Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Unfamiliar foes have gotten to know each other quickly in the Western Conference Finals.
Game 1 was the first-ever meeting between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Texas Stars. They combined for 84 shots on goal – including 15 in the first nine minutes – of a fast-paced contest. Each team erased a deficit during regulation, and Christian Wolanin’s goal 5:51 into overtime gave the host Canucks a 3-2 victory.
For two teams who had to cram to learn about each other coming into the series, they both emerged from Thursday’s opener appearing already quite familiar with the other side. It also became clear that this could become a long series between two evenly matched clubs.
Earlier this week before the Stars hit the road, Texas head coach Neil Graham had stated that he anticipated two teams who would spend little time trying to ease their way into the series.
“There’s no time this time of year to get into things slow or feel it out,” Graham said then. “We have to start on time. We have to be ready to go. I expect our opponent to be ready to go.”
Graham’s assessment came true quickly.
“You know, it was a good game, fast-paced,” said forward Antonio Stranges, who tied Game 1 at 2-2 with 7:50 left in the second period. “They’re physical, they’re fast. We learned the way they break out, little things like that, just making game adjustments, and they’re a really good hockey team.”
Both teams are coming off division final series that went the distance, and both had to win a Game 5 on the road to advance. Texas eliminated Milwaukee on Sunday evening, flew home on Monday, and had a long travel day to British Columbia on Wednesday. Abbotsford knocked out Colorado on Monday afternoon before returning home. It all made for a quick turnaround for Thursday night.
The Canucks knew the importance of getting one – if not two – wins to open the series, especially with as many as three games on Texas ice ahead.
“It was exciting playing a new team,” said Abbotsford rookie forward Ty Mueller, whose second-period goal gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead. “You don’t know what to expect. It’s a good team over there. We’ve got to be dialed in and keep pushing.”
The stakes are high with a trip to the Calder Cup Finals so close. Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra acknowledged that Texas caused his players some early frustration before they were able to adjust.
“We have to give them credit,” Malhotra said. “They are a very high-skilled team. They were exactly as advertised. They were high-paced. They were coming at us and putting us under duress.”
Stranges’ goal came in his fourth game back after an injury had put him out of the Texas lineup for two months. He had last scored March 2, a difficult drought after he had 16 goals at the All-Star break. Having Stranges back gives an already-dangerous Texas offense one more asset, something that they will need going up against Abbotsford’s Artūrs Šilovs, who was again excellent in Game 1.
Said Stranges, “It’s going to be a really good series.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
