With the frigid weather keeping British Columbians indoors, there was no better way to spend your Friday night than tuning into the anticipated Rätybowl.
Unfortunately, the Abbotsford Canucks decided to take the night off, allowing Aku to get the best of brother Atu for the third time in less than a month.
There were not many positives to take away from this one, resulting in a “forget it and move on to the next one” type of evening.

Starting lineup

1st period
Whether it was due to the cold weather or the low-energy atmosphere within the Abbotsford Centre, this game lacked significant substance through the first 20 minutes.
Well, if we are being honest, through the entire game.
The opening minutes saw numerous giveaways, as the Canucks struggled to execute simple passes, relying instead on simple chip-and-chase plays.
It took nearly nine minutes for them to record their first shot on net, coming off of a low-percentage attempt from the goal line.
Captain Chase Wouters had the best opportunity in the first 10 minutes, using his speed to take a defender wide and firing a shot point-blank.
A few moments later, the fourth line featuring Josh Passolt, Dmitri Zlodeev, and Alex Kannok Leipert briefly generated the Canucks most aggressive spell, sustaining pressure in the Roadrunners’ end for the majority of their shift.
That momentum was short-lived.
Despite these strong efforts, Tucson seized an opportunity just seconds later, squashing any steam gained.
In the offensive zone, Max Sasson had the puck take a few unfortunate hops, providing the perfect counterattack for the Roadrunners.
Goal – 1-0 Tucson – Ben McCartney from Josh Doan and Jan Jenik
Ben McCartney capitalized on a breakaway, receiving the pass behind Canucks’ defenceman Filip Johansson and putting it past Silovs.
Shortly after, Nick Cicek’s hit on Roadrunner forward Hunter Drew prompted some bad blood, resulting in the pair dropping the gloves and finally injecting a bit of gas into the match.
Building on this, the Canucks had their best chance of the period, with Arshdeep Bains and Christian Wolanin connecting for a solid three-on-one opportunity.
Unfortunately, netminder Matthew Villalta made a remarkable save and the period concluded quietly with the Roadrunners maintaining a 1-0 lead.
2nd period
The second period kicked off with an early power play opportunity for Tuscon, testing the AHL’s third-best penalty kill.
There wasn’t much to argue about, with Jermaine Loewen providing a clear trip and taking his punishment without much of a fuss.
Following a minute of promising defensive work, Silovs was forced to make his best save of the match, reaching over to squeeze the puck after a slight overcommitment.
Goal- 2-0 Roadrunners- Austin Poganski from Aku Räty and Steven Kampfer
Seconds later, off of the ensuing faceoff, Aku Räty delivered a strong drive to the net, prompting a scramble in front which would lead to the Roadrunners doubling their lead.
Aku Räty — 1-0 in the Räty bowl.
The Canucks responded well, though, using that as fuel to ignite a mid-period charge.
It began with Jett Woo, who snuck in from the point to find himself alone in the corner slot.
Followed by Leowen, who would sneak in himself to the centre slot, and getting off a tremendous point-blank shot, but once again, was stymied by Villalta.
This was followed by some Tristen Nielsen theatrics, as he would go between the legs to get his best opportunity.
Despite the stint pressure, the Canucks couldn’t convert, but at this point, even sustained pressure would be considered a huge positive.
All this pressure, and still, nothing to show for it.
The Canucks would eventually earn their first power play of the game following a Milo’s Kelemen tripping penalty.
With the top unit featuring Nielsen, Wouters, Bains, Podkolzin, and Wolanin, the Canucks would show why they carry the league’s worst power play (13.6%), executing no shots or any relatively dangerous looks.
Despite a positive second half for the Canucks, the Canucks simply could not generate a string of dangerous plays.
A late tripping penalty by Matt Irwin gave the Roadrunners a power play that would extend into the final frame.
3rd period
Starting the period on the man advantage, the Roadrunners came out aggressively, putting pressure on Silovs, who had to be alert.
He was tested early, making his first significant save by sliding over to deny Aku Räty on a rebound opportunity.
Minutes later, he made another significant save, recovering quickly from another rebound and sliding over to keep his team in the game.
Now if only they could help him out.
After enduring a few minutes of sustained attack from the Roadrunners, the Canucks began to generate some momentum with good pressure.
Following a strong shift from the reinvented Nielsen, Bains, and Sasson line, Max Sasson drew a penalty in the corner.
At the end of the clip, Nielsen did his part, stepping in to take liberties.
However, the ensuing power play did not yield any results for the Canucks again. Instead, it had a reverse effect.
Goal – 3-0 Tuscon – Jan Jenik from Peter DiLiberatore and Ben McCartney
Executing a crafty spin-o-rama, Tucson’s Jan Jenik received a tremendous pass from DiLiberatore, extending the lead to three and effectively taking any remaining breath out of the building
Goal – 4-0 Tucson – Justin Kirkland from Hunter Drew and Cameron Hebig
A little over a minute later, Tucson added insult to injury as a shot banked off Silovs’ head, making it a four-goal lead.
This goal essentially summed up the scoring for the night.
With six minutes left, the Canucks found themselves shorthanded after Wouters took a nasty hit from behind.
As you could imagine, nothing would come about and the Canucks would settle with a 4-0 defeat.

Final Score

Tuscon Roadrunners defeat the Abbotsford Canucks 4-0.

CanucksArmy 3 three stars

It’s a rare occurrence, but after a disappointing performance like tonight, no stars will be selected for the evening. Not a single player made a significant impact in this match and failed to generate much to deserve any recognition.

Next up on the docket

The Canucks will host the Roadrunners for the second leg of their doubleheader on Saturday, aiming for a much-improved outing.
The puck is set to drop at 7:00 pm at the Abbotsford Centre.