While he made it abundantly clear he didn’t agree with the overturned goal that looked momentarily like it had given his <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/6-things-abbotsford-canucks-expect-charlotte-checkers-ahead-ahl-calder-cup-final">Charlotte Checkers</a> a victory, head coach Geordie Kinnear wasn’t dwelling on that one call as the deciding factor in Friday’s eventful opener of the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbotsford-canucks-game-day-calder-cup-championship-series-starts-tonight-charlotte-checkers">American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final</a>. Kinnear seemed far more concerned with his club’s lacklustre special teams, which he felt cost the Checkers in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-klimovich-plays-hero-abby-canucks-wild-double-ot-game-1-calder-cup-final-victory">Abbotsford Canucks&#8217; 4-3 double overtime win</a> at Bojangles Coliseum.
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In his postgame press conference, Kinnear repeatedly mentioned the fact that Abbotsford scored a pair of power play goals, including Danila Klimovich’s winner midway through the second overtime, while Charlotte came up empty in five power play opportunities of its own.
“We had two power plays in overtime, they get the power play and they score the goal,” Kinnear explained. “You look at the game as a whole, they’re 2-for-7 and we&#8217;re 0-for-5.”
Kinnear liked the way this team played to jump out to a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but lamented the fact that the Checkers surrendered a goal just 22 seconds after Justin Sourdif put Charlotte in front by a pair. As it turned out, the Sourdif goal was the last goal the Checkers generated on the night. 
Well, the last one that counted. 
In a bizarre sequence, early in double overtime, the Canucks pulled a defensive zone faceoff cleanly into their own net. Charlotte thought they had won the game in the most extraordinary fashion. But after a quick consultation, the on-ice officials put their heads together and decided that Arturs Silovs was not set and ready for the draw. The goal was overturned, and the game continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The Charlotte Checkers think they won this game in overtime after Ty Mueller put the puck in his own net. 
But the goal was called off because Silovs wasn&#39;t ready. 
🎥: FloHockey <a href="https://t.co/OAkNNOtwAK">pic.twitter.com/OAkNNOtwAK</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1933722955588252039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I look at it – it’s a bit old school – but the centreman’s ready to take the faceoff, his job is to make sure everybody is ready before he gets his head over the circle,” Kinnear said of the way he saw the unusual sequence unfold. “It is what it is, it’s playoff hockey. I thought we responded well, but at the end, you look at the scoresheet and it’s 2-for-7 and 0-for-5.”
In the playoffs now, Charlotte is just three for 48 on the power play (6.25%). The Checkers have three power play goals in 13 postseason outings while Abbotsford scored a pair with the man-advantage in Game 1 alone. It was already a storyline heading into the Final and has already emerged as an area where Abbotsford appears to have a sizeable edge after just one head-to-head matchup.
Charlotte had a pair of power plays in the first overtime period. And while the Checkers controlled the play and had their looks, they weren’t able to score.
Then moments after the overturned goal, Charlotte defenceman Mikulas Hovorka flipped the puck over the glass and was immediately sent off for delay of game. With Hovorka counting down the final few seconds of his penalty, Klimovich walked out of the left corner and snapped a shot off the far post and in behind Checkers netminder Kaapo Kahkonen, giving Abbotsford the Game 1 victory and leaving Kinnear shaking his head about the way the night unfolded. And yet again, he was quick to point to special teams as the deciding factor.
“It’s a game of mistakes, double overtime, mental and physical toughness kind of takes a toll a little bit, the fatigue, Kinnear said. “They made a play at the end – again on the power play – guy made a great shot, post and in. We had our opportunities, too, and didn’t get the job done.”
Playoff hockey is all about adjustments, and the Checkers coaching staff will clearly spend Saturday reviewing game tape of Friday’s opener. The power play has been an issue all playoffs, so we’ll see what, if anything, Charlotte can do to add a little more pop to its attack while working with the man advantage. 
It’s evident from his postgame remarks, Geordie Kinnear realizes his team needs to focus on things it can control (special teams) rather than worrying about being on the wrong side of one of the strangest moments witnessed in recent championship hockey history.
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While he made it abundantly clear he didn’t agree with the overturned goal that looked momentarily like it had given his <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/6-things-abbotsford-canucks-expect-charlotte-checkers-ahead-ahl-calder-cup-final">Charlotte Checkers</a> a victory, head coach Geordie Kinnear wasn’t dwelling on that one call as the deciding factor in Friday’s eventful opener of the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbotsford-canucks-game-day-calder-cup-championship-series-starts-tonight-charlotte-checkers">American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final</a>. Kinnear seemed far more concerned with his club’s lacklustre special teams, which he felt cost the Checkers in <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-klimovich-plays-hero-abby-canucks-wild-double-ot-game-1-calder-cup-final-victory">Abbotsford Canucks' 4-3 double overtime win</a> at Bojangles Coliseum.
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In his postgame press conference, Kinnear repeatedly mentioned the fact that Abbotsford scored a pair of power play goals, including Danila Klimovich’s winner midway through the second overtime, while Charlotte came up empty in five power play opportunities of its own.

