The Abbotsford Canucks returned to Pechanga Arena for the final time this season, closing out their road series against the San Diego Gulls.
Jiří Patera backstopped the Canucks for his fourth consecutive start, once again squaring off against Calle Clang. Jonathan Lekkerimäki rejoined the lineup and slotted onto the top line alongside Lukas Reichel and Nils Åman. Dino Kambeitz also drew back in up front next to Chase Wouters and Danila Klimovich, while Derek Daschke helped anchor the blue line.
There wasn’t much action in the opening frame. Each team earned a power play and generated some quality looks at five-on-five, but strong defensive play on both sides kept the game scoreless heading into the second period.
The middle twenty followed a similar pace. The Gulls finally broke the deadlock just over two minutes into the period when Sasha Pastujov wired a shot from the left circle to give San Diego a 1–0 lead. The teams traded power-play opportunities, and Chase Wouters dropped the gloves with Nikolas Brouillard to inject some energy into the contest. Still, both goaltenders held firm, and the Canucks entered the third period trailing by one.
Looking to mount a comeback in the final frame, Abbotsford pushed but struggled to generate sustained offense. With late penalties to both sides, the Canucks pulled Patera for the extra attacker with just over a minute remaining, but the rally came up short as the Gulls held on for a 1–0 victory.
The Canucks will now travel to Palm Springs to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Sunday, wrapping up their Southern California road trip.