Image: Abby Canucks / Abbotsford Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced in Sunday night's 4-2 win over the Texas Stars in the AHL playoffs.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Abbotsford Canucks

Abbotsford Canucks advance to Calder Cup Finals

Jun 9, 2025 | 11:37 AM

ABBOTSFORD — The Texas Stars held a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, but three unanswered goals by the Abbotsford Canucks—including the go-ahead tally in the third—earned them the series win Sunday night in the Western Conference Finals at the Abbotsford Centre.

The Abbotsford Canucks erased a 2-0 deficit Sunday night thanks to two goals from Arshdeep Bains and oust the Texas Stars 4-2 to earn a spot in the Calder Cup Finals.

Canucks goaltender Artūrs Šilovs and Stars goalie Magnus Hellberg started in net for their respective teams.

The Canucks came out firing and created a flurry of chances early on. Hellberg stood tall, turning away everything sent his way. Abbotsford killed off their first penalty, then earned a power play of their own, but neither side could find the back of the net. With under two minutes left in the first, Sammy Blais rang a shot off the post, leading to a turnover. The Stars took advantage, as Curtis McKenzie and Matej Blümel broke out on a two-on-one, and Blümel finished the play to give Texas a 1–0 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second, the Canucks pushed back, but both sides traded chances at even strength without breaking through. That changed at the 13-minute mark when Harrison Scott tipped one in from the crease, doubling the Stars’ lead. Down 2–0, Abbotsford looked for a spark. Matching minors to Arshdeep Bains and Luke Krys created a 4-on-4, and just as Bains stepped out of the box, he jumped into the rush and buried a rebound from Christian Wolanin’s shot to get the Canucks on the board with just over a minute left in the period.

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That late goal gave Abbotsford life heading into the third—and they wasted no time. Just 90 seconds in, Jujhar Khaira finished a cross-ice feed from Max Sasson to tie things up at 2. The Canucks kept pressing, and just past the halfway mark, Sasson tipped home a blue-line shot from Akito Hirose to give Abbotsford their first lead of the night.

With the game winding down and a Finals berth in sight, the Canucks tightened up defensively. Then, with 45 seconds remaining, Bains sealed it with his second of the game—an empty-netter that made it 4–2.

Šilovs earned the win for Abbotsford, stopping 23 of the 25 shots he faced.

The Abbotsford Canucks will face Charlotte Checkers, starting the series on the road June 13. Games 1 and 2 will be in Charlotte, before the series shifts back to Abbotsford for Game 3 and 4 on June 17 and 19, and, if necessary, Game 5 on June 21.