Abbotsford Canucks unconventional lineup played hard, but ultimately fell to the Bakersfield Condors

JEN FIELD/GATG

January 6, 2026 marked the Abbotsford Canucks first home game of the new year. Abbotsford faced off against the Bakersfield Condors for their first matchup of the season. 

Abbotsford returned to Rogers Forum after a 4 game road trip, where they played the Coachella Valley Firebirds, San Diego Gulls, and played 2 games against the Manitoba Moose, where they split the series. 

The game took an interesting turn when the line-up was released and defenceman Phip Waugh was positioned as a forward, as there were only 10 forwards dressed for the game. 

The first period started hard with the Bakersfield Condors, Quinn Hutson striking first at 41 seconds into the first. Putting the game 1-0 in favour of Bakersfield. 

Though Abbotsford battled hard Hutson scored again at 10:45 in the first to make the game 2-0 for Bakersfield. 

Abbotsford continued to fight for the puck and drive it into the opposing zone, however, they couldn’t find their footing and put the puck into the net. 

Rhett Pitlick of Bakersfield took the first penalty of the game at 15:51 for hooking, giving Abbotsford the man advantage. 

Moments into the power play Jett Woo drew a penalty at 17:03 for roughing, putting the game 4-on-4. Both teams were successful on the penalty kill. 

Despite Abbotsford’s best effort the first period ended 2-0 for Bakersfield. 

The second period started with high energy from both sides. Abbotsford looked to close the gap, while Bakersfield looked to widen it more. 

Turn overs and incomplete passes continued to be a struggle for Abbotsford and led to disconnected plays. 

Chase Wouters scored at 15:01 in the second, bringing some energy back to the Abbotsford bench and to the fans. The goal was assisted by Dino Kambeitz and Joe Arntsen. 

Kambeitz took an interference penalty at 15:58, putting Bakersfield on the power play. Bakersfield’s Damien Carfagna capitalized on the man advantage. 

The second period ended 3-1 for Bakersfield. 

The third period had both teams battling hard and driving the puck to the opposing zones. Abbotsford had a number of close calls, but could not put the puck in the net. 

Seth Griffith of Bakersfield opened the scoring at 5:30 in the third, putting the game 4-1. 

Bakersfield’s Beau Akey went to the box at 5:56 for holding, giving Abbotsford the man advantage. Wouters capitalized on the power play scoring Abbotsford's second goal of the night at 7:27, assisted by Ty Mueller and Kirill Kudryatsev. 

Griffith of Bakersfield answered back seconds later at 7:37 putting the game 5-2. 

Abbotsford continued to battle hard, and despite having double the amount of shots on goal, they could not get the puck into the back of the net. 

Carfagan of Bakersfield went to the box at 16:16 for interference, putting Abbotsford on the power play. 

Seconds after the power play ended Cooper Walker scored at 18:19 in the third, assisted by Kambeitz and Jujhar Khaira. 

This was Walker's first goal of the season after returning from an injury. This put the game 5-3 for Bakersfield. 

Abbotsford pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with just over a minute left. However, they were unable to capitalize in the dying minutes of the game. Despite their best efforts the game ended 5-3 for Bakersfield. 

With an unconventional lineup in place, many players got to see more ice time throughout the game. Josh Bloom was one of them. When asked about what his goals were on the ice he stated; “...[B]eing physical, executing on the game plan, executing on exits and trying to generate offence.” Which was noted in his performance. 

Captain Chase Wouters had an incredible game with 2 goals, when asked about the game he stated: “I thought we played good. Our effort was three…And I mean tonight, we feel like we brought it for the majority part of the game…overall, I didn’t hate our compete level and our effort tonight.” 

He also commented on Waugh's performance moving from defence and filling in as a forward, “He [was] ready for the task when he got asked to do that. And I mean he did his job out there.” The team played hard despite all the obstacles in their way.

The Abbotsford Canucks face off again against the Bakersfield Condors tomorrow night December 7, at 7 pm, PST, at Rogers Forum for Hockey Talks night. This night highlights the importance of advocating for mental health care in Hockey.