With perhaps the quickest release you’ll see from a player at this level, Jonathan Lekkerimäki sent the Abbotsford crowd home with something to smile about.

Just 36 seconds into overtime, the Swedish winger snapped home the game-winner to lift the Abbotsford Canucks to a 2–1 victory over the Laval Rocket, splitting the midweek series after Tuesday’s back-and-forth opener.

Unlike the 4–3 affair just 24 hours earlier, Game Two was more low-scoring, and scoring chances came at a premium.

For a second straight night, Laval struck first. The Rocket opened the scoring on the power play, with Laurent Dauphin — the AHL’s second-leading scorer with 43 points — threading a perfect cross-ice feed to Joshua Roy, who finished cleanly to give the visitors a 1–0 lead.

The opening period was all Laval on the shot clock, as Abbotsford was outshot 13–3 through the first 20 minutes. As they did on Tuesday, the Canucks stayed within striking distance, leaning on structure and goaltending while waiting for their moment. That moment came on the power play.

Danila Klimovich created space with a confident cutback, sending the puck down low to his captain. Chase Wouters battled through traffic, muscling the puck into the slot where Ty Mueller was left alone to shovel it home for the Canucks’ fourth power play goal of the series.

The third period remained tight and physical, and newcomer Cole Clayton introduced himself to the Abby faithful. Nils Åman was caught from behind below the goal line. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenceman stepped in immediately, dropping the gloves with Will Dineen (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) in a spirited bout that drew a strong response from the home crowd.

“He’s been an awesome addition,” Mueller said postgame. “Breaking pucks out, tough, hard around the net — he’s been great so far.”

That edge carried Abbotsford into overtime, though the extra frame didn’t last long.

Just 36 seconds in, Lekkerimäki circled patiently near the top of the zone, reading the coverage and waiting for his lane. On one final curl, he shifted his speed toward the net and unloaded a perfectly placed snapshot, beating Kaapo Kähkönen cleanly up and over the shoulder to seal it.

The goal marked Lekkerimäki’s ninth of the season in just 14 games, putting him in a tie for the team lead with Chase Wouters (39 games) and Ben Berard (38 games). Despite missing time due to injury, the 21-year-old is scoring at a blistering pace — averaging better than half a goal per game while firing 55 shots, nearly four per night.

When healthy, Lekkerimäki has been everything Abbotsford hoped for: dynamic, dangerous, and capable of deciding games on his own.

With the win, the Canucks improve to 4-6-0-1 in January and 13-22-3-3 on the season. Abbotsford will now turn its attention to the weekend, hosting the San Diego Gulls at Rogers Forum, with puck drop set for Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 pm PT.