-to-back victories.
Parks would be the busiest of the two goaltenders through the opening twenty, while his team would give him a helping hand seven minutes in.
Jean Sebastien-Dea put the Roadrunners on the board first, and potting the first of three straight Tucson goals in five minutes. Micahel Carcone and Adam Cracknell added their names to the scoresheet, making it a 3-0 Roadrunners’ lead through 12 minutes.
Abbotsford would answer back a few minutes later with a quickfire double of their own. Putting the Canucks on the board would be Linus Karlsson, who jammed home the rebound of a Quinn Schmiemann effort from the blue line. Schmiemann picked up the secondary assist, as his shot was deflected on the way through by Nils Höglander, which gifted Schmiemann his first career AHL point.
Just 18 seconds later off of the faceoff, Tristen Nielsen forced a Tucson turnover, which sent Nielsen steaming towards goal. He pulled off a quick move onto the back hand before sliding the puck between the legs of Parks and firing Abbotsford within one.
Nielsen’s tally would be the last scoring action of a hectic first period, which saw the Roadrunners lead 3-2 through twenty minutes. Abbotsford outshot the hosts 19-11 as the two sides broke for the locker rooms.
The second period wouldn’t follow the same suit as the first, as both sides were shut out during the middle frame. Despite outshooting Tucson 24-20, the Canucks trailed 3-2 after forty minutes.
Sebastien-Dea would be the next to find the scoresheet, capitalizing on a two-on-one breakaway in the opening minutes of the third to push the score to 4-2 Tucson. Sebastien-Dea would secure the hat-trick six minutes later, increasing the Roadrunner’s lead to 5-2.
Cameron Hebig would grab a late one for Tucson, while Vasily Podkolzin would grab a consolation goal with two minutes remaining for Abbotsford.
The clock would wind down and the Roadrunners would walk out of the Tucson Convention Centre as 6-3 winners.
Nils Höglander picked up multiple assists, as he would grab the helper on Podkolzin’s late tally. Silovs stopped 27 of 33 saves, while Parks turned aside 30 of the 33 shots he faced on Saturday night.
For the full box score, please click HERE.
Up next for the Canucks is a rematch with the Roadrunners on Sunday afternoon, with the puck dropping at 3:00pm PST from Arizona. Following that clash, Abbotsford continues it’s five game road trip with a brief stop in San Diego on February 1st. Following that pit-stop, the Canucks face the Barracuda for a weekend back-to-back on Friday night and Saturday afternoon in San Jose.