Coachella Valley Firebirds Win Second Consecutive Western Conference Championship
June 8, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.... The Coachella Valley Firebirds are heading to the Calder Cup Finals for the second year in a row after capturing the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference champions tonight.
The Firebirds are the fourth club in American Hockey League history to reach the Calder Cup Finals in each of its first two seasons of play, joining the Syracuse Stars (1937-38), the Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1972-73) and the Maine Mariners (1978-79).
Led by former Stanley Cup winning head coach Dan Bylsma, the Firebirds, top development team of the NHL's Seattle Kraken, won the Pacific Division during the 2023-24 regular season with a record of 46-15-6-5 (103 points). They have gone 10-2 thus far in the Calder Cup Playoffs while eliminating the Calgary Wranglers (3-1), Ontario Reign (3-0) and Milwaukee Admirals (4-1) - capped by a 5-1 win at Milwaukee this evening.
The Firebirds will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hershey Bears and the Cleveland Monsters. The Bears currently lead that series, three games to two.
Established in 1990, the AHL's Western Conference championship trophy honors the late Robert W. Clarke. Mr. Clarke served as the Chairman of the AHL's Board of Governors from 1967-94, and in 1956 he played an instrumental role in the formation of the Rochester Americans, one of the most successful franchises in AHL history.
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American Hockey League Stories from June 8, 2024
- Firebirds Win Game Five to Advance to Calder Cup Finals - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Monsters Force Game 6 After 5-1 Win Over Bears Bringing Eastern Conference Finals Series to 3-2 - Cleveland Monsters
- Bears Drop Game 5 to Monsters by 5-1 Score - Hershey Bears
- Coachella Valley Firebirds Win Second Consecutive Western Conference Championship - AHL
- Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 Preview: Bears at Monsters, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
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