Abbotsford Canucks rally past Charlotte Checkers to win Calder Cup
An unfinished story. That’s how head coach Geordie Kinnear described the Charlotte Checkers’ season after Monday night’s 3-2 loss to Abbotsford ended their Calder Cup finals run two victories short of championship glory.
“We wanted to finish the story, and at this point, we weren’t able to,” Kinnear said, his voice breaking slightly in the postgame press conference at Bojangles Coliseum.
The story had all the elements of a perfect ending. Charlotte jumped ahead 2-0 in the first period before 8,324 roaring fans. Left wing John Leonard scored his eight goal of the playoffs just minutes after puck drop. Forward Jack Devine added the second goal on a textbook give-and-go with defender Eamon Powell, giving Devine six points in his past four games and extending Powell’s assist streak to three games.
But championship stories require finishing, and the Checkers couldn’t complete theirs.
Charlotte’s power play failures became the subplot that derailed its title hopes. The Checkers went 0-for-5 with the man advantage Monday night, finishing the playoffs at a brutal 7-for-67 conversion rate. Meanwhile, Abbotsford operated at 25 percent efficiency on its power plays.
“We’ve been winning games without our power play all playoffs long,” forward Rasmus Asplund said. “I don’t think that was an issue. We were up 2-0, we should be able to handle it a little bit better.”
The turning point came with 2:57 left in the first period. Defender Trevor Carrick hit the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty, and left wing Sammy Blais scored 35 seconds into the power play. That goal started Abbotsford’s comeback and began Charlotte’s unraveling.
The Canucks tied it early in the second period when right wing Danila Klimovich scored after Charlotte failed to clear the puck. Then right wing Linus Karlsson gave Abbotsford the lead with 2:41 left in the second, his 14th goal of the playoffs extending his hot streak to nine points in five games.
Charlotte’s power play got three more chances in the second period. The Checkers converted on none of them. Each failure sucked more energy from the building and more confidence from the home team.
“Refs, you suck,” the crowd chanted as the teams headed to the locker room trailing 3-2.
The third period became a desperate chase. Charlotte couldn’t solve goaltender, and eventual series MVP, Arturs Silovs when it mattered most. With goaltender Kappo Kahkonen pulled for an extra attacker and the crowd standing for the final two minutes, the Checkers managed zero shots in the final 46.9 seconds.
“It’s tough, not much to say, we came up short,” Asplund said. “Super proud of the guys, every single one in there.”
Asplund’s season ended with him serving as Charlotte’s emotional leader, but his personal story remained unfinished too. The Swedish forward had rediscovered his love for hockey in Charlotte after struggling elsewhere.
“The city made me love the game again and I will always be appreciative of that,” he said.
The Checkers finished their playoff run with a 6-4 home record. Kinnear’s team had overcome injuries and call-ups all season, developing the chemistry and depth that carried them to within two victories of the franchise’s first Calder Cup since 2019.
They battled back from a 3-1 series deficit, won Game 5 in hostile territory, and brought the series home with everything on the line. But championship stories demand perfect endings, and Charlotte’s power play couldn’t provide one.
“We had a couple, almost,” Kinnear said. “Our group was never going to quit.”
The almost is what will haunt this group. Almost scored on five power plays. Almost forced overtime. Almost reached Game 7. Almost won the Calder Cup.
Instead, they’re left with an unfinished story and the knowledge that they were two games away from completing it. In hockey, almost never counts.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 11:06 PM.