Nikita Tolopilo was back between the pipes for Abbotsford after his stint with Vancouver and took on Jacob Fowler at the other end. Victor Mancini rejoined the lineup on the blue line alongside Jimmy Schuldt, while Cole Clayton made his Abbotsford debut after being acquired in yesterday’s trade with the Barracuda.
The first period was a tough affair, with both teams looking to address the recent scoring struggles. Early penalties on both sides created a few chances, but it was Laval who struck first. About 13 and a half minutes later, Dino Kambeitz was sent into the penalty box, and Laurent Dauphin took advantage on the power play to give the Rocket a 1-0 lead heading into the middle frame.
The second period was action packed. Abbotsford had another chance on the power play, and this time Chase Wouters made it count by burying a rebound just over five minutes later to tie the game. Just about ten seconds later, Tyler Thorpe and Joe Arntsen dropped the gloves, each earning five-minute majors.
Midway through the period, Dauphin was awarded a penalty shot, but Tolopilo stayed on his feet to keep the game in the balance. Laval regained the lead shortly afterwards, when Sean Farrell finished off a backdoor feed from Dauphin. The Canucks responded again on the power play, with Danila Klimovich ripping a one-timer from the top of the left circle to tie the game at two near the end of the period.
The back and forth continued in the third. Farrell scored his second of the night, getting behind the defense and getting the puck over the line to restore Laval’s lead. Abbotsford responded to the man advantage again, as Lukas Reichel drove the net and slid a pass to Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who buried the feed to make it 3-3.
With extra time approaching, Laval caught a lucky break when Florian Xhekaj intercepted a backhanded pass in front of the net and scored the game winner with just 13 seconds left.
The Canucks ultimately fell 4-3 to the Laval Rocket, but will look to bounce back tomorrow night on Hockey Is For Everyone Night.
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