The Calgary Wranglers had one goal in hand and a chance to protect their season edge against Abbotsford. Instead, the game slipped away late.
Rory Kerins gave Calgary the lead on the power play in the second period, but the Wranglers couldn’t build on it. Abbotsford answered three times in the third and skated away with a 3-1 win, handing Calgary a split in the weekend series’ first game on this six-game road trip.
There were a few changes in the lineup before puck drop. Connor Zary was listed out with a lower body injury, with no timetable announced. He appeared to tweak his knee or ankle late in Tuesday’s game against the Ontario Reign after being tripped, though he stayed in that contest after skating it off during the media timeout.
Will Dineen was back after missing six games with a lower body injury and returned on the fourth line. Calgary also called up Alex Campbell from the Rapid City Rush as an extra forward, though he did not dress in this one. He could be an option Sunday after Andrew Basha appeared to suffer an injury late in the game.
The opening period was chippy from the start, with Arsenii Sergeev matched up against Nikita Tolopilo and both teams throwing their weight around. Axel Hurtig and Will Dineen each absorbed heavy hits early. Rory Kerins took the game’s first penalty at 8:21 for slashing, but the Wranglers killed it off and then had a power play of their own after Abbotsford was called for tripping Hunter Brzustewicz.
Calgary got a few chances on that man advantage, but nothing clean got through. The Canucks controlled more of the play from there, though Sergeev held his ground. After 20 minutes, the game was scoreless and Abbotsford held an 11-6 shot advantage.
The Wranglers found their breakthrough early in the second. Just 40 seconds in, Cole Clayton was whistled for roughing after shoulder checking William Stromgren and following through with an arm to the head.
Calgary needed just over two minutes of the power play to cash in, as Kerins ripped a wrist shot from the top of the circle past Tolopilo at 2:31. Dryden Hunt earned the primary assist, and Luke Philp picked up the secondary.
Abbotsford pushed back after the goal, but Calgary settled in and flipped the second-period script. The Wranglers outshot the Canucks 11-6 in the frame and took a 1-0 lead into the third, with the shots tied 17-17 overall.
That edge disappeared quickly. At 2:54 of the third, Sawyer Mynio blasted a one-timer by Sergeev to tie it.
Calgary had a chance to respond almost immediately when Abbotsford was called for slashing at 3:16, with William Stromgren drawing the contact while driving on the rush. He answered with some shoves after the whistle as tempers flared around him.
But the special teams sequence never really settled in Calgary’s favor. The Wranglers’ power play was cut short when Stromgren was whistled for slashing at 4:31.
Then came the heavy hit near the Canucks’ bench just before the eight-minute mark. Andrew Basha was moving at full speed when he was clipped by Austin Brimmer, lost his footing, and collided with Anri Ravinskis as he went down.
He grabbed his head on the ice, struggled to put weight on his left leg when he got up, and left the game for good.
Calgary got another power play at 10:30 after Abbotsford was called for high-sticking, but once again the advantage didn’t last. Sam Morton was penalized for tripping at 11:40, leaving Calgary shorthanded. While the Wranglers were killing that penalty, Ty Mueller pounced on a rebound off a point shot and scored at 12:52 to put Abbotsford ahead.
About four minutes later, the Canucks added another when Cole Clayton elevated a rebound over Sergeev’s shoulder. Calgary still had life after that and pulled Sergeev for an extra attacker at 17:31, pressing hard and forcing Abbotsford to defend a long shift. The Canucks eventually managed to ice the puck and relieve the pressure, and the Wranglers couldn’t manufacture the one more goal they needed.
Calgary also managed to prevent an empty-net chance in the final seconds, but the comeback never came. Abbotsford took it 3-1 and finished with a 27-22 edge in shots.
With the loss, William Stromgren’s seven-game point streak came to an end. Kerins was the lone goal-scorer, while Hunt and Philp collected the assists.
The Canucks have now won four straight, and Calgary will try to stop that run in the rematch on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. MT.
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