The Abbotsford Canucks had never crossed paths with the Texas Stars, let alone squared off in the high-stakes environment of an AHL Western Conference Final.

That changed on Thursday night at the Abbotsford Centre, where the pride of Fraser Valley hosted Game 1, riding the wave of a dominant 5-0 shutout in Colorado to clinch their spot in the series.

But with no shared history between the two foes, there was only one question…would there be sparks?

Putting any worry to rest, the Canucks offered up a relentless effort, delivering a performance that kept the home crowd on their feet from start to finish. With a postseason-best 46 shots on goal, it was a heart-stopping battle that stretched into overtime, where they sealed a thrilling Game 1 victory.

While the Texas Stars struck first, courtesy of a former Canucks draft pick finding the net early. As expected, of course.

But this resilient squad clawed back, flipping the momentum with a ferocious attack that showcased their depth and determination. With the Stars’ high-powered offence firing back and all four Canucks lines buzzing, the game was an exciting, end-to-end affair that did not disappoint.

The Canucks enjoyed a decisive 5-0 win in Game 5 in the previous round, so why change a good thing? They rolled over lines for the series opener.

The opening period hasn’t been kind to the Abbotsford Canucks so far during this postseason run.

And while Game 1’s start wasn’t a Picasso, they picked things up after their netminder bailed them out with a few saves out of the gate.

With the Stars pressing early off the hop, former Canuck Kole Lind, who you’ll hear often over the next few weeks, collected the puck in the high slot.

After putting his initial shot attempt into the face of Arshdeep Bains, he followed up with a second crack. Setting up and reacting quickly was Arturs Silovs, who got himself into the game with a quick butt-end stick save.

As most expected, it was the Stars who carried the majority of sustained pressure and chances in the early stages of the period.

But the Canucks eventually eased their way into the game to grab some offensive looks of their own.

With Arshdeep Bains rushing up the wing, he sent the shot toward Remi Poirier for his first touch of the night.

Eventually catching up to his own rebound, he circled the zone before he found Guillaume Brisebois with a quick heads-up pass. Poirier saw it the whole way, flashing the glove for an easy save.

The Stars’ netminder made a trio of saves, but it was Silovs who stole most of the action in the initial minutes.

The Canucks collected themselves and responded with a few good looks of their own. Thanks to a lucky bounce off the referee, the Canucks transitioned quickly to set up the game’s top chance.

Sammy Blais, arguably the team’s most involved skater for most of this match, found a streaking Nate Smith, who a sliding and stretched-out netminder robbed.

Buzzing off that save, the Stars made the home team pay.

Unable to clear the zone, Texas worked the puck down low to Cameron Hughes. As a result of Cole McWard losing an edge, he had ample time to find a creeping Kole Lind, who got behind the defence and rifled off a quick one timer to open the series scoring.

It was a goal that most had anticipated. Kole Lind was nearly destined to open the scoring in this series; it was written in the stars.

Despite playing from behind, the Canucks didn’t let that kill their building buzz, sticking to their game and collecting several dangerous looks out front.

Sammy Blais, a Stanley Cup winner, had been a mixed bag during these playoffs. While he’s typically been the physical heartbeat and top scorer for this Canucks team, he showed some undisciplined antics in round three.

However, on Thursday, he was showcasing what he brings to the ice when he’s performing at his best. Whether that’s throwing his body around to force turnovers and havoc, or offensive looks, he shows the ability to game’s over and provide a much-needed spark for his team.

Once settled down from allowing the game’s initial goal, the Canucks settled into their own to finish strong. The only thing missing? A goal of their own.

But that all changed in the dying minutes.

After a big defensive breakup, Ty Mueller started up the ice, gaining the offensive zone with four Canucks strong.

Receiving the pass was Linus Karlsson, who sent a quick one-touch pass to Guillaume Brisebois streaking up the slot.

Despite completely fanning on his initial shot, he stuck with the puck and slid it toward the net. Thanks to a falling defender who took out his own netminder, the puck slid its way past the goal line.

With 20 minutes in the books, each team enjoyed their first goals of the series, and the fans were gifted with a high-paced, back-and-forth affair.

The middle frame kicked off with Arturs Silovs making a string of composed and athletic stops.

First up was a breakaway chance. As Jujhar Khaira threw a big hit in the offensive corner, the Canucks were caught admiring, as they allowed the Stars to slip past all alone.

Cool as a cucumber, Silovs set it aside with ease.

Moments later, he was forced to stretch out once again, as a Stars forward collected and circled off the halfwall and into the slot. Although awkward, Silovs dropped down to stretch out his big toe and send the puck toward the corner.

Finally, the trifecta. The Stars continued to press, as they made a pretty play off the zone entry, leading to a loaded one-timer.

Making his best Patrick Roy impression, the young Latvian flashed the leather for the theatric whirlwind.

Using those saves as fuel, the Canucks took over.

Not only did they take the physical advantage, but they also continued to build and build under pressure. To the point where you could sense something was inevitable.

And it was.

