The Coachella Valley Firebirds secured a 5-2 victory over the Texas Stars on Tuesday night at H-E-B Center, marking their second consecutive comeback from a two-goal deficit. This win brings the Firebirds to an 18-12-4-0 record for the season.
Texas took an early lead in the first period with goals from Justin Ertel and Antonio Stranges. Ertel scored his first goal of the season at 4:16, followed by Stranges at 11:52.
The Firebirds responded midway through the second period when Ian McKinnon scored his fourth goal of the season after a mishandled puck by Stars’ goaltender Arno Tiefensee. McKinnon has now scored in three of his last four games.
In the third period, Caden Price tied the game for Coachella Valley with a wrist shot at 10:55. “Price tied the game for Coachella Valley in the third period with his second career AHL goal. The rookie now has eight points on the season and goals in back-to-back games.” Logan Morrison then set up Jani Nyman, who scored his second goal of the season just 45 seconds later to give Coachella Valley its first lead.
With Texas pulling their goaltender late in the game, both Morrison and Nyman added empty-net goals to secure the win for Coachella Valley. “Nyman scored the game-winning goal that gave Coachella Valley the lead in the third period and added some insurance, an empty-netter to put the game out of reach.”
Victor Ostman made 24 saves on 26 shots and earned his seventh win this season. The Firebirds outshot Texas 38-26. Both teams went scoreless on their single powerplay opportunity.
The three stars of the game were Justin Ertel (Texas), Caden Price (Coachella Valley), and Jani Nyman (Coachella Valley).
The Firebirds will face off against Texas again on January 13th and January 14th, with both games scheduled for a 5 p.m. PT start.
Fans interested in attending future games can explore various ticket packages for the upcoming season, including half-season plans, flex options, and nine-game packages through CVFirebirds.com. Premium seating options have also been released after three years, offering VIP amenities and inclusive food options at Acrisure Arena club sections.
For next season, new gameday enhancements are planned to improve fan experience such as advance-purchase parking savings, new affordable food choices, earlier weekday start times, and pregame Happy Hour events at The Oasis.
Updates about tickets, premium seating, gameday enhancements, and other team news can be found by visiting CVFirebirds.com or following @Firebirds on social media.
