It might have been an AHL game in Calgary, but Saturday night carried the weight of a franchise reset.

Less than a day earlier, Vancouver traded away its best defenceman, captain and franchise player. It’s the kind of move that shakes an entire organization, including the one down the highway.

With all three being coveted first-round products, none of the returning pieces are expected to suit up for Abbotsford. But you didn’t need them to feel the shift. Let’s face it, when the NHL club turns the page that dramatically, the message to the young defenders in the system is simple: the door is open for you to come kick it down.

And Abbotsford’s kids answered. Jett Woo, who returned from nursing an injury that kept him out of the entire first half, made his presence felt from the moment he stepped onto the ice. The forward group pushed back after coughing up the opening goal of the game. And the game settled into a tight, structured goaltending battle for the remainder of the night. To cap it all off, Jonathan Lekkerimäki sealed it with a stone-cold overtime winner, his sixth shot of the night and one of the best celebrations you’ll see.

In a weekend defined by organizational change, Abbotsford delivered a performance that matched the moment.

The big news in this game was the return of Jett Woo, who had missed the entire first half of the season with a lower-body injury.

MacEachern–Aman–Berard
Kunz–Wouters–Lekkerimäki
Alriksson–Khaira–Kambeitz
Durandeau–Poisson–Klimovich

Kudryavtsev-Mancini
Schuldt–Woo
Arntsen-Mynio

Patera

Scratched: Josh Bloom, Ty Mueller, Anri Ravinskis, Nikolai Knyzhov
Injured: JmGuillaume Brisebois, Cooper Walker, Chase Stillman

It took Jett Woo all of a few seconds to re-establish himself in the lineup.

In classic Woo fashion, he stepped up twice on a pair of Calgary forwards to deliver his first hits of the season. He’s the type of player who thrives on the gritty side of the game, and despite missing this entire season, he looked no worse for wear.

While Woo was doing what Woo does, Jonathan Lekkerimäki was doing the same. Joining the rush as the late trailer, Lekkerimäki took a feed from Jett Woo, walked into the empty space, and uncorked one of his patented shots, forcing Owen Say into his first difficult stop of the night.

And as hockey tends to go, Calgary went right back the other way and made theirs count.

Under pressure, Sawyer Mynio turned the puck over with a lazy breakout pass, sending it straight into the slot. Rory Kerins was in the right spot at the right time, spun, and snapped a shot past Jiri Patera to open the scoring.

The Canucks didn’t fold, though. Off the ensuing faceoff, Vilmer Alriksson created a near-instant response by forcing a turnover, powering around the net, and jamming a wraparound attempt that nearly crossed the line. The chance didn’t tie the game, but it did earn Abbotsford its first power play of the night.

They couldn’t convert on the opportunity — or on any that followed — but it wasn’t for lack of looks. Abbotsford generated several solid chances, especially down low, as they pushed to even the score.

At the other end, Patera settled in well after the early goal. His best moment came late in the period, stretching out the blocker to rob Kerins of his second of the night and keep Abbotsford within one.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki led the way with three shots, but couldn’t find the equalizing goal as his team trailed after the first 20 minutes of action.

The Canucks carried their pressure over into the middle frame, thanks in large part to Jett Woo continuing to move his feet. Driving up ice, he was hauled down by Matvei Gridin, sending Abbotsford to their second man advantage of the night to gain some early period momentum.

They generated several solid chances but came up empty again.

As the power play expired, Abbotsford found its best look of the period thanks to Woo (again), who had been everywhere in his return. After Vilmer Alriksson collected the puck along the wall, he utilized that long reach of his and slipped a pass into space for the streaking Jett Woo (again). The veteran defender cut to the backhand and forced Say to close up with a tight, low save.

Lekkerimäki kept the pressure coming as well. He intercepted a stretch pass in the high slot and snapped his fourth shot of the night on goal. With seven shots in the early stages of the period, it was all Canucks in this one. The only thing missing? A goal.

