After winning their first-ever playoff game, the Coachella Valley Firebirds will square off against the Tucson Roadrunners again Friday, April 21, in game two in the best-of-three series for the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The game will start with puck drop at 7 p.m. at the Acrisure Arena, the Firebirds' home base and enthusiasm is high after their sweeping victory Wednesday over the Roadrunners 5-1, which occurred in the first playoff game, according to the team's website.
"The Firebirds win their first-ever playoff game," the team proudly said on Twitter.
The Firebirds battle it out again this weekend against Roadrunners.
| Coachella Valley Firebirds/Twitter
If the Firebirds meet defeat tonight, look for a third game to be a tie-breaker at the Acrisure Arena on Sunday, April 23, at 3 p.m., the team's website said. But another Firebirds win will mean a championship for this 32nd American Hockey League franchise based in Coachella Valley.
During round one of the championship and their first postseason game in their history, Firebirds' captain Max McCormick gained two goals while Joey Daccord blocked all but one of 46 Roadrunners' shots. Kole Lind also scored his third point during the match with an assist on the goal, while other scorers included Carsen Twarynski in the third period and Ville Petman with an assist on Twarynski’s first postseason goal, the team news release said.
According to the news release, the Firebirds scored three goals in the opening period and delivered two more in the second and third periods. With 1:17 left on the clock, the Roadrunners scored only one goal, which was not enough to change the outcome. Coachella was strong from the start accomplishing a power play just 34 seconds into the game, and this followed Tucson taking too many players onto the ice and facing a penalty.
This left the Firebirds with much to celebrate as their first postseason victory fell into place, the release said.