Abbotsford Drops Game Two in Laval 5-2
AHL Abbotsford Canucks

Abbotsford Drops Game Two in Laval 5-2

Published on October 18, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Canucks News Release


The Abbotsford Canucks returned to Place Bell for a quick turnaround matchup against the Laval Rocket, looking to get back into the win column.

Nikita Tolopilo got the start in goal for Abbotsford, facing off against a familiar netminder in Kaapo Kähkönen. With an identical defensive core and only a few tweaks up front, the Canucks were set and ready to go.

Tensions carried over from last night's contest, as Chase Stillman dropped the gloves with Florian Xhekaj just 55 seconds in. Moments later, the Rocket capitalized when Laurent Dauphin buried a rebound less than three minutes into the game. Abbotsford pushed back with several quality chances and odd-man rushes but couldn't find the equalizer. Late in the period, Jared Davidson doubled Laval's lead with a top-shelf finish, giving the Rocket a 2-0 edge after 20 minutes.

The second period belonged to Abbotsford. Just three minutes in, the Canucks struck twice to even things up. On an early power play, Vitali Kravtsov ripped a shot to the back of the net to get Abbotsford on the board. Then, just 90 seconds later, Tom Willander capitalized on the same man advantage, firing a shot from the slot past Kähkönen for his first professional AHL goal to tie the game 2-2. Both sides traded chances for the rest of the frame, but neither team broke through before the intermission.

Laval's penalty troubles continued into the third, but they managed to kill off an early Abbotsford power play and quickly flipped the momentum. Around the seven-minute mark, Lucas Condotta restored Laval's lead with a shot that found its way through traffic. In the closing minutes, with Abbotsford pressing and pulling their goalie during a 4-on-4 situation, the Rocket sealed the win with back-to-back empty net goals from Florian Xhekaj and Alex Belzile.

The Canucks fell 5-2 to Laval, dropping both games this weekend. They'll now return home to the Abbotsford Centre for their long-awaited home opener and a six-game stretch on home ice.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2025


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