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Coachella Valley Firebirds: What to know as the AHL hockey team enters playoffs

andrew l. john, palm springs desert sun
·6 min read
The Coachella Valley Firebirds bench watches the action during their game against the Ontario Reign at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., April 12, 2023.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds bench watches the action during their game against the Ontario Reign at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., April 12, 2023.

The 2022-23 American Hockey League regular season is now in the books and that means it’s playoff time for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken's AHL affiliate.

The AHL’s newest team, in its inaugural season, will now chase the Calder Cup, starting with its first playoff game on Wednesday, inside Acrisure Arena.

Coachella Valley’s road to the Calder Cup will begin with a best-of-3 series versus the Tucson Roadrunners. If the Firebirds (48-17-5-2) win that series, they’ll move on to the Pacific Division semifinals, then potentially the division finals. If they keep winning, they’ll eventually play in the Western Conference finals and, if they win that, they’d play for the Calder Cup. That would be a best-of-7 series.

Here are a few things you’ll need to know if you plan to catch the Firebirds’ first round series in person.

The schedule

Game 1: Wednesday, April 19, 7 p.m. at Acrisure Arena

Game 2: Friday, April 21, 7 p.m. at Acrisure Arena

Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, April 23, 3 p.m. at Acrisure Arena

The Coachella Valley Firebirds take the ice before their game against the Ontario Reign at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., April 12, 2023.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds take the ice before their game against the Ontario Reign at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., April 12, 2023.

Tickets

Tickets to the games are available for purchase at the Firebirds’ website, cvfirebirds.com or call 760-835-8778. Tickets can also be purchased at the Acrisure Arena box office on game days. The box office is only open on event days.

Prices for Firebirds playoff tickets vary, from $19 to $125. Availability and pricing are subject to change.

View the team’s full game and promotional schedule, including theme night events at cvfirebirds.com/schedule.

Parking

Parking at Acrisure Arena should be done online, before arriving at the arena, on the Acrisure Arena website, acrisurearena.com, or on parkwhiz.com. Parking for Game 1 is currently $21.55 for Main Lot and $32.33 for Lot B, which is a tad closer to the arena entrance.

Once you’ve purchased your parking online, and entered your license plate number, you will then be free to park in any spot in your designated lot.

Playoff changes

Unlike AHL regular season games, there are no shootouts in the playoffs. Instead, the AHL follows NHL hockey format for overtime playoff games, which instead includes a 20-minute sudden death. If neither team scores during that period, they’ll then play another, and so on.

Coachella Valley goaltender Joey Daccord (35) takes a break for water during a timeout in the third period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Coachella Valley goaltender Joey Daccord (35) takes a break for water during a timeout in the third period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, April 1, 2023.

Firebirds to watch

Joey Daccord is among the top goaltenders in the AHL. The 26-year-old Arizona State alum is fifth in the league in goals against average (2.38) with a record of 26-8-3. His 26 wins are third-most among AHL goalies, despite playing in just 38 games, which is the fewest among the top five in wins. Expect Daccord to get the start on Wednesday.

Max McCormick, a 2022-23 AHL Second Team selection, is the Firebirds’ captain and he leads the team in points (67), which is 10th among all players in the AHL. The 30-year-old forward from Wisconsin has scored 28 goals and recorded 39 assists on the season, and always seems to be around the puck in key moments. If the Firebirds are to make a run, McCormick will surely be a big part of that.

Kole Lind is a 24-year-old forward Saskatchewan native who leads the team with 31 goals on the season and has a knack for coming up big in key moments. He’s already scored three walk-off goals this season inside Acrisure Arena, with a nose for the puck and a hunger for coming through in the clutch.

