THE ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS SWEEP THE MID WEEK SERIES AGAINST THE CONDORS WITH A 2-1 WIN
The Abbotsford Canucks faced off against the Bakersfield Condors on First Nations Night, following a dominant performance yesterday.
Ty Young made his first start on home ice since mid-December, going head-to-head with Collin Delia.
After a strong showing last night, the Canucks opted for an unchanged lineup. Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson, and Linus Karlsson started once again, while Jujhar Khaira remained on the right wing alongside Sammy Blais and Aatu Räty. Tristen Nielsen and Danila Klimovich bookended Ty Mueller, and the trio of Ty Glover, Chase Wouters, and Nate Smith stayed intact to round out the group of forwards.
On defense, the pairings remained the same, with Guillaume Brisebois and Cole McWard together, followed by Christian Wolanin and Jett Woo. Akito Hirose and Kirill Kudryavtsev rounded out the defensive unit in green.
The Canucks anticipated a tough battle, as the Condors were eager to respond after their previous loss. Abbotsford was fortunate to receive an early four-minute power play, but Collin Delia was locked in, keeping the Canucks off the scoreboard. A few minutes after the advantage expired, the Condors struck first. Following a net-front scramble, Alex Swetlikoff found the puck and buried it, giving Bakersfield a 1-0 lead seven and a half minutes into the game. The Canucks continued to apply pressure and generated several quality chances, but they couldn’t solve Delia before the end of the period.
To open the second period, Abbotsford was determined to respond before the game slipped away. Fortunately, they set up in the offensive zone early, and a long shot from Sammy Blais in the slot deflected off Aatu Räty’s stick, tying the game at 1-1. Despite struggling with penalties, the Canucks held strong on the penalty kill, keeping the Condors off the board. The score remained tied heading into the final frame.
The last twenty minutes were crucial. The teams traded chances at even strength for half the period, but it was Danila Klimovich who broke the deadlock, firing a shot from the right circle into the back of the net to give the Canucks their first lead of the game. With the lead in hand, Abbotsford shifted their focus to defense, determined to keep the Condors from equalizing. The home team took two more penalties, but Ty Young stood tall, making key saves to preserve the lead. With just under two minutes remaining, Delia went to the bench for the extra attacker. A last-second penalty against the Canucks gave the Condors an 18-second 6-on-4 advantage. However, Chase Wouters won a critical faceoff, and Abbotsford cleared the puck as time expired, sealing a 2-1 victory over Bakersfield.
Ty Young delivered a standout performance, stopping 41 of 42 shots and leading the Canucks to a sweep of the mid-week series.
The Canucks will now regroup ahead of the weekend as they prepare to take on the Calgary Wranglers for their St. Patrick’s Day game and Community Heroes Night.
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