CLOVERDALE, BC.
The Cloverdale Hockey Club returned home to Cloverdale Arena on Thursday night after back to back 7-2 wins last week against the Surrey Knights and the North Vancouver Wolf Pack. After the road win against the Wolf Pack, the Cloverdale Hockey Club's season-opening win streak improved to 13 games.
Thursday night's game brought Cloverdale their toughest challenge of the season, as they faced off against the team right behind them in the standings, the Abbotsford Pilots. This was the first of six matchups between the two teams, and the Pilots entered Cloverdale Arena on Thursday night on an eight-game streak.
Abbotsford Pilots at Cloverdale Hockey Club, Oct. 22
The stage was set for an epic matchup at Cloverdale Arena between number one and number two in the PJHL standings. It was a fantastic start for Cloverdale, as Keenan Connor scored his 7th goal of the season to give Cloverdale a 1-0 lead just nine seconds after the opening puck drop. Cloverdale used the momentum from the early goal as they pushed for a second goal, but Preston Muxlow tied the game at one halfway into the opening frame.
The Cloverdale Hockey Club re-took the league on their second powerplay opportunity of the game, as Josh McKellar notched his 8th goal of the season to make it 2-1 for Cloverdale late in the 1st. Shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes were 25-6 for Cloverdale, but there was still work to be done if Cloverdale wanted to get the win.
The 2nd period was much more even in terms of shots on goal for both teams, but it was the Abbotsford Pilots who took control of this game. Preston Muxlow scored his 2nd goal of the game at the 4:20 mark, and Cody Johnston gave the Pilots a 3-2 lead just 19 seconds later. With just under three minutes left in the middle frame, Preston Muxlow completed the hat trick, giving the Pilots a 4-2 lead before the end of the second period.
With 20 minutes left, Cloverdale had some work to do if they wanted to avoid their first loss of the season. Matteo Galasso got Cloverdale back to within one goal as he scored his 5th goal of the season with just over 17 minutes remaining. The two teams traded chances before Cloverdale took their only penalty of the game, and unfortunately the Pilots capitalized on this opportunity. Preston Muxlow was the first star of this game, and his 4th goal of the game on this powerplay made it 5-3 Pilots.
Cloverdale didn't let that goal discourage them, though, as Keenan Connor scored his second goal of the game just 15 seconds later. Cloverdale was now down 5-4 with about 9 minutes left in the game. Despite a few close chances, Cloverdale wasn't able to get the tying goal, and with the net empty, Cody Johnston made it 6-4 for the Pilots with 9 seconds remaining. Johnston was the night's second star as he led the Pilots with 2 goals and 3 assists.
Final shots on goal were 47-29 for Cloverdale, as Abbotsford's rookie goaltender Jaxson Lafortune made 43 saves in the win. Cloverdale goaltender Saihaj Nijjar was only making his 3rd appearance of the season, and despite some unfortunate breaks, he kept the team in the game when needed.
Up Next for Cloverdale
Following their first loss of the season, Cloverdale will now have a full week off before their next regular season game. Cloverdale has an interesting set of games in their next four-game stretch, as they'll face the Mission City Outlaws in three of these four games.
Cloverdale and Mission will battle for the first time this season next Thursday night, October 29th at Cloverdale Arena at 7 pm. After a Halloween game night rematch in Mission, Cloverdale will have the chance to get revenge on the Pilots at Cloverdale Arena on November 5th.
If you can't make it to watch the action in person at Cloverdale Arena, make sure to tune in at FloHockeyTV.com to keep up with the Cloverdale Hockey Club throughout the 2026-27 regular season
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Watch some of the highlights from the Abbotsford Pilots vs. Cloverdale Hockey Club game below!
