It was do-or-die on a Memorial Day showdown for all the marbles in Loveland, Colorado.

The prize? A trip to the Western Conference Finals to face the Texas Stars.

For the visiting Abbotsford Canucks, this was the biggest game in franchise history. They’d never reached the third round, let alone the Conference Finals. So a win would mark a historic milestone for the pride of Fraser Valley.

And they couldn’t have drawn up a better result.

Despite an early surge from the Eagles, the Canucks struck back with two late first-period goals, seizing momentum and never letting go.

They followed with one of their finest periods of the postseason in the second, then sealed it with a commanding finish.

Arturs Silovs has a reputation for being a big-game goalie, and his flawless 32-save performance earned him his fourth shutout of the postseason.

From saves, goals, penalty kills, power play goals and blocked shots, this was a full team effort for their biggest win in franchise history.

Let’s dive into how it all unfolded.

It was the season’s most crucial game, and Manny Malhotra was taking no chances.

With Christian Wolanin back in the lineup, the team’s defence was forced to sit one of its defenders in Game 3. That led to rookie defender Kirill Kudryavtsev seeing the press box treatment for two consecutive games.

In that time, his ability to move the puck became incredibly missed, as the team had struggled with transition since scratching their prized rookie. He returned tonight, with Akito Hirose sliding out as the odd man.

Up front, Danila Klimovich was back to being a healthy scratch. After drawing back in Game 3, he took an undisciplined penalty at the end of the second period of Game 4, resulting in a late goal for Colorado and a stranglehold on the game.

Malhotra went with Ty Glover in his spot, who drew in for his first game of the Calder Cup playoffs. He’s the type of player who doesn’t take shifts off, and thanks to a thrilling combination of size and speed, he would hopefully provide the team with tons of energy in a pivotal match.

They mixed things up in the forward groups, bringing back the line with dominant shifts against the Coachella Valley Firebirds: Sammy Blais, Juhjar Khaira, and Nate Smith.

Of course, things remained solid between the pipes, with Arturs Silovs seeing his 12th start of the postseason.

The Abbotsford Canucks have struggled to get their starts in order, giving up early chances and even goals.

And Game 5 was no different.

While it never led to a goal, the Eagles pounced immediately, forcing Arturs Silovs into the game right off the hop.

First up was Tye Felhaber, who took the Matthew Phillips cross-feed to force Silovs to slide over for an incredible save off the stretch.

Second look.

Next was Chris Wagner, who was left wide open in the high slot following a defensive breakdown. Luckily, he missed the cage off a high-grade chance.

Colorado has a ton of speed in their lineup, and they were showing that off in spades. Even though they dogded a few bullets early, it was a nervous start for the visiting Canucks.

Things did calm down over the next few minutes, allowing the Canucks – or, Arturs Silovs – to catch their breath. But that was short lived as the Canucks later took the game’s first penalty.

Linus Karlsson was handed a boarding penalty following a nasty hit to an Eagles defender, which he made too far from the boards.

But we’ve talked about it for weeks, folks. The team’s penalty kill has been nearly flawless, allowing just one shorthanded goal all postseason long.

As expected, the Canucks killed the penalty but it wasn’t without its chances. The Eagles spent nearly the entire two-minute stretch pressed in their zone with extensive pressure.

But Silovs was up to the task.

As for the visiting team, it took 12 minutes for the Canucks to see their best chance, courtesy of a Ty Mueller backhand.

That shot sparked a few close calls in tight, where Arshdeep Bains looked to bang home his first of the playoffs.

At the other end, Silvos continued to stand tall. This time, he set aside another Felhaber shot point blank, throwing up the blocker after a tremendous effort and pass from Matthew Phillips.

And he wouldn’t stop there.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki took the Victor Mancini slot pass but had his shot attempts blocked. Off to the counterattack, the Eagles jumped up three strong for the odd-man rush.

Sticking with the shooter, Silovs stood tall to keep with Tye Felhaber (again). He would stop the Eagles’ forward three times in the opening period, all of which were dangerous shots.

That string of saves would prove crucial, as the Abbotsford Canucks woke up in the final minutes and delivered an incredible one-minute stretch.

The Eagles took a high-sticking penalty around the three-minute mark, sending them to their first power play of the night.

They made it count.

Arshdeep Bains entered the zone before finding Linus Karlsson in the high slot.

Fending off two defenders, Karlsson managed to unleash a shot to the far side corner to open the scoring.

And just one minute later, Jett Woo made a nice move at the blueline before gaining the zone.

He dropped the puck off to a trailing Phil Di Giuseppe, who went top shelf shortside on Trent Miner for his first point of the entire series.

Veterans come up when you need them, right?

After being outplayed for much of the period, a one-minute stretch changed everything, and suddenly, all momentum was on the away team.

But Silovs wasn’t done saving the day. With Phillips looking to push back, he weaved toward the front of the net before sending a perfect pass to the slot.

