Wranglers Rally, Fall in Six-Round Shootout to Abbotsford
Calgary erased a two-goal deficit in the third period before falling 3–2 in a six-round shootout to Abbotsford, outshooting the Canucks 38–19 and collecting a point with 17 games remaining in the regular season.
Photo by David Moll / Calgary Wranglers
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers erased a two-goal deficit Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome but fell 3–2 in a six-round shootout to the Abbotsford Canucks, earning a point in a game with Pacific Division playoff implications.
Calgary entered the day three points outside a top-seven playoff spot in the division and pushed this one to the limit before settling for a single point.
Abbotsford opened the scoring at 2:04 of the first period. Danila Klimovich snapped a loose puck blocker-side shot for his ninth of the season. Chase Wouters recorded the assist to make it 1–0.
Joe Arntsen extended the lead at 9:59 of the second after Chase Stillman found the defenseman joining the rush down the left side. Arntsen beat Arsenii Sergeev under the glove for his second of the year, with Nils Åman adding the secondary assist to make it 2–0.
Calgary responded late in the third. Aydar Suniev cut the deficit at 14:27, wiring a shot from the right side near the top of the circle to beat Young for his 13th of the season and his third goal in four games. Dryden Hunt and Turner Ottenbreit collected the assists.
Just 1:24 later, Justin Kirkland tied it at 15:51 after Daniil Miromanov’s pass slid underneath the goaltender directly to Kirkland, who was waiting on the other side. He made no mistake from in close, scoring his sixth of the season. Martin Frk added the secondary assist.
Calgary finished with a 38–19 edge in shots.
Overtime carried urgency. William Stromgren broke in alone and appeared to slide the puck across the goal line while being hauled down, crashing into the goaltender in the process. The play was waved off, and the extra frame continued. Both netminders held firm through a series of odd-man chances, sending the game to a shootout.
The shootout extended six rounds before Jett Woo sealed it for Abbotsford.
Sergeev stopped 17 of 19 shots for a .895 save percentage. At the other end, Young turned aside 36 of 38 for a .947 mark.
The Wranglers have now gone beyond regulation in six of their last 10 games and 23 times this season. Sergeev made his second straight start Sunday, while Dryden Hunt has recorded two points in two games since returning from injury.
With 17 games remaining and division rivals in action later Sunday, including Henderson hosting Colorado and Tucson visiting San Jose, the Pacific Division playoff race remains fluid.
Calgary earned a point. The chase continues.
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Miromanov ends it early in OT as Wranglers storm back to beat Condors 5-4
Calgary erased a two-goal deficit and answered a late power-play setback before Daniil Miromanov delivered 31 seconds into overtime. With multi-point performances from Miromanov and William Strömgren, the Wranglers outlasted Bakersfield in a momentum-swinging Pacific Division matchup.
BAKERSFIELD — Calgary clawed back from multiple deficits Friday night and sealed a high-event Pacific Division thriller when Daniil Miromanov struck just 31 seconds into overtime, lifting the Wranglers to a 5-4 win over the Bakersfield Condors.
The night demanded resolve. The Wranglers trailed 3-1 midway through the game and again surrendered a late third-period lead before finding their finishing touch in extra time.
After Seth Griffith opened the scoring for Bakersfield at 5:48 of the first period, Calgary answered late when William Strömgren buried his eighth of the season at 19:02, finishing an opportunity generated by Rory Kerins and Miromanov to even the contest heading into intermission.
The Condors surged in the second. Alec Regula restored the lead at 2:47 before Ethan Keppen extended it at 7:39, pushing Bakersfield ahead 3-1 and putting Calgary on its heels.
Momentum shifted late in the frame.
Turner Ottenbreit scored his first career shorthanded goal at 18:05, assisted by Carter King and Sam Morton, cutting the deficit to one and injecting life into the Wranglers’ bench.
Calgary carried that energy into the third period. David Silye netted his first of the season at 10:04 to tie the game, but Atro Leppanen responded on the power play at 12:18 to restore Bakersfield’s advantage.
With 1:13 remaining and the net empty, Martin Frk stepped into space and wired home his 18th of the season to force overtime.
Extra time barely began before it ended. Off a quick sequence from Strömgren and Kerins, Miromanov jumped up in the play and finished at 0:31, completing the comeback and securing the two points.
Miromanov and Strömgren each finished with a goal and two assists, while Kerins added two helpers as Calgary outshot Bakersfield 33-29.
In goal, Arsenii Sergeev stopped 25 of 29 shots, posting a .862 save percentage while weathering key stretches of second-period pressure. Connor Ungar turned aside 28 of 33 shots for Bakersfield, finishing with a .848 save percentage.
Calgary now heads to San Jose to face the Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Saturday night.
Perunovich Caps Wild Back-and-Forth Night With OT Power-Play Winner
A wild 11-goal battle at Scotiabank Saddledome featured lead changes, physical moments and nonstop pace, as Calgary pushed throughout before an overtime winner decided a dramatic Saturday night clash.
