The Abbotsford Canucks took on the San Jose Barracuda in their final home game of November before hitting the road once again.
Still searching for their first home win, Aku Koskenvuo made his AHL debut in net for the Canucks, facing off against Gabriel Carriere at the other end. Phip Waugh also made his Abbotsford debut, lining up alongside Joe Arntsen on the blue line.
The Barracuda had some early looks and opened the scoring just seven minutes in, when Lucas Carlsson found the top right corner to make it 1–0. The Canucks faced some adversity late in the frame after taking a penalty, but Koskenvuo stood tall with several key saves to keep it close. Another call with just six seconds left in the period meant Abbotsford would start the second shorthanded.
Unfortunately, the penalty proved costly as Quentin Musty doubled San Jose’s lead just a minute into the second. The tide began to turn midway through the period when Anri Ravinskis rang one off the post on Abbotsford’s first power play of the night. Building off that momentum, Joe Arntsen made sure the next chance counted, wiring a shot from the left circle past Carriere to get the Canucks on the board. Moments later, after Ben Berard’s shot was stopped, Ty Mueller crashed the net and buried the rebound to tie the game 2–2. The Barracuda regained their lead late in the frame when Colin White found the back of the net, sending Abbotsford into the final period down 3–2.
The Canucks came out hard in the third, determined to tie things up. Tempers flared when Joseph LaBate and Shane Bowers dropped the gloves in front of the Abbotsford net, hoping to spark their teams. With time winding down, the Canucks went on a late power play and pulled Koskenvuo to create a 6-on-4 advantage. With just over a minute remaining, Sawyer Mynio fired a shot from the blue line that LaBate managed to tip home, tying the game 3–3 and sending it to overtime.
Neither team could seal it in the extra frame, so it all came down to the shootout.
Shootout Results: Round 1: Ã…man – ❌ Chernyshov – ❌
Round 2: Alriksson – ✅ Wahlstrom – ✅
Round 3: Kunz – ❌ Bystedt – ❌
Round 4: Berard – ✅ Cagnoni – ❌
Ben Berard’s goal stood as the game-winner, snapping Abbotsford’s losing streak and lifting the Canucks to a thrilling 4–3 victory over the Barracuda. The team now hits the road to close out November before returning home for the Christmas season.
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