Oilers and Canucks top prospects get into multiple hardcore fights

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Liam McCormick
January 28, 2024 (9:42)

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Last night, the Oilers and Canucks AHL teams faced off against each other, and clearly the rivalry between these two teams extends past the NHL. Even as the game was close in score, tensions began to boil over with multiple spirited fights. Early in the first period, Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie and Canucks prospect Vasily Podkolzin started the game off with a decent fight.

Neither player is really a fighter, but still both players landed some quality jabs. Lavoie landed some sneaky uppercuts, and Podkolzin popped off Lavoie's helmet with one hard punch. The referees stepped in, and the fight likely ended in a draw.

Both Lavoie and Podkolzin are relatively skill players and highly ranked within their NHL organizations, both having earned extended call-ups too. Two high tier prospects from rival teams going at it is really rare, and it's a great sight to see. Clearly, Lavoie and Podkolzin both have the compete level required to hang in NHL level battles and physical play, along with their scoring abilities.

Just minutes after that fight, a much more hardcore fight went down between Condors' Tyler Tullio and Canucks' Quinn Schmieman. In this fight, both players threw absolutely wild and powerful punches while pulling each other all over. Tullio got the better of the fight early on with some fast and furious early punches, but Schmieman made a comeback and held his own until the end when the referees stepped in.

The Abbotsford Canucks went on to win the game by a score of 3-2 in overtime, and were backed by two goals from Vasily Podkolzin along with his fight. Overall, it was an incredible game and the Condors showed their fight, but couldn't muster up the victory.