Canucks fall 4-0 against the Tucson Roadrunners

The Abbotsford Canucks returned home for the first time in 2024, facing off against the Tucson Roadrunners.

Chase Wouters lined up with Aatu Räty and Vasiliy Podkolzin, while Tristen Nielsen joined a line alongside Max Sasson and Aidan McDonough. Newly pronounced all-star Arshdeep Bains slotted in with Jermaine Loewen and John Stevens, and Josh Passolt gets the call up from Kalamazoo, completing the front end alongside Dmitri Zlodeev and Alex Kannok Leipert.

The defensive pairings remained unchanged, with Artūrs Šilovs getting comfortable between the pipes. Matthew Villalta starts in net for the Roadrunners.

The game showcased some brotherly competition between Aatu Räty and his older brother Aku, as they faced off for the first time at the Abbotsford Centre. Tucson strikes first, with a goal from Ben McCartney for his second of the season, off an odd man rush with Josh Doan and Jan Jenik.

The Canucks remained persistent, but were not able to get through Villalta, heading into the second period down by one.

The second period saw the Canucks come out with a second wind, but an early penalty led to Austin Poganski netting his 5th goal of the season to extend Tucson’s lead to 2-0. The Canucks had several chances to cut the lead, with Max Sasson and Tristen Nielsen each having their go at Villalta, but the Roadrunners held strong between the pipes.

The third period saw the Canucks fighting to even the score, with some great scoring chances from both teams. Šilovs shot down a play from McMartney looking for his second of the game, but their third goal came half way through the third from Jan Jenick, grabbing his 9th of the season. Shortly thereafter, Justin Kirkland secures his 2nd of the season with sharp angle effort.

Matthew Villata shuts down all 30 of the Canucks shots, as the Tucson secures a 4-0 win against Abbotsford. The Canucks look to get one back tomorrow night, as they face off against the Roadrunners for the final time this season.

It’s Hockey on the Farm night at the Abbotsford Centre tomorrow, before heading into another four games at home.

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