The Abbotsford Canucks drop their second game against the Tucson Roadrunners, 4-2.
The Abbotsford Canucks rematched the Tucson Roadrunners following a loss last night and looked to split the series and head into the break back in the win column.
Nikita Tolopilo started in net tonight, following a pair of shutouts last weekend against the Manitoba Moose, and he took on Dylan Wells for the Roadrunners.
Making changes to the lineup tonight, Aatu Räty centered Arshdeep Bains and Jonathan Lekkerimäki to kick things off. John Stevens moved into the spot next to Nils Åman and Danila Klimovich, followed by Sammy Blais, Ty Mueller, and Nate Smith. Rounding it out was Ty Glover and Cooper Walker on either side of Chase Wouters. On the back end, Elias Pettersson and Mark Friedman lined up next to each other, and Kirill Kudryavtsev slotted back in beside Guillaume Brisebois. Christian Wolanin and Cole McWard strongarmed the back end to solidify the lineup for the night.
A quick start to the game, this time going in a different direction than the past few games. Just two minutes in, the Roadrunners' Josh Doan snuck one past Tolopilo on the powerplay to set the tone, leaving the Canucks chasing the game for the first time in a while. A couple of penalties were exchanged, a few big stops at each end, but ultimately neither team could score again in the next 18 minutes, giving Tucson a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Looking to get their game back in the second frame, both goaltenders stayed sharp, the defence got to work, and each team was held to minimal shots on goal. Despite that, one player was able to find the hole, when the Canucks found themselves on a powerplay halfway through the period. With just a few seconds left, Danila Klimovich went post to post with a rocket to tie the game up at 1. This goal came as his 11th of the season, to put him next to Jonathan Lekkerimäki for most goals this season. Klimovich became the lone goal scorer in the second period, and the teams were knotted up at 1, to start the final frame.
With both teams now eager to take this game, a lucky bounce quickly gave way for the Canucks where John Stevens was able to notch his 4th of the season on a wide-open net, to give the Canucks their first lead of the game just over 4 minutes in. However, just a minute later, Hunter Drew saw his spot and took the shot, to once again bring it back to an even game. With time ticking down, the tie needed to break to avoid an overtime. Austin Poganski came up big for his team, grabbing the goal ahead goal once again, making it 3-2 Tucson. The Canucks once again pulled their netminder to secure an extra attacker on the ice, but Cameron Hebig got a hold of the puck and sent it down the ice, to secure the empty net goal and ensure a Tucson win. The Roadrunners take all four points this weekend, in 4-2 victories on both nights.
The Abbotsford Canucks will have a few days of rest as they head into their holiday break, before getting back on the road, kicking things off in Calgary and then heading east to Laval.
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