Abbotsford – In the final meeting of the season between two Harold Brittain conference rivals, the visiting Langley Trappers (12-11-1-0) were victorious over the Abbotsford Pilots (8-16-0-0) Friday night with a final score of 3-1. The season series is split at two wins each, with the Trappers outscoring the Pilots 10-8 over all four meetups.
Rookie goaltender Ajeetpal Gundarah notched his 7th win, stopping 35 shots and earning second star honours. Both Mauricio Soriano and Noah Masog appeared between the pipes for Abbotsford.
Additionally, it was Teddy Bear Toss night at MSA Arena, as fans were able to toss stuffed animals on the ice after the Pilots first goal of the game. The stuffed animal donations were split between The Salvation Army and the Abbotsford Hospice Society. The 50/50 Draw raised $218 for Hospice and over 450 Teddy Bears were collected.
Langley would open the scoring midway through the first frame as rookie Keeton Oakley weaved past Pilots defenceman Matthew Dyck in the offensive zone en route to firing home his 13th goal of the season. Oakley currently leads all PJHL rookies with 31 points.
The would spell the end of Mauricio Soriano after stopping 7 of 9 shots in the first period. Noah Masog would get the nod to start the second, ultimately finishing the game.
In the middle frame, the Pilots eventually found the scoresheet at 7:52. Eager fans finally had a chance to shower the ice with teddy bears as Alex Beechey batted a centering pass from Jared Pitkethly out of mid-air and past Gundarah for his third goal of the season. Play would resume after a minor delay for players to clean the ice. This would be the lone goal in the period.
The insurance marker for the Trappers came late in the third. Whintors’ second goal of the night at 15:07 extended the visitor lead. Warburton assisted once again, with an additional helper credited to Carter Graham.
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Final Score: Langley Trappers 3 – Abbotsford Pilots
Final Shots: 36-20 Abbotsford Pilots
Ajeetpal Gundarah – 35/36 saves for Langley, W (8-4-1)
Mauricio Soriano – 7/9 saves for Abbotsford, L (3-3-0)
Noah Masog – 10/11 saves for Abbotsford
Langley Power Play: 1/5
Abbotsford Power Play: 0/6
3 Stars:
1) Casey Whintors (LNG)
2) Ajeetpal Gundarah (LNG)
3) Alex Beechey (ABB)
