The Abbotsford Canucks have officially played in their first Calder Cup Division Final Game, winning 2–0 against the Colorado Eagles. Ty Mueller and Victor Mancini scored for Abbotsford, while Artūrs Šilovs made saves on all 22 shots faced to pick up his third shutout of the playoffs. Abbotsford only needs two more wins to make the Conference Finals.  

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As is what’s seeming to be tradition with the AHL Canucks, the game started out with a physical edge to it that had the boards of the Abbotsford Centre squealing with each hit made. However, though the team’s past few series’ have been physical, tonight had an added layer to it. A couple of hits even resulted in players’ gear flying off. Sammy Blais in particular made a series of thunderous hits, rivalling Kiefer Sherwood’s numbers with how many he made. A hit along the boards during the second period resulted in Jonathan Lekkerimäki grabbing his left arm, though the forward continued playing shortly after. 

Jett Woo made his return to the lineup for the first time since Game 2 of the second round against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, immediately making a positive impact. He piled a few heavy hits on Colorado’s players within his first couple of shifts back, continuing his run of physical play from before his injury. As well, he was effective on the penalty kill for Abbotsford, making a big close-range block with only a few seconds left in the first period. He contributed to the team’s offence as well, setting up a few good chances and firing some of his own at the net. 

“He was a solid veteran presence for us,” Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra said of Woo’s return to the lineup. “He got pucks up the ice really well for us, killed plays defensively, and was able to join on the rush. So he played like the Jett Woo we expect him to be.” 

While the first period was full of hits, shots were a different story. Abbotsford didn’t register a shot on goal until slightly before their first power play, which came a little over five minutes into the game. By the end of the period, the Eagles led 8–5 in shots. 

The beginning of the second period had a bit of a different look to it from Abbotsford’s standpoint. The AHL Canucks had a couple of quality chances in-tight including a partial break, though none of these opportunities yielded a goal. Even a wide-range shot from near the blueline couldn’t make it past Colorado goaltender Trent Miner. By the halfway point of the game, Abbotsford nearly tied up the shot totals, clawing up to 13–12. 

Abbotsford finally broke the scoring at 15:25 off a set play on the man-advantage. Mueller fired it home from in front of the net, scoring his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal. Multiple “Ty-ler” chants broke out soon after. The rookie now has three points in Abbotsford’s eight postseason games. 

“Throughout this whole year, his game has continued to grow, and he’s developed and becoming more and more of one of our more reliable guys in key moments,” Malhotra said of Mueller’s progression this season. “I think it’s due to his earning those things and making the most of every opportunity he’s been given that we put him in those situations.”  

“Something I always want to do is be able to be someone who can play in all situations and be trusted to be out there. So it’s been really good,” Mueller said postgame of how the season has gone for him. 

Despite both teams generating their respective chances, the score remained a tight 1–0 heading into the final 10 minutes of the game. A two-minute stretch of 4-on-4 produced a beautiful spin-o-rama chance for Arshdeep Bains, but he was unable to find the back of the net. 

Some pushing and shoving near Miner’s crease resulted in Linus Karlsson being sent to the penalty box with only three minutes to go. Abbotsford cleared the puck early, then proceeded to fight to win a defensive-zone draw to clear the puck once more. A well-timed stick by Chase Wouters negated what could have been an Eagles goal, as he dove out to prevent a cross-ice pass aimed for a Colorado player waiting at Šilovs’ back door. Abbotsford defended well in the final few minutes, with an ambitious jump up from Mancini resulting in an empty net goal. 

With the win tonight, Abbotsford now has a lead in the series going into Game 2. After Sunday’s game, they’ll go on the road for however many games the series ends up needing. 

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period: 

No scoring. 

2nd Period: 

15:25 - ABB: Ty Mueller (1) from Sammy Blais and Linus Karlsson 

3rd Period: 

19:55 - ABB: Victor Mancini (1) 

Game 2: at Abbotsford Centre: Sunday, May 18 @ 6:00 pm PT

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