Jiří Patera rejoined the group and got the start in goal, in the match against Tucson’s Jaxon Stauber. Josh Bloom and Arnaud Durandeau also returned to the lineup, booking Chase Wouters, while Phip Waugh came in for Joe Arntsen on the blueline to round out the night’s substitutions.
Tucson came out urgently, forcing Patera into some sharp stops early. Abbotsford struggled to generate chances in the opening minutes and fell behind around the eight minute mark when Noel Nordh scored a shot from the right circle to make it 1-0 to Roadrunners. The Canucks earned the first power play of the night, but were unable to find traction until late. A second Tucson penalty proved costly, and with twenty seconds left in the period, Joseph LaBate netted a rebound on the man advantage, sending the game into the break tied at 1-1.
In the second period the momentum swung towards Abbotsford. Both sides traded quality looks, but Patera and Stauber held firm. Midway through the frame, Dino Kambeitz flipped the script and returned a rebound from Vilmer Alriksson, giving the Canucks their first lead of the night. A series of penalties brought some 4-on-4 action late on, but neither side broke through and capped off a real goaltending period with Abbotsford leading 2-1 heading into the third.
The last frame was all Abbotsford. Danila Klimovich struck early, picking off a pass in the Tucson zone and burying his first of the season to extend the lead to 3-1. Five minutes later, Nils Åman got a point shot from Phip Waugh, making it 4-1. Another Roadrunners penalty opened the door again, and Klimovich wasted no time, scoring just two seconds into the power play after a clean faceoff win to extend the lead to 5-1.
Tucson’s Michal Kunc beat Patera with a goal in the final 30 seconds, but it was too little too late. Abbotsford started with a 5-2 win and will head home for the holidays with the momentum back on their side.
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