
Abbotsford Advances To The Pacific Division Semifinals With A 5-0 Win Over The Tucson Roadrunners
April 27, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Canucks News Release
The Abbotsford Canucks hosted a do-or-die Game 3 against the Tucson Roadrunners, looking to secure a win and advance to the Pacific Division Semifinals.
There were no changes in goal, as Artūrs Šilovs once again got the start for Abbotsford, facing off against Jaxson Stauber for Tucson.
The game promised to be a battle, and Abbotsford came out flying - throwing the body early and getting pucks on net. Despite the early pressure, Stauber stood tall for the Roadrunners, making several clutch saves. The game remained scoreless for the first 15 minutes, but Tristen Nielsen finally broke through, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Max Sasson broke into the zone alone, and after a series of passes, Nielsen fired a shot from the right circle to give Abbotsford a 1-0 lead.
The Canucks dominated the first period, posting 20 shots to Tucson's 5, but only Nielsen's goal found the back of the net.
The second period started with a bang. After some 4-on-4 action, Abbotsford quickly found themselves killing a penalty. Ty Mueller hustled into the offensive zone, battled behind the net, and fed Chase Wouters coming down the slot. Wouters buried the puck into a wide-open net, extending Abbotsford's lead to 2-0 just 46 seconds into the period.
Shortly after, Tucson's Andrew Agozzino was handed a five-minute major for interference on Mueller. Abbotsford wasted no time capitalizing: Chase Wouters found Max Sasson in front of the net, and Sasson made it 3-0 less than seven minutes into the frame.
Despite facing three more penalties in the period, Abbotsford's penalty kill held firm. Šilovs continued to be rock-solid between the pipes as the Canucks outshot Tucson 33-14 through two periods.
With 20 minutes standing between them and the next round, Abbotsford kept battling, although their shot count slowed as Tucson pressed harder. Šilovs and the Canucks' defense remained impenetrable, shutting down every Roadrunner chance.
Midway through the third, Abbotsford earned a power play, and Sammy Blais made it count - burying a shot from the slot to extend the lead to 4-0.
Tucson pulled Stauber for an extra attacker during a late power play, but Abbotsford successfully killed it off. Then, with under two minutes left, Phil Di Giuseppe sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.
The Abbotsford Canucks shut out the Tucson Roadrunners with a dominant 5-0 win, punching their ticket to the Pacific Division Semifinals.
Next up: the Canucks will travel to Coachella Valley to face the Firebirds for the first two games of the series before returning home for Games 3, 4, and 5 on May 7, 9, and 11.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from April 27, 2025
- Levi Blanks Crunch as Amerks Take 2-0 Series Lead - Rochester Americans
- Phantoms Announce Round 2 Schedule - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Third Period Offense Boosts P-Bruins to Second Round of Playoffs - Providence Bruins
- T-Birds Unable to Find Special Teams Answers in Game 3 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Crunch Blanked by Amerks, 4-0, in Game 2 - Syracuse Crunch
- Checkers to Face Bruins in Second Round of Playoffs - Charlotte Checkers
- AHL Announces Schedule for P-Bruins' Second Round Series vs. Checkers - Providence Bruins
- Division Semifinal Schedules Announced for 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs - AHL
- Bears Announce Schedule for Atlantic Division Semifinals vs. Lehigh Valley - Hershey Bears
- Penguins Sign Defenseman Tommy Budnick - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Season Ends in Palm Desert as Wranglers Fall 2-0 to Firebirds - Calgary Wranglers
- San Jose Barracuda Edge the Ontario Reign and Head to Pacific Division Semifinals - Ontario Reign
- Firebirds Sweep Wranglers, Will Face the Abbotsford Canucks in Second Round of 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Abbotsford Advances To The Pacific Division Semifinals With A 5-0 Win Over The Tucson Roadrunners - Abbotsford Canucks
- Eagles to Face San Jose in Second Round of Calder Cup Playoffs - Colorado Eagles
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Abbotsford Canucks Stories
- Abbotsford Advances To The Pacific Division Semifinals With A 5-0 Win Over The Tucson Roadrunners
- Abbotsford Canucks Fall 4-1 to the Tucson Roadrunners in Game 2
- Abbotsford Takes a 1-0 Series Lead with a 4-3 Win over the Tucson Roadrunners
- Building Blue: the Highway 1 Connection Paves Way into AHL Playoffs
- Abbotsford Clinches Second Place In The Division With A 5-3 Win Over Ontario

