The Abbotsford Canucks wrapped up a back-to-back set against the Bakersfield Condors tonight, looking to bounce back after falling short the night before.
Jiří Patera got the start for Abbotsford, squaring off against Connor Ungar at the other end. Phip Waugh returned to the blue line, while Nils Åman and Lukas Reichel rejoined the lineup after missing last night’s contest. Forward Zach Okabe made his Abbotsford Canucks debut, skating alongside Nick Poisson and Jackson Kunz. It was also a milestone night for Chase Wouters, who played his 300th career game — all with Abbotsford.
The first period proved to be a tough one for the home side. Just two and a half minutes in, Beau Akey opened the scoring after sneaking into the slot and burying a rebound. A few minutes later, Josh Samanski doubled the lead, beating Patera over the shoulder to make it 2–0. Joe Arntsen dropped the gloves with Connor Clattenburg in an attempt to spark the Canucks, but following a costly penalty to Victor Mancini, Quinn Hutson capitalized on the power play to give Bakersfield a 3–0 lead heading into the intermission.
The Canucks showed more jump in the second period and earned their first two power plays of the night. The second opportunity paid off, as Wouters made it count at the 14-minute mark, lifting a perfectly placed shot into the top corner after taking a feed from Åman to put Abbotsford on the board. Both goaltenders stood tall the rest of the frame, sending the Canucks into the third trailing 3–1.
The final period featured plenty of battle and scoring chances at both ends, but neither side could break through as the goaltenders remained sharp. With just over four minutes remaining, Abbotsford pulled Patera for the extra attacker in search of a late comeback. Bakersfield found space down ice and hit the empty net to seal a 4–1 victory.
The Canucks now have two days to regroup before welcoming the Calgary Wranglers this weekend for Flaunt Your Flannel Night and Mystery Puck Night.
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