06/23/25 10:46:00
Printable Page
06/23 22:45 CDT Linus Karlsson leads Abbottsford Canucks to 3-2 victory over
Charlotte Checkers to win Calder Cup
Linus Karlsson leads Abbottsford Canucks to 3-2 victory over Charlotte Checkers
to win Calder Cup
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --- Linus Karlsson scored the tiebreaking goal late in the
second period and the Abbotsford Canucks beat the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 on
Monday night to win their first Calder Cup championship.
Sammy Blais and Danila Klimovich also scored for the Canucks, and Arshdeep
Bains had two assists. Arturs Silovs finished with 28 saves.
Silovs received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for being the playoff MVP after
getting a record-tying 16 wins in the postseason, including five shutouts. The
24-year-old goalie finished with a .931 save percentage.
Abbotsford, led by first-year coach Manny Malhotra, is Vancouver's first AHL
affiliate to hoist the cup and the first Canadian winner since the Toronto
Marlies in 2018.
John Leonard and Jack Devine scored first-period goals for the Checkers, who
lost the best-of-seven American Hockey League championship series in six games.
The Canucks lost Game 5 in overtime on Saturday in front of the largest crowd
to ever witness an AHL game at the Abbotsford Centre in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
After spotting Charlotte the first two goals on Monday night, the Canucks
roared back with three unanswered goals, including the winner from Karlsson
with 2:41 left in the second period.
Abbotsford went 1 for 2 on the power play, while Charlotte went 0 for 4.
Abbotsford knocked off the Tucson Roadrunners 2-1 in the Pacific Division's
first round, followed by a 3-1 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the
semifinals. The Canucks outlasted the Colorado Eagles 3-2 in the Pacific
Division final, then bounced the Texas Stars 4-2 in the Western Conference
final.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
|
