Abby Earn Point but Falls to Condors in OT 4-3

Posted on by

Abbotsford, BC – The Abbotsford Canucks (10-10-3-1) earned a hard-fought point tonight but lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Bakersfield Condors (10-8-3-3) in the extra frame. The Condors edged Abby by a score of 4-3. The Canucks held a 3-1 lead with just one minute to play in regulation but were unable to hold on.

The Canucks jumped out to an early lead, scoring at the 1:15 mark of the first period while Bakersfield had a man advantage. John Stevens and Justin Bailey broke into the Condors zone on a two-on-one and Stevens found the back of the net following a perfect feed from Bailey. The shorthanded goal was Stevens’ fourth goal of the season and gave the home side a quick 1-0 lead.

Two of Spencer Martin’s eight first period saves came on Condors’ breakaways. The Canucks clamped down defensively and exited the first 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead.

The score remained the same until late in the second period when Raphael Lavoie found the back of the net at the 16:57 mark of the frame. Yanni Kaldis had the helper on the equalizer.

Abbotsford took the lead at the 7:31 mark in the final frame when Justin Bailey netted an unassisted marker to make it 2-1. Noah Juulsen scored his second goal of the season on an empty net at the 18:28 mark of the third period to extend Abby’s lead to 3-1.

The Condors’ comeback began with exactly 60 seconds left to play in the game as Cooper Moody cut the Canucks’ lead in half. James Hamlin came through for Bakersfield with the game-tying goal with three seconds to play in regulation to send this game to overtime.

Both teams had chances to score in the extra frame but ultimately it was the Condors who scored first. Vincent Desharnais ended the game with a goal at the 3:50 mark. Moody and Luke Esposito contributed assists on the play.

The Canucks fought valiantly on Friday night and can walk away with their head held high. Abbotsford was playing tonight with multiple players missing due to injury and illness. The Canucks dressed just 10 forwards and five defencemen. Of those 15 skaters, three have joined the team in the last 48 hours on PTO contracts. There are no excuses in hockey, but getting a point tonight was a moral victory for the depleted Canucks.

THREE STARS

  1. James Hamblin, BAK (1-1-2)
  2. Justin Bailey, ABB (1-1-2)
  3. Vincent Desharnais, BAK (1-0-1)

Story by Brian Helberg