The Abbotsford Canucks took on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on their 5th Anniversary Night.

Aku Koskenvuo got the start between the pipes for Abbotsford this afternoon, facing Victor Ostman at the other end. The Canucks shook up their lines a bit, with Josh Bloom and Anri Ravinskis drawing into the forward group, and Phip Waugh slotted alongside Joe Arntsen on the blue line.

Looking for a stronger showing on the shot clock, the Canucks controlled much of the early play. Their momentum dipped briefly after needing to kill off an early penalty, but they came out unscathed and picked things right back up. Late in the first, Joe Arntsen and John Hayden dropped the gloves to spark their benches, but the score remained 0–0 after twenty minutes.

The second period saw more action, and it was Abbotsford who broke the ice. Just three minutes in, Nils Åman fired a shot from the left circle, and Ben Berard managed to get a piece of it to give the Canucks a 1–0 lead. A few minutes later, though, Abbotsford ran into trouble on the power play when J.R. Avon buried a shorthanded chance to tie the game at 1–1. The Canucks had to fight off two more penalties as the period went on, but things stayed even heading into the third.

Both teams pushed for the go-ahead goal in the final frame. With no penalties called, it stayed even strength throughout, and both goaltenders turned aside quality chances at both ends. With four minutes remaining, the Firebirds finally broke through when Ben Meyers snapped a shot from the slot to take a 2–1 lead. Abbotsford pulled the goalie with two minutes left, and a last-second Firebirds penalty provided a glimmer of hope, but the Canucks couldn’t convert before the buzzer.

Abbotsford fell 2–1 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.