Eagles Drop Second Straight in 5-2 Loss at Abbotsford
Dec 8, 2024
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Abbotsford forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki notched two goals and an assist, while goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced, as the Canucks defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-2 on Sunday. Forwards Mark Senden and Maros Jedlicka each found the back of the net in the losing effort for Colorado. Trent Miner suffered the loss in net, allowing three goals on 22 shots.
An early power play would set up Abbotsford defenseman Christian Wolanin to light the lamp with a wrister from the blue line, putting the Canucks on top 1-0 just 1:20 into the contest.
The lead would grow to 2-0 when forward Linus Karlsson snagged a cross-slot pass at the side of the crease and bashed it home at the 2:54 mark of the first period.
Colorado would finally strike back when forward Mark Senden won a net-mouth scramble by slipping the puck past Silovs, slicing the deficit to 2-1 with 3:18 remaining in the opening frame.
Abbotsford would go on to outshoot the Eagles 14-7 and carried a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission. The end of the first period would also signal the end of the night for goaltender Kevin Mandolese who suffered a lower-body injury and would be replaced by Miner in net.
The Canucks would expand their lead when Lekkerimaki took advantage of a favorable bounce that put the puck on to his stick in the low slot. He would wire a wrister past Miner, putting Abbotsford on top 3-1 with 5:11 remaining in the second period.
Still leading 3-1 as the puck dropped on the third period, the Canucks would continue to pour on the offense. A power play would see forward Nate Smith steer a pass in the low slot into the back of the net to make it 4-1 at the 9:10 mark.
Lekkerimaki would net his second of the game when he swept home a shot from the top of the crease, giving Abbotsford a 5-1 advantage with 5:32 to left to play in the contest.
With a delayed penalty coming against Colorado, the Canucks would pull Silovs to bring out the extra attacker. However, some strong pressure from Jedlicka at the side of the cage would force the puck to spill into the back of the net, trimming the deficit to 5-2 at the 16:31 mark.
Colorado finished the night 0-for-4 on the power play, while Abbotsford went 2-for-5.
The Eagles will be back in action when they return home to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday, December 13th at 7:05pm MT at Blue Arena. Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and can be secured with a deposit of just $100 per seat. Click here to place your deposit.
