The Firebirds defeated the San Jose Barracuda in overtime by the score 4-3 on Monday night at Acrisure Arena. Kole Lind netted the game-winning goal in overtime while Chris Driedger stopped 30 of 33 shots in his first game with the Firebirds.
San Jose hit the back of the net at the 4:33 mark of the first period as Kyle Criscuolo scored on the powerplay. The goal marked the seventh straight games the Coachella Valley has surrendered the first tally.
The Firebirds pulled even in the second period after a hard-working play behind the net resulted in Carsen Twarynski’s 10th goal of the season. Austin Poganski and Luke Henman teamed up to feed Twarynski the puck in front of the net to beat Aaron Dell, making it 1-1 at 10:11 of the second period.
Coachella Valley took their first lead of the game just 1:35 into the third period. Matt Tennyson took a shot from the blueline that Dell stopped but the rebound came right to Luke Henman. Henman buried it for his fifth of the season. The secondary assist belonged to Poganski, his second of the game.
San Jose fought back with a pair of goals to regain the lead, 3-2. Thomas Bordeleau (3:11) and Jeffrey Viel (5:52) hit the back of the net to put the Barracuda on top.
Firebirds’ forward Alexander True was called for boarding at 8:07 of the third period but Barracuda defenseman Nick Cicek dropped his gloves and tried to fight True. Both players were sent to the penalty box, creating a 4-on-4 that Coachella Valley used to their advantage. Tye Kartye worked in the corner to free the puck up for Cameron Hughes in the slot. Hughes made no mistake to tie the game at 8:59 of the third period.
For the second time this season, the Firebirds and Barracuda went to overtime. It took 1:46 to find a winner as Kole Lind skated into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1, kept the puck, and wristed a shot past Dell to secure the extra point for Coachella Valley. The goal was Lind’s 20th of the season and Tye Kartye and Jimmy Schuldt earned the assists.
Chris Driedger made 30 saves and earned his first win as a Firebird. The victory moves Coachella Valley to 34-9-4-2. The Firebirds’ powerplay went 0-for-2 and the penalty kill finished 2-for-3. The win also puts Coachella Valley one point behind the Calgary Wranglers for the first-place spot in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. The Firebirds have four games in hand over the Wranglers leading into their matchup on Wednesday night.
In the victory, the Firebirds set a franchise record for shots on goal in a game with 44.
Read the game’s full box score HERE.
NEXT GAME: The Firebirds host the Calgary Wranglers this Wednesday, March 1st at Acrisure Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm PT.
Full Season, partial plans, and group tickets are also on sale for the Firebirds’ inaugural season. For more information and to purchase your ticket plan, please visit www.cvfirebirds.com or call 760-835-8778. View the team’s full game and promotional schedule, including theme night events at www.cvfirebirds.com/schedule.
Original source can be found here