It was a big weekend for the Abbotsford Canucks, who picked up three of a possible four points against the Calgary Wranglers.
Nikita Tolopilo got the start between the pipes tonight following Jiří Patera’s outstanding performance the night before, squaring off against Connor Murphy at the other end. Up front, Joseph Labate slotted in at centre between Vilmer Alriksson and Dino Kambeitz, while Phip Waugh paired with Joe Arntsen on the blue line to round out the lineup changes.
Abbotsford came out strong, setting the tone early. Just under four minutes in, Jonathan Lekkerimäki weaved through the defence and buried a shot from the slot to give the Canucks a 1–0 lead. The visitors then faced some adversity, killing off multiple penalties as Tolopilo and the defensive core stood tall to keep the Wranglers off the board.
The intensity ramped up when Jett Woo dropped the gloves with Andrew Basha, firing up both benches and the crowd. Late in the frame, Rory Kerrins took a tripping penalty, and the Canucks capitalized. After a clear attempt by Calgary, Tolopilo moved the puck to Victor Mancini, who went coast to coast and scored just 18 seconds into the power play to make it 2–0. Calgary earned a man advantage of their own, but Abbotsford held firm, carrying the two-goal lead into the intermission.
While the second period saw no change on the scoreboard, it was packed with chaos. After Woo returned from his misconduct, Alex Gallant clipped him, resulting in a five-minute major. Moments later, Labate and Nick Cicek dropped the gloves, each earning fighting majors. Things escalated further when Alriksson and Parker Bell were also tossed for fighting during the scrum. Cicek was assessed an instigator and misconduct, giving Abbotsford a lengthy 5-on-3 opportunity, but the Wranglers managed to survive, sending the game to the third with the Canucks still up 2–0.
Calgary came out flying in the final frame. Daniil Miromanov got the Wranglers on the board just under two minutes in, and Clark Bishop tied it eight minutes later. Only 30 seconds after that, Kerrins struck again to give Calgary its first lead of the night at 3–2.
The Canucks refused to go quietly. With under four minutes remaining, Chase Wouters tipped home a feed from Lekkerimäki to force overtime for the second straight night.
In the extra frame, Calgary controlled much of the possession, though Nils Åman came close to ending it for Abbotsford with a dangerous chance. Ultimately, it was Cicek who sealed the game for the Wranglers with 45 seconds left in overtime.
The Canucks fell 4–3, but capped off a strong weekend effort—earning three of four points against a tough divisional opponent.