The Canucks close out their regular season with a 3-2 Victory over the Wranglers.

The Abbotsford Canucks closed out their regular season tonight as they took on the Calgary Wranglers for their first consecutive game and their fan appreciation night.

Both teams swapped goalies tonight, with Nikita Tolopilo starting in net tonight for the Canucks, and Dustin Wolf between the pipes for the Wranglers. On defense, Christian Wolanin and Nick Cicek pair up, followed by Matt Irwin and Filip Johansson. Akito Hirose and Cole McWard lined up together, and Elias Pettersson slots in as the 7th defenceman once again.

Up front, Aatu Räty and Linus Karlsson bookended Max Sasson, followed by Sheldon Dries, Tristen Nielsen, and Marc Gatcomb. John Stevens centered Arshdeep Bains and Aidan McDonough, and Cooper Walker slots back in with Chase Wouters to round out Abbotsford’s lineup.

It was a quiet first period, a true testament to the skill of both netminders. The Canucks were all over the Wranglers, holding them to just 1 shot in the first 10 minutes, but Dustin Wolf held strong between the crease. Tolopilo also denied all shots that came his way, to keep the game scoreless into the second.

Calgary kicked off the second period quickly, with Sam Morton tipping in a shot from Willian Strömgren, to give the Wranglers an early lead. Halfway through the period, the Wranglers found themselves with a 2 goal lead when Sam Morton squeaked one through the Tolopilo for his 5th goal of the season. The response from the Canucks was quick when Linus Karlsson capitalized on his rebound cut the Wranglers lead in half. This goal came as his 23rd of the season, with assists credited to Arshdeep Bains and Cole McWard. 40 seconds later, Tristen Nielsen tipped in a Nick Cicek shot to tie up the game at 2.

Looking to pull ahead in the third period, the effort from both teams heightened. The period remained scoreless until the halfway point when fan-voted MVP Arshdeep Bains notched his 16th goal of the season, to give the Canucks the go-ahead and the game-winning goal.

The Canucks close out the regular season and sweep their 4-game series against the Wranglers in a 3-2 victory. The Canucks will await the results of tomorrow's Colorado vs Ontario game to solidify their spot in the standings.