The Abbotsford Canucks are coming off their first home-ice win of the season on Wednesday and kicked off an 11-day, four-game California road trip with a matchup against the San Diego Gulls.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki made his season debut with Abbotsford, slotting onto the top line alongside Nils Åman and Vilmer Alriksson. Jujhar Khaira also returned to the lineup, centering Joseph LaBate and Ben Berard. Ty Young got the start in net, facing Ville Husso at the opposite end.
Abbotsford opened the game with a few early chances, but Husso turned away every shot and rebound. The Canucks earned the first power play of the night, but a loose puck at the blue line sprung a San Diego breakaway, and Justin Bailey buried a shorthanded marker to make it 1–0 just five minutes in. Despite Abbotsford continuing to push the pace and pile on shots, the Gulls extended their lead when Judd Caufield ripped a shot top-corner from the right circle. A late tally rounded out the period, giving San Diego a 3–0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Canucks started the second period killing off a penalty and managed to survive it, but moments later Ryan Carpenter tipped home a loose puck in front to make it 4–0. Emotions rose shortly after as Chase Wouters dropped the gloves with Noah Warren in an effort to spark his team. Neither side found the net again in the middle frame, and Abbotsford headed into the third down by four.
The Canucks continued generating looks in the final period, but couldn’t find a finish. The Gulls, however, added to their total as Sam Colangelo made it 5–0, followed by a power-play goal from Sasha Pastujov that pushed the lead to six. Justin Bailey capped off the night with his second of the game, closing out a tough one for Abbotsford.
The Abbotsford Canucks fell 7–0 to the San Diego Gulls to open their road trip. They now head to Coachella Valley to take on the Firebirds tomorrow at 5 PM.
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