CHARLOTTE — The Abbotsford Canucks are Calder Cup champions.
After spotting the host Charlotte Checkers the first two goals on Monday night at Bojangles Coliseum, the Canucks roared back with three unanswered goals, including the winner from Linus Karlsson at 17:19 of the second period, to give Abbotsford a 3-2 win in Game 6.
It was the first Calder Cup championship in franchise history for the parent Vancouver Canucks.
"They all believe in one another. they believe in our system, they believe in the culture they've built. That's the main reason we're Calder Cup champions," rookie head coach Manny Malhotra told Canucks Insider.
Sammy Blais and Danila Klimovich also scored for the Canucks, who were outshot 30-20 but received another quality performance from netminder Arturs Silovs, who received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for being the playoff MVP. Silovs won 16 games in the post-season, including five shutouts.
Arshdeep Bains, who went into Game 6 with a playoff-leading 17 assists, added two more helpers for the Canucks.
"That was so special," Bains said. "Like our team identity all year, we're a resilient group. We were down 2-0 early. We just fight back every single game. I couldn't be prouder of this group."
John Leonard and Jack Devine scored first-period goals for the Checkers, who lost the best-of-seven American Hockey League championship series in six games. The Checkers won the Memorial Cup in 2018-19.
The Canucks denied the Florida Panthers, Charlotte's parent club, a rare chance to sweep the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup. The double has been recorded only three times in the same year, most recently in 1995 by the New Jersey Devils and Albany River Rats.
"Extremely special, obviously a different feeling as a coach," said Malhotra, who won the Calder Cup 25 years ago as a player with the Hartford Wolf Pack. "But to watch the journey of this team throughout the course of the year, and watch them grow as players and watch them grow as a team, it's such an unbelievable feeling as a coach."
Abbotsford went 1-for-2 on the power play, while Charlotte went 0-for-4.
The Canucks lost Game 5 in overtime on Saturday in front of the largest crowd to ever witness an AHL game at the Abbotsford Centre in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
The Canucks become the first Canadian team to win the Calder Cup since the Toronto Marlies did it in 2017-18.
The Canucks' post-season slogan "Never Satisfied" might have to be altered. Abbotsford knocked off the Tucson Roadrunners 2-1 in the Pacific Division's first round of playoffs, followed by a 3-1 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the semifinals.
The Canucks outlasted the Colorado Eagles 3-2 in the Pacific Division final, then bounced the Texas Stars 4-2 in the Western Conference final.
— with files from Sportsnet.
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