Firebirds' offense returns in head-turning 6-1 win over Wranglers
Any concern over the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ recent scoring woes can be put on hold — at least momentarily.
After scoring just six goals combined in their five previous games, the Firebirds on Monday suddenly seemed to flip a switch by matching that total against the most unlikely of opponents.
Their 6-1 win over the Calgary Wranglers came not only against the team atop the Western Conference standings, but also against goalie Dustin Wolf, the reigning MVP in the American Hockey League.
Firebirds forward John Hayden scored the game’s first goal, at the 5:09 mark in the first period. After the Wranglers tied the score on a goal by Yan Kuznetsov, Kole Lind, Jacob Melanson and Hayden scored Coachella Valley’s three goals in the second period to solidify the lead.
In the third period, forward Andrew Poturalski added Coachella Valley’s fifth goal of the game. Rookie Ryan Winterton added another later in the period.
Wolf, the Wrangler’s star goalie, has recorded three shutouts this season and held a 2.3 goals-against average entering the game, which was sixth-best among qualified netminders in the AHL.
The six goals were the most the Firebirds have scored since Oct. 31 in an 8-3 home win over Abbotsford. They were also tied for the most goals Wolf has allowed in a single game this season.
The win moves the Firebirds to 15-10-2 and into sixth place in the Pacific Division standings. The Wranglers remain seven points ahead in the division.
The two teams are scheduled to take the ice again together Tuesday in Calgary. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Monday’s game marked the first time the two teams faced each other since Nov. 11, when Calgary beat the Firebirds inside Acrisure Arena. The two teams had the best records in the Western Conference last season, and the Firebirds beat the Wranglers in overtime of a winner-take-all Game 5 to advance to the conference finals and, eventually, the Calder Cup Finals.
The win on Monday also marked the return of blueliner Ryker Evans, who had played the nine previous games with the Firebirds’ NHL affiliate, the Seattle Kraken, and perhaps the best game of the season from goalie Ales Stezka. The 6-foot-4 Czechia native allowed just the one goal and saved 35 others, which were the second-most saved he’s recorded in a game this season.
Stezka has played in each of Coachella Valley’s previous four games and has allowed just seven goals during that stretch. That has proven vital as the Firebirds look to rediscover the offensive proficiency that has come in inconsistent spirts this season.
Lind on Monday snapped an 8-game streak without a goal and Hayden snapped a 25-game streak without a goal. Lind led the Firebirds in points during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Andrew John covers the Coachella Valley Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds start 2024 off right, by beating Wranglers 6-1 in Calgary
