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Abby Canucks weekend recap: Ontario Reign spoil banner-raising weekend fesitivties
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Photo credit: Abbotsford Canucks
Dave Hall
Oct 27, 2025, 15:45 EDTUpdated: Oct 27, 2025, 15:41 EDT
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It was a historic weekend at Abbotsford Centre as the Canucks celebrated their 2024–25 Calder Cup victory with a banner-raising ceremony in front of a packed home crowd on a Friday night.
But while the franchise kicked off its fifth season in celebratory fashion, the weekend’s results were anything but festive.
The Abbotsford Canucks dropped both ends of a two-game set against the Ontario Reign, extending their losing streak to four games after opening the season with two wins.
Missing several key contributors due to NHL recalls, the team has now fallen to 2-4-0-0.

Game 1: Banner night ends in heartbreak

The evening began with emotion and pageantry, as Abbotsford unveiled its 2024 Calder Cup banner, commemorating the first championship in franchise history.
A special video presentation on the jumbotron gave fans, both in attendance and watching from home, a chance to relive the magic as they paid tribute to their historic run.
Unfortunately, the night took a sharp turn once the puck dropped.

Starting lineup

The Ontario Reign struck early, with Andre Lee opening the scoring just 2:36 into the game with his first of two goals on the night.
The Canucks did respond late in the first, with Ben Berard sniping a power play goal short-side for his second tally of the season to tie the game 1–1.
From there, however, it was all Ontario.
The Reign regained the lead in the second period, with Taylor Ward adding two goals of his own and Lee potting his second to make it 4–1.
Lee’s second goal didn’t just bring a three-goal deficit, but spelled the end of the night for their go-to netminder Nikita Tolopilo. Just moments before the goal, while killing off a 5-on-3 power play, Tolopilo slid over to throw out the glove and rob Aatu Jamsen of a goal.
In the process, his leg was caught awkwardly, and he was left on the ice in noticeable pain. While he did remain in the game briefly, the fourth goal (Andre Lee’s) came shortly after, which resulted in Tolopilo leaving the ice to head down the tunnel to end his night and weekend.
Mackenzie MacEachern cut into the lead with a late third-period power-play goal. But it was too little, too late as Ontario sealed the game with an empty-netter to win 5–2, spoiling what should have been a celebratory homecoming.
Final Shots: ABB 26, ONT 26
Final Score: ABB 2, ONT 5

Game 2: Rookie firsts, but same result

The Canucks looked to rebound in a Sunday matinee at Abbotsford Centre but were once again outmatched by the visiting Reign.

Starting lineup

It did kick off with some good vibes, as Abbotsford struck first.
Midway through the first, Vilmer Alriksson worked the puck below the goal line before cycling it back to Tom Willander at the point. The rookie defender went cross-ice to Jimmy Schuldt, who returned the feed backdoor to Alriksson with a beautiful backdoor play.
The young Swede tapped home his first career AHL goal.
As had been the case for much of the weekend, that feel-good moment was short-lived.
Ontario responded with two quick goals before the end of the first to regain the lead they had since the opening minutes of game one and added two more in the second period, taking a 4–1 lead into the third.
At that point, the Canucks had managed just seven shots on goal through 40 minutes.
Despite the deficit, another bright spot emerged for Abbotsford — this time from the back end.
In the third, rookie defender Sawyer Mynio notched his first professional goal, hammering home a one-timer from the point off a setup from captain Chase Wouters.
But it was too little, too late.
Ontario added another insurance marker and cruised to a second straight 5–2 victory, outshooting the Canucks 31–15 in the process.
In a game that did not deliver much, it was the rookies who stole the limelight.
Final Shots: ABB 15, ONT 31
Final Score: ABB 2, ONT 5

Injury bug and roster turnover are taking a toll

After a historic run, the Canucks appear to be a team in transition — and it’s showing.
With multiple players still out with injuries (Jett Woo, Guillaume Brisebois and now Nikita Tolopilo) and seven skaters currently up with the Vancouver Canucks, Abbotsford has been forced to ice a heavily rotated and youthful lineup.
In fact, only six skaters from last season’s Calder Cup-winning roster dressed this past weekend, and the chemistry lapses were evident on both ends of the ice.

What’s next?

There’s no time to dwell, as the Canucks are back in action for a mid-week back-to-back against the Calgary Wranglers.
Game 1: Tuesday, October 28, at 7:00 pm (Abbotsford Centre)
Game 2: Wednesday, October 29, at 7:00 pm (Abbotsford Centre)
With their first homestand of the season underway, the Canucks will be eager to stop the bleeding and get back in the win column before their slide becomes more concerning.
They simply need some players back, first.

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