The Abbotsford Canucks kicked off their first series of the season against the Calgary Wranglers in an all-Canadian matchup.
Continuing to rotate goaltenders, Ty Young got the start between the pipes for Abbotsford, with Jiří Patera backing him up. Across the ice, Ivan Prosvetov started for the Wranglers. The Canucks continued to play around with their lines, looking for combinations that would click. A notable addition came from hometown defenceman Jayden Lee, who made his AHL debut, skating alongside Nikolai Knyzhov.
Eager to grab their first home win of the year, the Canucks came out focused. The team made several strong defensive plays, and Young held his ground with some big early saves. Emotions ran high, and both sides traded power plays, but neither could find the back of the net—sending the game into the first intermission scoreless.
The second period turned into a goaltender’s showcase. Ty Young and Ivan Prosvetov matched each other save for save, while the physicality ramped up. Joe Arntsen dropped the gloves with Turner Ottenbreit, firing up the crowd. With a combined seven players spending time in the box, finding rhythm at even strength was a challenge. Abbotsford’s best chance came late in the period when Arnaud Durandeau exited the box and jumped on a breakaway, but Prosvetov shut the door once again.
The Wranglers finally broke through midway through the third. Yan Kuznetsov slipped a shot through Young’s pads to open the scoring. Minutes later, Aydar Suniev converted a pass in front for a power-play goal, doubling Calgary’s lead. Just two minutes after that, Rory Kerins added another with a slick move through the legs to make it 3–0.
Despite a solid effort from Young and several close chances down the stretch, the Canucks couldn’t solve Prosvetov and ultimately fell 3–0 to the Wranglers.
They’ll look to bounce back and even the series tomorrow night in their Halloween game at the Abbotsford Centre.
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