Thanks to the physical work by Jett Woo, the puck turned over to Bains, who made a slick backhand pass to send Karlsson and Mueller alone.

Waiting to draw in pressure, Karlsson played the waiting game, faking the shot and forcing the defender to the ice.

Cancelling the shot, he went around and feathered the perfect cross-feed to a streaking Ty Mueller before he performed a one-handed re-direct.

It was a tremendous finish to a strong push from the Canucks, taking their first lead of the series and capturing all of the game’s momentum.

That sparked another stretch of intense pressure, highlighted by a Canuck power play.

Unsuccessful, the Stars pushed back and tried to grab some of that momentum back, which they accomplished with a greasy goal.

Starting in his own end, Antonio Stranges worked his way up broadway, eventually zooming past the Canucks’ defence.

Firing a relatively innocent shot toward Silovs, the puck jumped up into the air, where Stranges left Cole McWard in the dust and followed up to deposit the rebound past the netminder.

Silovs had been incredibly sound up to this point, so it was an unfortunate blemish on his otherwise terrific game.

Although it wasn’t a 5-0 score, the fans at the Abbotsford Centre were being treated to a very fast-paced game with tons to cheer about.

Using that home-crowd buzz, the Canucks made a push for a late tally for the late go-ahead.

Max Sasson took the patented Kirill Kudryavtsev stretch pass and turned the jets on up the wing. Driving the net, he stopped up, cut back and found Chase Wouters at the side of the net.

He got the initial one-timer off, as well as a few jams at the netfront before the Stars defenders were able to clear the play.

After another thrilling period at the Abbotsford Centre, this game would need the third period (or beyond) to settle the score.

Getting things going early was the line of Mueller, Bains and Karlsson, a misfit line that hadn’t seen action with each other before Game 5 in Colorado.

Guillaume Brisebois retrieved the puck in the corner and sent it to the front, where chaos ensued. First, Karlsson chipped at the initial rebound, clipping Poirier’s upper pad.

Then, Mueller patiently outwaited everyone. He finally threw a high shot on the netminder, handcuffing him to kick-start more havoc in front.

Moments later, Max Sasson used his speed to beat out a dump-in. Looking up, he found Phil Di Giuseppe hot off the bench, who dragged the puck before being stymied by the blocker of Poirier.

Somewhat silently, that shot stood as PDG’s ninth of the game, after throwing eight on net through the game’s initial 40 minutes.

The home team wasn’t done, though. Jujhar Khaira made a strong move, protecting the puck before dinging Nate Smith in the slot.

They were pressing with every shift, grabbing several chances and 11 shots through the first half.

Even more encouraging was the buy-in they were getting from all four lines, with each collecting several chances to put their team up by a goal.

By this time, it was safe to say that Remi Poirier was the Stars’ first star by a country mile.

As mentioned, it wasn’t just their top skaters, either. The fourth line was doing their part, doing everything they could to grab the go-ahead tally.

After sitting on their heels for most of the third period, momentum finally went the Stars’ direction.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki took a high-sticking penalty in the dying minutes, sending the Stars to their first powerplay of the night with a chance to take a very late lead.

But the Canucks were 97.1% on the PK heading into the game, so what did you think would happen? They killed off the stretch, leading to an even score and a trip to overtime in Game 1.

The extra frame picked up withered things left off, with the Canucks nearly cashing in early.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki chipped the puck past the defender off the rush, sending him to the ice. Now all alone, he sent over a perfect cross-ice feed to Phil Di Giuseppe, who fired his 10th shot on net.

With Arturs Silovs stopping four of his eventual 36 on the night in the overtime session, the puck found its way back into the Stars’ zone.

Credit to Jujhar Khaira for doing his best Alex Burrows impression, jumping up to catch the Texas clearing attempt. He found Nate Smith, who looked across the ice for Christian Wolanin.

Allowing the puck to ricochet off the halfwall, the veteran defender wasted no time, winding up for the big slap shot from distance.

Despite playing an incredible game up to this point, Remi Poirier could not pick up the shot, allowing it to squeak through his five-hole for the game-winning tally.

What a way to kick off the Western Conference Finals. If there’s one regret, it’s that we can’t replay every heart-pounding second of this relentless, high-octane clash.

Despite conceding the early chances, the Abbotsford Canucks roared back with vengeance, all four lines firing on all cylinders.

By the final buzzer, only three Canucks failed to register a shot, with nine players racking up three or more in a 46-shot barrage.

While the physicality didn’t quite match the bruising Colorado series, heavy-hitters like Sammy Blais, Jujhar Khaira, and Jett Woo brought plenty of intimidation to keep the Stars on edge.

The game itself was thrilling, with both goaltenders stealing the spotlight with clutch saves that kept the Abbotsford Centre rocking.

With Game 1 in the bag, Abbotsford heads into Game 2 with a chance to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

The series stays in Abbotsford for one more game before jetting off to Cedar Park, Texas, for Games 3 and 4. Game 2 is on Saturday, May 31st at 7:00 pm PT at the Abbotsford Centre.