And while Say was becoming the story at one end, Jiri Patera quietly matched him with timely stops of his own to keep the game within reach.

Then the Canucks finally received some good fortune. And perhaps a little luck.

Arnaud Durandeau gained the zone and made a broken move at the line. With the loose puck rolling toward Nick Poisson, he won the race and swatted it on goal. It slipped through Say’s pads and trickled across the line to tie things up. After being a wall the entire game up until this point, it took a soft attempt like this to slide past him.

That’s hockey.

The goal injected some life into the Scotiabank Saddledome, as emotions erupted. With Danila Klimovich down in a vulnerable position, Alex Gallant stepped in and threw an unnecessary hit toward the downed forward. Captain Chase Wouters wasted no time responding, dropping the gloves to defend his teammate.

And that moment of leadership seemed to spark the entire bench, because Abbotsford stormed right back to take their first lead of the night.

In a reversal of Calgary’s first-period goal, the Canucks capitalized on an opportune giveaway from the corner. The puck kicked loose to Ben Berard, who held for a beat and found MacEachern alone in front. He wasted no time, lifting it over Say’s shoulder for his fifth of the season and the 2–1 lead.

The Canucks would nearly double the Wranglers’ shot total, earning the majority of the momentum throughout the period. Thanks to a pair of goals and a spirited tilt from the captain, they enjoyed a 2-1 lead through two periods.

Shots: ABB 23, CGY 18
Score: ABB 2, CGY 1

The third period opened with some fast, back-and-forth exchanges before the Wranglers found the equalizer. One Patera will likely want back.

After a simple give-and-go at the blue line, Etienne Morin — freshly called up from the ECHL — floated a low, harmless-looking shot toward the net. With Kirill Kudryavtsev unintentionally providing the screen, the puck slipped through Patera’s legs to even the score with plenty of time left on the clock.

Danila Klimovich tried to drag his team back into the lead on the next shift. Collecting the puck in stride, he drove wide, cut hard into the middle, and forced the Calgary netminder to stretch out. He couldn’t tuck it past him, but he did draw a penalty to put Abbotsford back on the power play.

That call kicked off a run of penalties for both sides. It was a short parade that eventually brought the Canucks another quick advantage.

While they couldn’t convert, Abbotsford’s fourth line nearly delivered the late winner. They jammed away at a series of net-front chances, forcing Say to stay sharp as the game tightened.

But their best look of the period came in the dying minutes. Kudryavtsev corralled a puck at the blue line and fired it toward the goal. It deflected off Justin Kirkland for some untimely friendly fire and forced Say into a lightning-fast reaction save to keep it tied.

With no further breakthroughs on either side, this game was destined for overtime.

It didn’t take long for overtime to deliver a winner, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki made sure it was a memorable one.

Gathering the puck in the neutral zone, Lekkerimäki drove wide, cut back into the slot with space, and picked his spot with surgical precision. He ripped a perfect shot to the top corner for the game-winner for his sixth shot of the night, and third goal in as many (AHL) games.

And then came the celebration… or rather, the lack thereof. Lekkerimäki turned, headed to the bench, and walked straight down the tunnel.

Now that is ice-cold and one heck of a way to call the game.

This was the kind of response Abbotsford has been searching for. They didn’t let early mistakes bury them; they pushed through a tense third period, and they found a way to win on a night where momentum swung several times. Jett Woo’s return injected energy, Lekkerimäki continued to show why he’s one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects, and the group played some of their most connected hockey in weeks.

Of course, it wasn’t flawless. The turnover on the first goal, the screen on the second, and the inconsistent special teams all made their presence felt. But, as they have done several times over the last few weeks, Abbotsford showed resilience. They generated chances at even strength, leaned on key players in big moments, and finished the job in overtime.

Abbotsford will be back in Calgary to take on the Wranglers for Game 2 of this weekend’s back-to-back slate. The puck drops at 3:00 pm PT at the Scotiabank Saddledome.