Latest news with #Noronen
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Abbotsford Canucks Live: Game 6 win will advance Abby to Calder Cup final
The heat is on in Abbotsford. Not only was the mercury expected to climb to 30 degrees Celsius in the Fraser Valley on Sunday, and actually feel like 34, the temperature inside the Abbotsford Centre will also rise. The Abbotsford Canucks hold a 3-2 series lead over the Texas Stars in the AHL best-of-seven Western Conference final and are a victory away from advancing to the Calder Cup championship against the Charlotte Checkers. Game 6 before a raucous sold-out Abbotsford audience goes at 6 p.m., and if a seventh game is necessary, it's slated for Monday at 7 p.m. in the valley. The Canucks obviously don't want to be forced into a do-or-die showdown in Game 7 that could end their remarkable season, or shorten rest and prep time for the AHL final. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Checkers are the Florida Panthers' affiliate and swept the Laval Rocket in the Eastern Conference final. They will host first two games of the AHL title series starting Friday in North Carolina, with the west winner getting Game 3, 4 and 5 home dates, before the series reverts back to Charlotte. As for tonight, the Canucks will look for a hero. Maybe somebody snaps a tight game in the third period, or becomes the latest overtime star. Four series games have been decided by one goal and three required overtime. Stars captain Curtis McKenzie of Golden, B.C., delivered the extra-session dagger Friday in Texas in a 2-1 triumph to force Game 6. It came after winger Danila Klimovich, who had yet to see the ice in the final series, struck in double overtime Wednesday to put the Canucks up 3-1 and on verge of a series-clinching win. You'd like to think Canucks winger Linus Karlsson is going to have a say in the Game 6 outcome. He has two goals in the series by getting to the net, has been a prime playmaker, and is tied for the post-season lead with nine goals. His 17 points are third among playoff scorers and he's second in shots with 49. Maybe Arturs Silovs stretches his post-season shutout string to six. That would be fitting to equal the AHL record established by former Canucks goaltender Mika Noronen, who backstopped the Rochester Americans to the league crown in 2000. Noronen played just four NHL games for Vancouver after being acquired at the 2006 NHL trade deadline. In his first appearance, he was bombed in a 5-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. Noronen then signed in Russia as opposed to serving as backup to workhorse Roberto Luongo. An affiliate of the parent Vancouver Canucks hasn't gone to the big AHL dance since 2015. That's when the Utica Comets, guided by head coach Travis Green, parlayed a 47-20-0-9 regular-season mark into post-season series wins over the Chicago Wolves, Oklahoma City Barons and Grand Rapids Griffins. They then fell to the Manchester Monarchs, affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings, in five games of the best-of-seven championship. Those Comets were led in post-season scoring by Cal O'Reilly with 19 points (2-17) in 23 games and Sven Baetschi, who had 15 points (8-7) in 21 outings. In the regular season, 11 players struck for double digits in goals. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was also stellar with a 22-7-2 mark, 1.88 GAA, .934 saves percentage and five shutouts. If you aren't able to watch the game in person, scroll down for the play-by-play updates from tonight's game. Be sure to hit the refresh button for the latest update. • Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Texas beats Abby 2-1 in OT goal by B.C. boy Curtis McKenzie • Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Danila Klimovich unlikely hero in double OT, Abby up 3-1 in conference final • There's a buzz around the Abbotsford Canucks like never before Watch this space for game updates when the puck drops around 6 p.m. More to come … bkuzma@
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Abbotsford Canucks Live: Game 6 win will advance Abby to Calder Cup final
The heat is on in Abbotsford. Not only was the mercury expected to climb to 30 degrees Celsius in the Fraser Valley on Sunday, and actually feel like 34, the temperature inside the Abbotsford Centre will also rise. The Abbotsford Canucks hold a 3-2 series lead over the Texas Stars in the AHL best-of-seven Western Conference final and are a victory away from advancing to the Calder Cup championship against the Charlotte Checkers. Game 6 before a raucous sold-out Abbotsford audience goes at 6 p.m., and if a seventh game is necessary, it's slated for Monday at 7 p.m. in the valley. The Canucks obviously don't want to be forced into a do-or-die showdown in Game 7 that could end their remarkable season, or shorten rest and prep time for the AHL final. The Checkers are the Florida Panthers' affiliate and swept the Laval Rocket in the Eastern Conference final. They will host first two games of the AHL title series starting Friday in North Carolina, with the west winner getting Game 3, 4 and 5 home dates, before the series reverts back to Charlotte. As for tonight, the Canucks will look for a hero. Maybe somebody snaps a tight game in the third period, or becomes the latest overtime star. Four series games have been decided by one goal and three required overtime. Stars captain Curtis McKenzie of Golden, B.C., delivered the extra-session dagger Friday in Texas in a 2-1 triumph to force Game 6. It came after winger Danila Klimovich, who had yet to see the ice in the final series, struck in double