Coachella Valley Firebirds Max McCormick (17), left, and Kole Lind (16) during the game against the San Jose Barracuda at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Monday, April 3, 2023. Firebirds pulled out a 4-3 shootout win to secure a top spot in the Pacific Division.
Coachella Valley Firebirds Max McCormick (17), left, and Kole Lind (16) during the game against the San Jose Barracuda at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Monday, April 3, 2023. Firebirds pulled out a 4-3 shootout win to secure a top spot in the Pacific Division.

Defenseman Brogan Rafferty, another 2022-23 AHL Second Team selection, sits tied for third among AHL defensemen in scoring with 51 points. The fourth-year pro from Illinois is also tied for second among blueliners with 42 assists, which leads the Firebirds. He also ranks third among all AHL skaters with a plus/minus rating of +31.

Rookies Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans were each selected to the AHL All-Rookie team, which consisted of the league’s top six rookies. Kartye, a Kingston, Ontario native who was recalled by the Kraken on Monday, is not expected to be available for the Firebirds on Wednesday and perhaps longer. But he could be back with the team as soon as this weekend. The 21-year-old has scored 28 goals and added 29 assists for a total of 57 points, which leads all AHL rookies.

Evans, an AHL all-star who hails from Calgary, leads all rookies with 38 assists, which is third on the team, behind McCormick and Rafferty.

Cameron Hughes, a 26-year-old forward from Edmonton, Alberta, is fourth on the team with 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists). He's a leader on the team who isn't afraid to mix it up with opposing players or make the extra pass that leads to someone else scoring. Few players get more love from the home crowd than "Huuuuuuughes."

Fans cheer for Coachella Valley forward Cameron Hughes (19) after he scores a goal during the first period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
Fans cheer for Coachella Valley forward Cameron Hughes (19) after he scores a goal during the first period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

Rookie Shane Wright is another player to follow closely. The 19-year-old center from Burlington, Ontario was selected fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft and Wright seems to have a high ceiling as a prospect. He scored four goals in five games playing for the Firebirds earlier this season and is back with the team after a few months playing in the Ontario Hockey League.

About the opponent

The Tucson Roadrunners (30-31-8-1) finished seventh in the Pacific Division and are 2-5 this season versus the Firebirds. The Roadrunners hold the distinction of being the first road team to win a game inside Acrisure Arena. Tucson beat Coachella Valley there on Dec. 20.

The Roadrunners, an affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes who did not make the NHL postseason, are led by forward Michael Carcone, who is one of the top offensive weapons in the AHL. Carcone scored 31 goals this season, which was tied for fifth in the league during the regular season. Carcone was also third in the league in assists, with 54, giving him the most points in the entire American Hockey League, with 85.

Tucson goaltender Ivan Prosvetov is 16-13-4 on the season. His goals-against average is 3.06, which is 36th in the league among all goalies. He has recorded one shutout this season.

The head-to-head scores this year were:

  • Nov. 11 at Tucson: Firebirds win 4-1

  • Nov. 12 at Tucson: Firebirds win 4-3

  • Dec. 13 at Tucson: Roadrunners win 7-2

  • Dec. 18 at Acrisure: Firebirds win 4-3

  • Dec. 20 at Acrisure: Roadrunners win 3-2

  • Jan. 16 at Acrisure: Firebirds win 5-2

  • Feb. 15 at Acrisure: Firebirds win 3-1

Rest of the Pacific Division

First-place Calgary has a first-round bye and will play the lowest-seeded Pacific Division team to emerge from the first round.

The other matchups aside from 2-Coachella Valley vs. 7-Tuscon, are 3-Colorado vs. 6-Ontario, and 4-Abbotsford vs. 5-Bakersfield.

If the Firebirds win their first-round series, they will play either Colorado or the winner of the Abbotsford-Bakersfield series. The only teams they will definitely not face in the second round are first-place Calgary or sixth-place Ontario.

Andrew John covers the Coachella Valley Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com and subscribe to The Desert Sun to read all of his award-winning coverage.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Firebirds: What to know as the AHL hockey team enters Calder Cup playoffs