The puck dropped on the Abbotsford Canucks’ final game of the regular season as they faced off against the Ontario Reign, both teams battling for the coveted second-place spot in the standings.
Fresh off his first NHL win, Nikita Tolopilo got the start in net for Abbotsford, going head-to-head with Ontario’s, Phoenix Copley. The game wasted no time ramping up in speed and intensity. Just three and a half minutes in, Glenn Gawdin opened the scoring for Ontario, breaking into the Abbotsford zone untouched and giving the Reign an early 1-0 lead.
The Canucks responded quickly. Linus Karlsson buried Victor Mancini’s rebound to tie things up at 1-1. Ontario answered back around the 13-minute mark when a deflected Abbotsford pass bounced off a referee and landed on the stick of Andre Lee, who capitalized to restore the Reign’s lead. But the Canucks weren’t done yet—just two minutes later, Mancini scored his first as a Canuck, ripping a shot from the slot to even things again at 2-2.
A bit of rough play ended the period, sending Abbotsford into the second with a powerplay.
The middle frame saw a shift in momentum. The Canucks came out with more pace and energy, tightening up defensively. Both goalies stood tall, and despite some quality chances, neither side found the back of the net. The teams entered the third period still tied at 2.
With the game—and second place—on the line, the Canucks struck first in the final frame. Just over four minutes in, Akito Hirose blasted a shot from the point to give Abbotsford its first lead of the night. Ontario pushed back, and with under five minutes to go, Kaleb Lawrence tied the game 3-3, pouncing on a fortunate bounce near the crease.
But the Canucks responded quickly. Max Sasson played the hero, beating everyone to a loose puck and one-timing it home to restore the lead. Ontario pulled their goalie in the final two minutes, but Arshdeep Bains sealed the game with an empty-netter.
With a 5-3 win, Abbotsford swept their final road trip and locked in second place in the division. They’ll host the seventh seed at home in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday, April 23rd.
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