Nucks News: September 2024

The Canucks will finish up the month of September on a three-game winning streak currently sitting third in the South Division with a 3-1-2 record.

Hosting the AJHL Showcase for the second consecutive season, the Canucks went a perfect 2-0 at the annual event, along with the Grande Prairie Storm, Whitecourt Wolverines, Drumheller Dragons, and the Olds Grizzlys.

“The last couple of games, we have really picked it up, and the boys are on a roll,” said Assistant Captain Rhett Melnyk. “It’s exciting, and I’m looking forward to keeping this momentum going.”

This past month Canucks were excited to introduce the leadership group for the 2024-2025 season. Bowden Singleton returns as team captain and will be joined by Gavin Schmidt, Adam Leitch, Cody Pisarczyk, and Rhett Melnyk, who will serve as assistant captains.

The Canucks were excited to announce a couple of commitments to NCAA Division I following the showcase.

Wade Wallace has committed to Niagara University, while Nathan Maloney has committed to Quinnipiac University.

Calgary will embark on a five-game road trip to start October, with stops in Drumheller, Olds, Camrose, and Grande Prairie, before returning home to face the Drayton Valley Thunder on Saturday, October 19th.

September Recap

September 13th at Canmore Eagles

The Canucks started the season on the road in Canmore. After a scoreless opening period, the Eagles took a 2-0 lead. Cody Pisarcczyk narrowed the lead to 2-1 with his first goal of the season. The Eagles scored again in the second period, making it 3-1. In the third period, Rhett Melnyk scored a powerplay goal, his first in the AJHL making it 3-2. Then, with less than two minutes left to play, Lucas Schaefer scored his first AJHL goal, tying the game at 3-3 and sending it into overtime. Unfortunately, the Eagles wasted no time winning this game 4-3, scoring 16 seconds into the extra period.

September 14th vs Canmore Eagles

The Canucks returned to Ken Bracko for their home opener, facing off against the Canmore Eagles once again. After another scoreless opening period, the Eagles would strike in the second period at 3:12, with Jack Plandowski scoring his first of the season ten minutes later. The Canucks had work to do in the third period as, once again, the Eagles finished the second with a lead. Trailing 2-1, Luc Trevors found the back of the net with his first as a Canuck making it a tie game. This game required not only overtime but also a shootout, despite the Canucks having full control and outshooting the Eagles 4-0 in extra time, Canmore would take this one, 3-2 scoring the lone goal in the shootout.

September 20th at Devon Xtreme

The Canucks travelled to Devon, Alberta to face the Devon Xtream, the newest franchise in the AJHL. The Xtream took a 3-0 lead with two goals in the first period and another goal just 28 seconds into the second period. Canucks blueliner, Nathan Maloney scored his first AJHL goal a minute later, narrowing the Xtream’s lead. Rhett Melnyk also scored a goal for the Canucks, leaving them trailing 5-2 to Devon at the end of the period. Bowden Singleton, returning from an injury he sustained in the second round of last season’s playoffs, scored his first goal. The Xtream would add two more goals and Luc Trevors scored the final goal for the Canucks, resulting in a 7-4 victory for the Xtream.

September 22nd vs Lloydminster Bobcats

Scoreless after the first period, but the Bobcats took a 2-0 lead midway through the second. With less than five minutes to play in the middle frame, Hayden Fechner scored his first goal as a Canuck, making it a one-goal game. In the third, Riley Bracko scored his first goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2 and sending the Canucks to overtime for the third time in four games. The game went to a shootout, and the Canucks secured their first win of the season, defeating the Bobcats 3-2.

September 25th vs Bonnyville Pontiacs – AJHL Showcase

In the Canucks’ first game at the AJHL Showcase, Captain Bowden Singleton scored the opening goal at 7:57. Bonnyville then tied the game 1-1 with a powerplay goal. Singleton responded with a powerplay goal of his own, bringing the score to 2-1 for Calgary. In the second period, the Pontiacs scored twice, taking a 3-2 lead, but Jack Plandowski tied the game for the Canucks with 54 seconds left in the period. Bonnyville again took the lead, making it 4-3 just under halfway into the final frame. However, the Canucks had a chance to tie the game up on the powerplay, and Hayden Fechner did just that tying the game at 4-4 with 7:42 left to play. With the game looking like it needed overtime, Luc Trevors became the hero by scoring with under 1:29 to play, with the Canucks going on to win 5-4 over the Pontiacs.

September 27th at Fort McMurray Oil Barons – AJHL Showcase

In the final game at the 2024 AJHL Showcase, the Canucks faced off against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Luc Trevors scored the Canucks’ first goal of the game, giving them a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Canucks added two more goals. Bowden Singleton, who had a hot start to the season, scored his fourth goal in four games, and Gavin Schmidt grabbed his first goal of the season, extending the lead to 3-0. In the third, the Canucks would explode for five goals that were kick-started by a highlight reel goal from the Captain, Schmidt would feed Singleton with a pass across the slot when Singleton would go between the legs scoring his fifth goal of the season. Next up Jack Plandowski scored a pair of goals and Nolan DuPont would match as he scored his first AJHL goal on the Powerplay and would add another in an 8-0 Canucks victory over the Oil Barons. Lukas Renaud secured the win in his debut for the Canucks, registering an 18-save shutout.

Player Spotlight – #23 Bowden Singleton

Bowden Singleton has had a strong start to the season, scoring five goals and earning eight points in five games. Singleton, who recently returned from an injury, stated, “I’m feeling good and finding my mojo from where I left off in last year’s playoffs. I’ve got to keep doing the little things right, and the rest will come.” The Canucks Captain leads the team and currently ranks third in league scoring. Singleton has surpassed the 150-game milestone in the AJHL with 58 goals and 108 assists, totaling 166 points in 151 games.