THE CANUCKS RECORD BACK TO BACK SHUTOUTS AGAINST THE MANITOBA MOOSE
The Abbotsford Canucks continued their series against the Manitoba Moose this afternoon, following a 3-0 shutout Teddy Bear Toss victory last night.
Nikita Tolopilo started again tonight after being an integral part of last night's victory, and he went up against Kaapo Kahkonen again.
Kicking things off upfront was the trio consisting of Phil Di Giuseppe, Nils Åman, and Linus Karlsson. Aatu Räty rejoined the group today, lining up next to Arshdeep Bains and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, followed by John Stevens, Ty Mueller, and Nate Smith. Chase Wouters centered Ty Glover and Dino Kambeitz to wrap up the offense.
On the backend, there was no change from last night, with Elias Pettersson and Jett Woo kicking things off. Guillaume Brisebois and Kirill Kudryavtsev stuck together, along with Christian Wolanin and Cole McWard.
Kicking things off quickly was Dino Kambeitz who caught the lucky bounce from Cole McWard’s initial shot to put it in the back of the Moose’s net just 2 minutes and 22 seconds into the game. Shortly after that, the lone penalty was dealt to the Canucks, but they got to work and successfully killed it off to keep it a one-goal game. Both teams came very close to getting some more, but the goaltenders held strong between the pipes to shut it all down. The Canucks went into the second period ahead by one.
The Abby Canucks kept it rolling when a quick penalty was called on the Moose. Christian Wolanin made them pay when a quick shot from the blue line found its way to the back of the net to extend the Canucks lead to 2, just 2 minutes and 16 seconds into the game. Twenty seconds later Elias Pettersson was sent to the box, but no worries for the Canucks, because just 30 seconds into their penalty, Chase Wouters intercepted a turnover in the neutral zone and headed down the ice on a breakaway. With no one in his way and some fancy stick work, the captain netted their 3 goal of the game shorthanded! Similarly to the first period, the goaltenders fended off everything else for the rest of the period, and Abbotsford held a 3-0 lead going into the final frame.
Keeping on pace with the rest of the game, the Canucks had to get another quick one. This time, it was Aatu Räty who got his stick on Kirill Kudryavtsev’s shot to ensure the puck would be directed into the net. This goal came as their fourth goal of the game. With Nikita Tolopilo minutes away from recording his third shutout of the year, the Canucks were doing everything they could to make it happen. With the team throwing their bodies on the line, they secured the sweep against Manitoba keeping them scoreless over two games. Nikita Tolopilo became the first goaltender in Abby Canucks franchise history to secure 2 straight back-to-back shutouts.
The Abbotsford Canucks will look to keep rolling into next weekend when they prepare to take on the Tucson Roadrunners for their final two home games before the Christmas break.
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