Abbotsford Falls 4-1 In Colorado

The Abbotsford Canucks went back on the road for a quick trip to Colorado, taking on the Eagles and former Canuck Tristen Nielsen.

With Jiří Patera recalled earlier in the day, Ty Young got the nod in net for Abbotsford, facing off against Trent Miner. Kirill Kudryavtsev also rejoined the lineup, pairing with Nikolai Knyzhov on the blue line.

The rivalry between these two teams was evident from the opening puck drop, with both sides trading chances and playing with noticeable edge. The first period saw momentum swing back and forth, especially late when a brief Abbotsford power play turned into 4-on-4 play, and then a 5-on-3 advantage for Colorado. Despite the flurry of penalties, neither team could capitalize, sending the game scoreless into the second.

Abbotsford opened the middle frame on the penalty kill and managed to weather the early pressure. But midway through the period, Joseph LaBate was whistled for a penalty, and the Eagles finally broke through. As their power play wound down, Danil Gushchin fired a shot from the right circle that beat Young to make it 1–0. Colorado continued to control play, and it paid off again when Tye Felhaber buried a cross-ice feed from Ronnie Attard to extend the lead to 2–0.

CJ Kier took over in goal for Abbotsford to start the third. Six minutes in, Tristen Nielsen capitalized on a breakaway to make it 3–0 for the Eagles. The Canucks showed some pushback midway through the period when Vilmer Alriksson jammed one past Miner to spoil the shutout bid. But with under two minutes remaining, Alex Gagne sealed the deal with an empty-netter, giving Colorado a 4–1 win.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow night before Abbotsford returns home for a midweek matchup against the San Jose Barracuda.