overtime Wednesday to put the Canucks up 3-1 and on verge of a series-clinching win. You'd like to think Canucks winger Linus Karlsson is going to have a say in the Game 6 outcome. He has two goals in the series by getting to the net, has been a prime playmaker, and is tied for the post-season lead with nine goals. His 17 points are third among playoff scorers and he's second in shots with 49. Maybe Arturs Silovs stretches his post-season shutout string to six. That would be fitting to equal the AHL record established by former Canucks goaltender Mika Noronen, who backstopped the Rochester Americans to the league crown in 2000. Noronen played just four NHL games for Vancouver after being acquired at the 2006 NHL trade deadline. In his first appearance, he was bombed in a 5-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. Noronen then signed in Russia as opposed to serving as backup to workhorse Roberto Luongo. An affiliate of the parent Vancouver Canucks hasn't gone to the big AHL dance since 2015. That's when the Utica Comets, guided by head coach Travis Green, parlayed a 47-20-0-9 regular-season mark into post-season series wins over the Chicago Wolves, Oklahoma City Barons and Grand Rapids Griffins. They then fell to the Manchester Monarchs, affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings, in five games of the best-of-seven championship. Those Comets were led in post-season scoring by Cal O'Reilly with 19 points (2-17) in 23 games and Sven Baetschi, who had 15 points (8-7) in 21 outings. In the regular season, 11 players struck for double digits in goals. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was also stellar with a 22-7-2 mark, 1.88 GAA, .934 saves percentage and five shutouts. If you aren't able to watch the game in person, scroll down for the play-by-play updates from tonight's game. Be sure to hit the refresh button for the latest update. • Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Texas beats Abby 2-1 in OT goal by B.C. boy Curtis McKenzie • Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Danila Klimovich unlikely hero in double OT, Abby up 3-1 in conference final • There's a buzz around the Abbotsford Canucks like never before Watch this space for game updates when the puck drops around 6 p.m. More to come … bkuzma@ There's a buzz around the Abbotsford Canucks like never before Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Texas beats Abby 2-1 in OT goal by B.C. boy Curtis McKenzie
Vancouver Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Abbotsford Canucks Live: It's a 5 p.m., game 3 in Texas with Abby up 2-0 in series
Everything is bigger in Texas. Houses are huge. Food portions are gigantic. And so is the appetite for sports. Egos and expectations could easily be the state slogan because sports spectacles aren't just something, they mean everything in a place where the only thing that matters is winning. For the Texas Stars, who trail the Abbotsford Canucks 2-0 in the best-of-seven AHL Western Conference finals, it's must-win desperation tonight in their home arena at Cedar Park, a 20-kilometre drive north of bustling Austin. If the Stars expect to stage a series rally and take the next step to claiming their second Calder Cup championship in 11 years — former Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins was at the helm in a 2014 title season — they'll have to get past standout stopper Arturs Silovs . Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. He's on the cusp of equalling another AHL playoff record and is in constant about his NHL future. Silovs, 24, who made 29 saves Saturday in a 1-0 blanking of the Stars in Abbotsford, has five post-season shutouts to go with his league-leading 1.61 goals-against average and .941 saves percentage. The shutout record of six is held by former Canucks goaltender Mika Noronen, who established the mark by backstopping the Rochester Americans to the league crown in 2000. 'It's our game overall,' Silovs said of Abbotsford's playoff progression. 'We're getting better every single game by doing the right things by blocking shots and taking guys away from the net front. And we're doing a good job on the PK with guys sacrificing their bodies. 'It's a team effort. We have big confidence and we've put them (Stars) on the ropes.' Noronen played just four games for Vancouver after being acquired at the 2006 NHL trade deadline. In his first appearance, he was bombed in a 5-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. Noronen then signed in Russia as opposed to serving as backup to workhorse Roberto Luongo. As for tonight, the Stars now need Justin Hryckowian and former Canuck Kole Lind, who have seven playoff goals apiece, to strike early. They'll also need leadership from hockey-lifer Curtis McKenzie, 34, who has four playoff goals and was 22 when the Stars won the AHL title in 2014. He had a career high 27 goals that season. The Golden, B.C. native was a sixth-round pick of the NHL Stars in 2009 and had 23 points (10-13) and 131 penalty minutes in 99 games. The Canucks have scored by committee in the post-season. While winger Linus Karlsson leads the club with seven goals, they've also got eight from defencemen. More to come … If you aren't able to watch, scroll down for the play-by-play updates from tonight's game, including the latest score. Refresh the page to get the latest update. • Abbotsford Canucks recap: Artūrs Šilovs does it again, Abby wins 1-0 to go up 2-0 in series • Does Abbotsford's success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks? • The Abbotsford Canucks' strong season and what it may mean in the long run