“We had two power plays in overtime, they get the power play and they score the goal,” Kinnear explained. “You look at the game as a whole, they’re 2-for-7 and we're 0-for-5.”

Kinnear liked the way this team played to jump out to a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but lamented the fact that the Checkers surrendered a goal just 22 seconds after Justin Sourdif put Charlotte in front by a pair. As it turned out, the Sourdif goal was the last goal the Checkers generated on the night. 

Well, the last one that counted. 

In a bizarre sequence, early in double overtime, the Canucks pulled a defensive zone faceoff cleanly into their own net. Charlotte thought they had won the game in the most extraordinary fashion. But after a quick consultation, the on-ice officials put their heads together and decided that Arturs Silovs was not set and ready for the draw. The goal was overturned, and the game continued.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1933722955588252039

“I look at it – it’s a bit old school – but the centreman’s ready to take the faceoff, his job is to make sure everybody is ready before he gets his head over the circle,” Kinnear said of the way he saw the unusual sequence unfold. “It is what it is, it’s playoff hockey. I thought we responded well, but at the end, you look at the scoresheet and it’s 2-for-7 and 0-for-5.”

In the playoffs now, Charlotte is just three for 48 on the power play (6.25%). The Checkers have three power play goals in 13 postseason outings while Abbotsford scored a pair with the man-advantage in Game 1 alone. It was already a storyline heading into the Final and has already emerged as an area where Abbotsford appears to have a sizeable edge after just one head-to-head matchup.

Charlotte had a pair of power plays in the first overtime period. And while the Checkers controlled the play and had their looks, they weren’t able to score.

Then moments after the overturned goal, Charlotte defenceman Mikulas Hovorka flipped the puck over the glass and was immediately sent off for delay of game. With Hovorka counting down the final few seconds of his penalty, Klimovich walked out of the left corner and snapped a shot off the far post and in behind Checkers netminder Kaapo Kahkonen, giving Abbotsford the Game 1 victory and leaving Kinnear shaking his head about the way the night unfolded. And yet again, he was quick to point to special teams as the deciding factor.

“It’s a game of mistakes, double overtime, mental and physical toughness kind of takes a toll a little bit, the fatigue, Kinnear said. “They made a play at the end – again on the power play – guy made a great shot, post and in. We had our opportunities, too, and didn’t get the job done.”

Playoff hockey is all about adjustments, and the Checkers coaching staff will clearly spend Saturday reviewing game tape of Friday’s opener. The power play has been an issue all playoffs, so we’ll see what, if anything, Charlotte can do to add a little more pop to its attack while working with the man advantage. 

It’s evident from his postgame remarks, Geordie Kinnear realizes his team needs to focus on things it can control (special teams) rather than worrying about being on the wrong side of one of the strangest moments witnessed in recent championship hockey history.

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