CALGARY — In one of the most entertaining games of the season at Scotiabank Saddledome, the Calgary Wranglers battled back and forth with the Tucson Roadrunners before falling 6-5 in overtime Saturday night in a high-event matchup defined by special teams, momentum swings and playoff-style intensity.
With the NHL schedule paused, the AHL took center stage in Calgary and delivered a game that featured eleven goals, multiple fights, a charged crowd and a constant shift in momentum from start to finish.
Special teams set the tone immediately.
The first three goals of the game all came on the power play. Miko Matikka opened the scoring for Tucson just 2:40 into the first period, before William Strömgren responded for Calgary at 13:36 with a man-advantage goal assisted by Daniil Miromanov and Ivan Prosvetov. Kevin Rooney restored Tucson’s lead late in the period, converting on another power play opportunity off feeds from Austin Poganski and Cameron Hebig to give the Roadrunners a 2-1 edge after one.
The back-and-forth continued in the second period.
Ben McCartney extended Tucson’s lead early in the frame, but Calgary responded quickly when Miromanov struck at 7:46, finishing a setup from Aydar Suniev and Martin Frk to pull the Wranglers within one. Carter King tied the game minutes later, converting a play created by Turner Ottenbreit and Parker Bell as the Saddledome crowd came alive.
Momentum fully swung when Dryden Hunt gave Calgary its first lead of the night with a shorthanded goal midway through the period, another example of how special teams shaped the contest. Tucson answered before the intermission through Owen Allard, leveling the score at 4-4 and setting up a dramatic third period.
Calgary regained the lead in the final frame when Rory Kerins finished a chance created by Sam Morton, pushing the Wranglers ahead 5-4 and putting the home side in position to secure the win. But the Roadrunners responded late, as Dmitri Simashev found the equalizer with just seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
In the extra frame, special teams again proved decisive. Scott Perunovich scored the overtime winner on the power play at 2:09, assisted by Ben McCartney and Simashev, completing Tucson’s comeback and sealing a 6-5 final.
Five of the game’s eleven goals came on special teams, underscoring how penalties and momentum shifts defined the night. Tucson’s Rooney finished with a three-point performance (one goal, two assists), while Miromanov led Calgary with a goal and an assist and was named the game’s third star. Perunovich earned first-star honours for his overtime winner.
The atmosphere reflected the significance of the matchup, with a strong Saturday-night crowd treated to a spirited contest featuring physical play, multiple scrums and an energy that mirrored playoff hockey.
As the AHL spotlighted centre stage locally, Canadian fans also saw the national team open its Olympic tournament earlier in the day with a 4-0 victory over Switzerland, powered by goals from Natalie Spooner, Sarah Fillier, Julia Gosling and Daryl Watts, while Emerance Maschmeyer recorded the shutout.
In a game defined by momentum swings and special teams, Calgary showed resilience throughout, even as Tucson ultimately claimed the extra point in overtime.
Wranglers build early cushion, hold off Rocket to earn 6-3 win
A dominant first period and timely answers late allowed Calgary to turn back Laval’s surge and secure a 6–3 victory at Scotiabank Saddledome.
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers built a three-goal first-period lead, extended it to four early in the second, and answered a late push to defeat the Laval Rocket 6-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome, splitting the two-game set.
Calgary opened the scoring 3:23 into the first period when Nick Cicek finished a play from Martin Frk and Dryden Hunt to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead. The advantage doubled just 32 seconds later as Zayne Parekh scored his first of the season off feeds from Hunt and Frk, making it 2-0.
The Wranglers closed the opening period with their third goal at 16:44, when Frk blasted a long-range slap shot past Jacob Fowler to send Calgary into the intermission with a 3-0 lead.
Calgary continued to control play early in the second period. Parekh struck again at 3:41, scoring his second goal of the game to extend the lead to 4-0.
Laval began to generate momentum late in the period. Jared Davidson broke the shutout at 14:43, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Just over two minutes later, Adam Engström scored on the power play at 16:47 to make it a 4-2 game.
The Rocket pulled within one at 15:56 when Sean Farrell scored his 11th of the season, trimming Calgary’s lead to 4-3. The Wranglers responded before the second intermission, however, as Dryden Hunt restored a two-goal cushion with a power-play goal at 19:15, sending Calgary into the break ahead 5-3.
Calgary protected the lead throughout the third period and sealed the result late, when Frk scored into an empty net at 18:53, his second goal of the night, pushing the final score to 6-3.
Hunt was named the game’s first star after recording one goal and four assists. Parekh earned second-star honors with a two-goal performance, while Frk was named the third star after finishing with two goals and two assists.
Ivan Prosvetov made 33 saves on 36 shots for Calgary, finishing with a .917 save percentage. Fowler stopped 20 of 26 shots for Laval, posting a .769 save percentage.