The Abbotsford Canucks now have wins in seven of the last eight games after collecting a 4-2 win over the Laval Rocket inside the Abbotsford Centre on Friday (Dec. 1).
Abbotsford fell behind 2-0 early, as Laval got goals from former Canuck Brady Keeper at 4:02 and then Phillippe Maillet at 12:45. Despite trailing, Abbotsford did have a number of quality chances, including two shots off the post, but Laval goalie Strauss Mann stood tall early.
The Canucks got on the board at 17:09 when Arshdeep Bains set up John Stevens perfectly and then just 27 seconds later Sheldon Dries tied the game up with a laser of a shot.
Amazing shot by Dries, tie game pic.twitter.com/FJV3yOBWrU
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) December 2, 2023
Vasily Podkolzin scored what would turn out to be the game winner at 14:53 of the second with a powerful drive to the net. Bains and Stevens drew the helper for Podkolzin, who scored his first goal since returning from injury.
Podkolzin with some power forward vibes, 3-2 Abbotsford pic.twitter.com/E0h9LdQq67
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) December 2, 2023
Both Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs and Laval’s Mann shut the door in the third period, with Stevens adding an empty net goal with two seconds left to make it a 4-2 final.
Stevens had a three-point night, while Bains had two. Podkolzin led all players with seven shots on goal. Silovs, fresh off being named the AHL goaltender of the month for November, made 30 saves to record his eighth win on the season. Mann made 35 saves in the loss and had a solid game.
Friday featured the returns of Bains, defenceman Christian Wolanin and forward Danila Klimovich. All three had missed several recent games. Wolanin recorded two shots, while Klimovich fired three shots in the first period but then did not play for the remainder of the game. His absence was not explained, but it’s possible he may have suffered an injury.
4️⃣ unanswered goals to pick up the 2️⃣ points pic.twitter.com/nV4aI6t4dN
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) December 2, 2023
The Canucks improve to 12-5-1-0 on the season and they now sit second in the Pacific Division. The two teams meet again on Saturday (Dec. 2) and the game is being promoted as the annual Teddy Bear Toss event. Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to the game and toss them on the ice when the Canucks score their first goal.
All teddy bears collected are donated to Archway Toy’s for Tots program, benefitting underprivileged children in the Fraser Valley. Limited tickets remain for the game, which is always one of the more popular games on the calendar.
The Do's and Don'ts of Teddy Bear Toss 🧸
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) November 28, 2023
Follow Max, Marc, Aidan and Josh as they give you a step-by-step breakdown of the perfect toss on Saturday night 👊
🎟️| https://t.co/IPjYm2siSf pic.twitter.com/5GVfUFHbke
