“I’ve been pretty snake bitten. I’ve had a lot of shots, and for one finally to go in, in that moment, I feel like that’s how it always goes. It felt really good. And obviously it’s a massive goal for the team,” said Sasson.
“When we get a lead in the third, we’re a really hard team to break down with our structure. So that [celebration], I just let it all out. It felt like the monkey was off my back, and the crowd was insane, the whole place. I kept on just looking around and was like ‘wow,’ that was so cool to see.”
Head coach Manny Malhotra spoke to the team’s depth being one of the primary reasons why the Canucks feel confident even when they are trailing. He was rolling all four lines throughout the third period, and the Canucks kept the pedal to the metal on the backs of every player giving a valiant effort in the final frame.
“It’s obviously a huge step for us as a group, as an organization, and I’m happy to see the guys getting rewarded for the way they’re playing and their commitment to what we’re trying to do here,” said Malhotra.
Malhotra gave plenty of credit to the fans at the Abbotsford Centre as the building was buzzing from the opening puck drop to the trophy presentation.
“I’ll say it again and again. Our group gets so much energy off the life in this building,” said Malhotra. “The fans have been outstanding [throughout] the entire playoff run. They’re a big part of our success. This atmosphere here to play in front of has been really special for the guys, and we’re looking to continue that.”
Abbotsford has advanced into the Calder Cup Finals and will face the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
They have a couple of former Abbotsford Canucks on their roster, including Will Lockwood and Aidan McDonough (McDonough has not played since November). Zac Dalpe has been injured since December, but he played 55 games for the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013-14 season.
Between the pipes, the Checkers are led by 28-year-old Kaapo Kähkönen. The Finnish netminder won gold with his country at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Vancouver. He is 10-2 in these playoffs and holds a 1.73 goals-against average, 0.927% save percentage, and has one shutout.
The Checkers have won their last eight games, including a sweep in the Conference Finals and Division Finals.
As for the format of the finals, the series will begin on Friday in Charlotte, as they are the higher-seeded team. Games will take place every other day, and the first two games will be held in Charlotte before returning to Abbotsford for games three, four, and five. Games six and seven will be back in Charlotte.
