LAVAL, QC — The Abbotsford Canucks never give up.
For the second time on their four-game road trip, they have given up the first goal. However, once again, the Canucks continue to show their resilience, defeating the Laval Rocket 4-2.
“I thought we got better as the game wore on,” Abbotsford head coach Trent Cull said. “We had a rough first period finding our legs. We had a good second period and then kind of hung on with that. It’s been good. The guys are doing the right things. We’ve found some self belief and have some good confidence, both in ourselves and the team as a whole.”
The Canucks outshot the Rockets 16-5 in the second period where they scored all three of their goals.
We talked about what we needed to,” Cull explained. “I felt like we had such a rough start. I didn’t like our first period. I thought our guys got themselves going — better breakouts, better puck support. That led to be some good offensive zone entries. It was nice because we feel very confident with our offensive zone play and that kind of recipe that we have. I thought the guys started achieving that and did a pretty good job with it.”
One of those goals came from defenceman Devante Stephens, who scored his first goal of the season at 19:01 of the period.
“He’s been really solid for us,” Cull stated. “He’s made some big plays on the penalty kill. On 5-on-5, he’s had a heavy stick, he’s done some really good stuff. He’s played a ton of minutes. He’s doing some power play for us. He’s doing everything for us. He’s certainly one of those guys who has risen their game for us.”
There isn’t much time to celebrate, as the two teams will get right back at it on Saturday afternoon at Place Bell.
Abbotsford, who has won nine of their 10 games, has an opportunity to take both games against the Rockets and stay perfect on the road trip.
So Cull’s message to the team is simple.
“Get some rest, have a good start and get the first goal.”
By Dickson Liong