Firebirds cruise past Tucson Roadrunners for third consecutive win
The Coachella Valley Firebirds finished off a six-game home stretch in dominant fashion, cruising past the Tucson Roadrunners 5-1 for a third consecutive win on Monday. The Coachella Valley Firebirds (25-6-3-1) have won 10 out of the last 11 games to comfortably maintain first place in the Western Conference.
This was the seventh meeting between the Firebirds and the Roadrunners, which has led to the development of a rivalry. That rivalry was shown on the ice in what ended up being a chippy game.
"We've played the Roadrunners seven times now," Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said. "They've been heated battles, and we're starting to develop a bit of a dislike for the guys on the other side of the rink. That's how we want the game to be played. We get them one more time I think so we'll look forward to that."
The Firebirds improved to 5-2 all-time against the Roadrunners with the win.
Winning in regulation is a nice change of pace for the Firebirds, a team that has gone to overtime the past three games.
"It's nice to get a win in regulation, a little less stressful there at the end," joked goaltender Joey Daccord, who saved 31 shots in the win. "Every game has its own kind of story right, and I think this game was one where we played the way we wanted to for a full 60. Just happy to come out on top."
Other than a brawl between two players, there was not much the first period of play. That was until the final stretch, when Ryker Evans sent a slapshot toward the Roadrunners goal. The shot got tipped into the net by teammate Andrew Poturalski for a Firebirds goal score with 12 seconds left in the period.
The slow pace of the match would not last for long as the Firebirds came out hot in the second period.
The Firebirds scored again only a minute and a half into the new period and didn't stop there. The Firebirds scored another goal within 30 seconds of the last one to go up 3-0 over Tucson. The Roadrunners responded with a goal soon after, with the score staying at 3-1 for the next couple minutes. That was until a powerful shot from Brogan Rafferty put one more on the board for the Firebirds, making the score 4-1. The Firebirds would score one more time late in the third period with the game already comfortably in hand.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Coachella Valley Firebirds partnered with Stand Together to spotlight rarely seen historic photos curated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in partnership with Getty Images. Images dating back to the 1800s of campus life, notable alumni, student activism and historical figures who visited HBCUs during key moments in American History were shown on the big screen throughout the match.
On top of that, hockey legend Grant Fuhr did the ceremonial dropping of the puck. Fuhr was a goaltender in the NHL for 19 years and is most known for his decade of success with the Edmonton Oilers where he won five Stanley Cups. The six-time All-Star set a number of firsts for Black hockey players including being the first to win a Stanley Cup and being the first to be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. In 2017, Fuhr was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
The goals
1-0 Firebirds: The first score of the game came courtesy of Andrew Poturalski in the waning seconds of the first period. Ryker Evans sent a slapshot toward the Roadrunners net that Poturalski got his stick on, tipping it in for a score. Assists were credited to Ryker Evans and Max McCormick.
2-0 Firebirds: Captain Max McCormick scored about a minute and a half into the second period to jumpstart the Firebirds offense. Assist was credited to Andrew Poturalski.
3-0 Firebirds: Thirty seconds after the second goal, Jesper Froden would get the Firebirds on the board once again. In a beautiful sequence the Firebirds moved the puck around efficiently, setting up Froden for the quick one-timer. Assists credited to Max McCormick and Matt Tennyson.
3-1: Michael Carcone performed a sick spin move from behind the net, setting himself up for an impressive score to get the Roadrunners on the board. Adam Cracknell had the assist.
4-1 Firebirds: Brogan Rafferty scored midway through the second period. In response to Carcone's impressive goal, Rafferty hit a powerful shot from the right side of the net for another Firebirds score. Kole Lind had the assist.
5-1 Firebirds: Jesper Froden scores his second of the game late in the third period. Assists credited to Cameron Hughes and Peetro Seppala.
5-2 Firebirds: Ryan McGregor scores with a minute left in the match. Assist credited to Jan Jenick.
Desert Sun Firebirds Player of the Game
Jesper Froden: Froden scored twice in this game and played a big role in their win. This was his second straight multi-goal game.
Ice nuggets
Remembering MLK: Acrisure Arena honored Dr. King and his legacy throughout the match. Shown on the big screen were multiple speeches spoken by King, as well of many other tributes remembering his life and accomplishments.
John Hayden promoted: After playing in all 34 Firebirds’ games this season, the Chicago, Illinois native John Hayden signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kraken on July 15. Hayden has recorded 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in the American Hockey League this season. Hayden has skated in 240 NHL games. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound forward saw time with the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes and the Buffalo Sabres. Hayden has racked up 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in his NHL career.
Shots galore: The Firebirds shot a franchise record 41 shots against the Roadrunners.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: AHL hockey: Firebirds cruise past Roadrunners for third win in a row
