Henderson Silver Knights lose 2-1 in overtime to Abbotsford Canucks – Hockey Writer – Henderson Silver Knights
With Carl Lindbom on the bench and the Henderson Silver Knights pressing with an extra attacker, their net was empty and the crowd at the Lee Family Forum rose to its feet. Henderson were still looking for an equalizer with Abbotsford leading 1-0 and the atmosphere was tense.
Time is passing, every second seems like an eternity. The Silver Knights didn’t tie the game until Tanner Laczynski scored a wide-open goal after the puck came loose in front of the goal.
“He’s a big, heavy, strong guy in this league, [a] “He’s a guy that’s going to be able to drive the offense,” head coach Ryan Craig said after the 2-1 overtime loss. “We want him to be able to put a lot of effort into the puck, put a lot of effort into the faceoff circle and continue to get into the hardcourt area and score in that way.”
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The Silver Knights lost their opener on Friday night but will have another chance tomorrow. Below is a recap of the game.
Silver Knights vs. Canucks in overtime
The Silver Knights are bolstered by 2021 seventh-round netminder Lindbom, who has a 2.01 goals-against average and stopped 28 of 30 shots.
“Cal started his camp right where he left off last year,” Craig said. “I think he’s going to be solid heading into the first regular season of the year and we expect that from him.”
Lindbom appeared in 36 games last season, winning 18 of them, and continues to lead the Silver Knights in the backfield.
In addition to Lindbom, the Silver Knights have their fair share of veterans heading into the 2025-26 season. The defense is led by alternate captain Jacob Megna. Despite the loss, the veteran was optimistic about their performance.
“That’s an important point,” Megna said. “Those are important at the end of the season. You may not remember them, but it’s always important to stand up for you.”
The Canucks won the 2025 Calder Cup last season, and as the defending American Hockey League champions, Megna relishes the challenge of matching last year’s championship.
“Their style of play is the same as last year,” Megna said. “That’s a recipe for winning. So it’s good to play against teams that are organized and have a game plan and you know where you’re at.”
The Silver Knights are currently 3-2-1 heading into the season opener, but with 11 new faces on the roster, growing pains are inevitable this season.
“It’s just a matter of understanding the league and understanding what’s important,” Craig said. “I think we can do a better job of putting the puck behind them, establishing advance control, catching the puck in the offensive zone, that kind of thing.”
Midway through the second period, Ben Berard scored to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead. The Silver Knights had a chance on a five-on-three power play but failed to convert and went 0/2 on the night.
“We don’t have a lot of gaming representation in these groups,” Craig said. “I think it comes down to guys positioning themselves and finding ways to do it. I like our offense.”
After Laszinski scored late in the third period, the Canucks retained possession in overtime and Max Sasson scored to give Abbotsford the win in the season opener.
“You really can’t, you can’t get ahead early,” Craig said. “But I thought we held on. We got a point in the third quarter.”
The Silver Knights will take on Abbotsford again tomorrow at 6:00 PM PDT and will try to get in the win column to start the 2025-26 season.
“We’re excited about the game and you can see that and I think they got into the game and put in the effort,” Megna said. “I was thinking all night long that we didn’t execute as well as we should have, but our effort was definitely there.”
