Firebirds shut out again at home in 1-0 loss to Eagles, spoiling strong Cale Morris debut
A single goal was again enough to beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds at home, and this time it spoiled an otherwise outstanding debut by goaltender Cale Morris.
The third period goal that led to a 1-0 loss to the Colorado Eagles in front of 7,984 inside Acrisure Arena snapped a four-game Firebirds' win streak in what could have been a historic game for the netminder.
It also marked the third time this season that Coachella Valley has been shut out, with all three of those shutouts coming at home.
That this one came on the heels of a six-game streak that included 22 goals by 15 different players showed that Coachella Valley is still working to build chemistry and generate consistent offensive production amongst a talented roster in its encore season following a run to the Calder Cup Finals in June.
"This was I think a game where they played last night, we played last night," Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said of the Eagles. "They're an excellent forechecking team, they're an excellent work team and the way we played allowed them to forecheck and have that work in the game. That was a tough one to swallow."
The Firebirds are now 14-8-1 through 23 games this season, but just 4-7-1 at home.
Morris, a 27-year-old journeyman from Larkspur, Colorado who began the season in the ECHL, joined the team last week after the Seattle Kraken, the Firebirds' NHL affiliate, took a flier on him with a PTO (professional tryout) contract. Coachella Valley’s primary goaltender, Chris Driedger, is currently on his second stint this season with the Kraken. Morris, who had not played in the American Hockey League in 51 weeks until Sunday, was brought in to help provide additional depth, likely until Driedger returns.
But Morris played like it was indeed a tryout and as if his playing career was on the line. He saved 33 shots in the first two periods while the Eagles tripled the amount of shots taken by the Firebirds.
For the game, Colorado outshot Coachella Valley, 42-22. The 43 saves by Morris were the second-most in a single game by any Firebirds netminder this season.
A shutout would have been the first recorded by Morris in an AHL game.
"The team battled hard," Morris said. "There were good defensive efforts, guys were boxing out and making my job as easy as they could and it was a hard-fought game all the way to the end."
Despite the Firebirds’ inability to get into the offensive zone to get shots off, and coming up empty on three power play opportunities, the effort by Morris almost single-handedly kept the Firebirds in the game.
"He might've been the best player on the ice tonight," Bylsma said. "He was outstanding, got lots of work (and) looked really solid all game long. It was impressive."
It wasn’t until Coachella Valley was outnumbered on a penalty kill early in the third period that the Eagles finally put the puck past Morris. At the 2:09 mark into the period, Eagles forward Cedric Pare found himself open not far from the net and fired the puck past Morris for the game’s only goal.
Even in the loss, the game provided another high mark for a Coachella Valley netminder.
Popular goalie Joey Daccord provided stability in the net for the Firebirds last season, starting all 26 playoff games during a run to the Calder Cup Finals in June. But even as Driedger has posted an even better goals-against average and higher save percentage this season, Coachella Valley has had a revolving door at goalie with Daccord now playing for the Kraken and Driedger being recalled by Seattle multiple times.
The Firebirds have had some strong performances from Ales Stezka and Jack La Fontaine this season, but the play of Morris on Sunday unquestionably stands among the best by a Coachella Valley goalie in the Firebirds’ first two seasons in the AHL.
"He gave us everything he had," Firebirds forward Kole Lind said. "The only one that went in he couldn't see."
It’s anyone’s guess how long Morris will be with the Firebirds. A PTO contract is only a temporary opportunity granted to players who were previously unsigned and not under contract in the NHL or AHL. The contract is not a long-term commitment for the team and often lasts only as long as the team needs the player.
Ice nuggets
A rare loss with a new goalie: Prior to Sunday, the Firebirds had won five consecutive games when a goalie was making their debut for the team. They are now 6-2 when a goalie makes a debut for the team.
Coachella Valley won with Daccord making his first start on Oct. 16, 2022 before losing on Oct. 28, 2022 in Chris Gibson's Firebirds debut.
They then won on Oct. 29, 2022 in Callum Booth's debut, on Nov. 5, 2022 in Shane Starrett's one and only start for the Firebirds, on Feb. 27 in Driedger's first game with the team, on Oct. 29 in Stezka's first game and on Dec. 13 in LaFontaine's first game in the Coachella Valley.
Next game
The Firebirds will now hit the road for a quick trip to Henderson, where they'll play the Silver Knights on Wednesday. Coachella Valley lost the previous matchup between the two teams this season, 5-4, on Nov. 15.
Henderson is 13-10-1-2 in 26 games this season.
Coachella Valley will return home on Dec. 23 for a 6 p.m. puck drop against Bakersfield, which will be this year's Teddy Bear Toss game. Fans with tickets to that game are invited to bring any stuffed animals they want to donate to local charities. All of the stuffed animals will be thrown onto the ice immediately following the Firebirds' first goal of the game. The game will be stopped momentarily while event staff collects them all.
The first 6,500 fans inside the arena for that game will receive a complimentary Dan Bylsma bobblehead.
*This story has been updated to correct an error in the number of saves Morris made in the game. The original version of this story incorrectly stated that he had 41 saves, not 43.
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 shut out in 1-0 home loss to Eagles