With a wide-open net, Silovs slid over to make another massive stop. Just seconds later. He came up big again, stopping the redirection from the slot.

The Canucks showed us what a single minute can do in a hockey game. After being outplayed for most of the period, the Abbotsford Canucks took a 2-0 lead into the dressing room.

Incredible.

The early chances were Colorado’s in the first period.

But in the second, it was the Canucks who grabbed the best chances, nearly tripling their lead out the gate.

Off a bit of a broken play, Linus Karlsson was able to chip the puck to a breaking Ty Mueller. He wasted no time, grabbing his sand wedge to chip the puck on Miner, who flashed the glove for his best save of the game (so far).

But the Canucks were buzzing in the initial minutes, controlling the pace to grab several official shots in the opening five minutes. And plenty more shot attempts.

First, Tristen Nielsen’s attempt.

Next up was Ty Mueller, who took the stretch pass before dropping the shoulder and driving the net. He chipped the puck just wide.

From there, the game truly broke out.

Despite being put into a spin cycle, Silovs made another big save in his crease.

Turning up the other end were Bains and Karlsson, who played give-and-go before Bains sent the cross-ice pass to set up a wide-open net for Karlsson. He just missed the connection for a chance to triple their lead.

But all of that momentum wasn’t wasted, and the Canucks did manage to extend that lead just before the midway point of the period.

The Canucks worked the puck up ice, where Bains left the puck for Cole McWard in the neutral zone and fired up the ice.

Suddenly, he found himself on an odd-man rush with his defensive linemate, Guillaume Brisebois (what?!).

Holding the puck himself, he snapped home his first of the playoffs past the blocker side of Trent Miner.

The Eagles’ netminder had been terrific all series, and that’s a goal he likely wants a redo.

After arguably getting a little lucky to be up 2-0 after 20 minutes, it was all Abbotsford up to this point. Silovs held his end in the opening period, while his team did their part from the 18-minute mark and on.

But it wasn’t just Silvos, either. The Canucks were returning to their defensive game, dropping down for several blocked shots and broken-up attempts. It was a whole team effort, and the Canucks took a decisive 3-0 lead into the third.

That momentum was squashed at the final buzzer. Uncontested, Sammy Blais delivered a late, undisciplined hit that put an Eagle skater on the ice for several minutes after the final whistle.

While the hit was off-camera, the player required help from teammates and trainers after taking his time.

Blais was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct…again.

With 15 more penalty minutes tacked on, Blais now has 57 minutes combined. All were taken across three games, to which he had been handed a game (or 10-minute) misconduct.

Luckily for the Canucks, the Eagles took a two minute penalty themselves. Instead of killing off a full five-minute stretch to start the third period, they would begin with a 4-on-4 and three minutes of PK.

The Canucks would count their lucky stars that the Eagles took that retaliatory penalty, as the period began with a 4-on-4 stretch.

And it started with a bang.

Looking dangerous again, Matthew Phillips tossed a low, farside shot toward Silovs, who kicked the puck out. The problem was that he kicked it right to an Eagles forward.

Somehow, the puck trickled past the netminder and out of harm’s way.

The Canucks collected in the corner and began up the ice. With Ty Mueller gaining entry, he dropped the puck to Linus Karlsson.

He had his initial shot blocked by an Eagles defender. However, like his first goal of the game, he didn’t quit on the play. Fighting for possession, he grabbed the puck and threw the second effort toward the net, fooling Miner and squeezing through the blocker side.

And just like that, before the home team could even enjoy their three minute penalty kill, the Canucks would add another to sit with a commanding 4-0 lead.

That three minute power play came and went, with the Canucks coming up huge again on the PK.

More importantly, they inched closer to the game’s final buzzer.

From there, the game sang a different tune. After playing a run-and-gun game — the series, really — the fast-paced Colorado team had no response.

The Canucks battened down the hatches, dropped back and let the clock run down.

Looking to get something going, the Eagles pulled their goalie with six minutes to go in the game.

But Silovs continued to stay sharp, setting aside any pucks that came his way.

With time winding down, Phil Di Giuseppe iced the game on the empty net.

Pressing in the Canucks zone, the puck was sent to the point, where it hopped over the stick of an Eagles stick.

Kicking on the jets was PDG, who raced up the ice to place the puck into the empty net for his second goal and third point of the game.

And that was all she wrote. Unlike the first pair of periods, the Colorado Eagles had little pushback while the Abbotsford Canucks played a clinical last 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs continued his series-clinching dominance with 32 saves for his fourth postseason shutout and third in clinching scenarios.

Despite a nervous start, it was all Canucks from the 18-minute mark on, and for the first time in franchise history, they are going to the Conference Final!

Final shots: ABB 24, COL 32 | Score: ABB 5, COL 0

The Abbotsfrod Canucks will return home, as they gear up to host the Texas Stars. Game 1 starts on Thursday, May 28, at the Abbotsford Centre.

Here is the full series schedule: