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Abbotsford Pilots drop pair of games

Hockey team prepares for back-to-back home game starting Friday
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Pilots forward Kolby Steen dekes around a Flames defender during junior hockey action on Friday.

Remembrance Day weekend turned into a pair of games to forget for the Abbotsford Pilots.

The Pilots were blanked 1-0 by the Ridge Meadows Flames on home ice on Friday, and then fell 3-2 to the Grandview Steelers in Burnaby on Sunday.

Abbotsford couldn't solve Flames goalie Jack Stradiotti on Friday, as the Delta native stopped all 32 shots the Pilots fired at him.

Pilots goalie Jacob Crawford also pitched a shutout for most of the game, holding the Flames to no goals until Ridge Meadows connected on the power play with 11 seconds left in the third period.

Abbotsford's Noah Wiebe received a game misconduct and a five-minute major penalty for head contact at 16:32, and then Philip Gauthier took a minor penalty for cross checking at 19:02 to give the Flames a two-man advantage for the game's last 58 seconds. Ryan Wellburn scored the game's only goal during Ridge Meadows' 5-on-3 advantage.

The Pilots' third-period woes continued on Sunday against the Steelers, as Grandview scored the game's deciding goal 50 seconds into the final frame to win 3-2.

The teams were tied 1-1 after one and 2-2 after two. Abbotsford got goals from Mateo Toledo and Haydn Downing in the loss. Pilots goalie Noah Giesbrecht made 30 saves.

The Pilots sit in second place in the Harold Brittain conference with a record of 13 wins, seven losses and one overtime loss.

This weekend marks the only time this season that the Pilots have a pair of back-to-back home games, with Abbotsford hosting the Delta Ice Hawks today (Friday) and the Flames tomorrow (Saturday). Both game are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the MSA Arena.



Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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