Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, who? Friday night was all about the Pacific Division American League rivalry between the Abbotsford Canucks and Coachella Valley Firebirds.

After a five-day breather, the Canucks looked to rewrite the script from last season, where the Firebirds carried a stranglehold on the Canucks with a 7-0-0-1 series record.

Heading into this matchup, Coachella owned a daunting 9-2-0-1 all-time edge over Abbotsford. Unfortunately for the home team, the Firebirds pushed that tally to double digits, using a three-goal push in the third to seal the victory.

Let’s break it all down.

The Canucks iced the same roster as their last outing, with one key change: Nikita Tolopilo got the start in net as he searched for redemption after a string of shaky performances.

Linus Karlsson, Sammy Blais, Phil Di Giueseppe, Christian Wolanin, and Jiri Patera all remain injured and out of the lineup.

In what felt like the quickest period of professional hockey ever played, both teams exchanged goals in a 1-1 draw.

The Canucks opened the game with a series of strong shifts, testing rookie goaltender Nikke Kokko early. Ty Glover spearheaded Abbotsford’s early offence, nearly banking one off Kokko’s skate following the Jett Woo point shot.

Moments later, the Firebirds broke into the zone, firing a deflected shot off the post that left Tolopilo scrambling.

Confidence can be a killer, and with a few poor starts under his belt, the Belarusian netminder was noticeably uneasy. Despite making several saves and ultimately playing a good game, he continued to look somewhat discombobulated and panicked.

Thanks to a strong board battle from captain Chase Wouters, Ty Glover collected another chance, finding Glover alone at the netfront. He got a couple of jam shots in on Kokko, but the young netminder stood tall.

Midway through the period, Abbotsford got their first powerplay and generated some quality looks. Danila Klimovich, as expected, opened the sequence with a quick shot from the flank, while the remainder of the initial minute featured some solid low-to-high sequence.

With the second unit out, Ty Mueller gave us his best Aatu Räty impression, finding Wouters from the half-wall, who sent it to Max Sasson for a quick bumper play. Unfortunately, no dice.

The Canucks struck first at the 15-minute mark.

Off a good dig play from Carsen Twarynski in the corner, Brisebois sent a seeing-eye shot from the point through a perfect Chase Wouters screen to beat Kokko clean. It was Brisebois’ first goal—and point—of the season and his first tally since March 14, 2023, against Dallas while playing for Vancouver. A feel-good moment for the veteran defender, no doubt.

The joy was short-lived, though.

Just minutes later, chaos ensued in Tolopilo’s crease. With the goaltender out of position and unable to reset, Jagger Firkus capitalized, threading a pass to Jani Nyman for an easy redirect to tie the game.

The play is a good reflection of the shaky situations Tolopilo has been getting himself into recently.

The rest of the period flew by with minimal whistles, sending both teams into the dressing room locked at 1-1.

While the second frame didn’t feature any scoring, it was far from dull. Tolopilo stopped all 11 shots he faced, including a few high-danger chances that showed glimpses of his potential.

The action ramped up early when Tolopilo mishandled a puck behind the net, gifting the Firebirds a golden opportunity. Thankfully, the post bailed him out.

Shortly after, on a Nils Åman high-sticking penalty, Tolopilo stood tall, denying several jam plays in tight.

The Canucks nearly struck shorthanded as Ty Mueller stormed up the ice on a partial break, cutting into the middle. Without getting a proper shot off, he fed Arshdeep Bains, who found a trailing Elias Pettersson for a grade-A chance. Kokko, however, shut the door with another composed save.

In the latter half of the period, Christian Felton, who has been a shot-blocking machine since his debut, took a brutal hit from behind that left him down on the ice. Luckily, he eventually skated off under his own power, but the hit only resulted in a two-minute boarding call—cue the boos from the Abbotsford faithful.

Despite some late-period fireworks, including a near backdoor connection between Bains, Åman, and Sasson to Klimovich thread pass.

Neither team could break the deadlock. Shots favored Coachella 21-14 after 40 minutes.

The final frame turned into “one of those” periods. Despite a solid effort, the Canucks couldn’t catch a break as puck luck—and Kokko’s steady presence—kept them at bay.

Unlike the first two periods, the Firebirds struck early, executing a textbook breakout before finding Max Lajoie, who slipped the puck five-hole on Tolopilo. From there, it was the catchup game for the Canucks.

Abbotsford continued to press, led by the second-line duo of Ty Mueller and Danila Klimovich, but Kokko refused to yield.

The Canucks’ offence looked good, generating quality chances for most of the period, but bad bounces and missed opportunities kept them off the board.

Case in point with the various upcoming clips.

As expected, the Canucks pulled Tolopilo for the extra attacker and final push. As the final half had gone for them, the Firebird clearing attempt deflected from Cole McWard’s stick and directly into Abbotsford’s net. It was just one of those nights.

With one last gasp, the Firebirds capitalized one last time, sealing their victory with a final tally in the dying seconds.

The Canucks were in this game until the very end, but the third period was their undoing. While they managed several high-quality chances, puck luck and strong goaltending from Kokko proved strong obstacles. On the bright side, Nikita Tolopilo had one of his better outings in weeks, stopping 29 of 31 shots.

Unfortunately, the Firebirds have Abbotsford’s number, and the Canucks will need to dig deep to flip the script in their next meeting. With that, the Firebirds carry a commanding 10-2-0-1 record over the Canucks.

The Canucks and Firebirds face off again in Game 2 of the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm PT at the Abbotsford Centre. Will Abbotsford finally solve their Coachella conundrum? Stay tuned.